Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs against New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins (21) during the first quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Patriots DB Details Post-Super Bowl Emotions

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 8:00 AM ET

The result wasn't pretty at all. The New England Patriots had come out of the gate flat in Super Bowl LX, struggling to move the football and having a hard time containing the Seattle Seahawks' running attack.

Ultimately, the 29-13 score made the game look a lot better than it really was. After the Super Bowl hoopla on the field, with confetti falling for the Seahawks' second championship title, the Patriots made the long trek back to their locker room.

For safety Jaylinn Hawkins, who was playing in his first Super Bowl, it was a heartbreaking experience.

"I grieved for sure. I mean, I hurt," Hawkins said on the Up & Adams Show this week. "A month after, you're thinking, we lost. You know it's tough to get to the pinnacle. You work that hard, and you still feel that type of way a little bit. I feel like that will never go away."

Hawkins became one of New England's best defensive players last season before inking a two-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency.

After the immediate sting of losing the biggest game of their NFL careers, the Patriots then had to makr the even longer journey back to New England. The cross-country flight gave the team a chance to forget the game and move on, right?

Think again.

"I Had To Watch It ... I Had To"

"When we were on the plane, I know that we were all watching the game. Like, I watched the game. A couple bros watched the game, stuff like that," Hawkins said.

"I had to watch it so I could at least try to flush it, you know? ... I had to though because I was gonna be anxious if I didn't watch it, I'm not gonna lie."

That feeling will certainly stick in the hearts and minds of all the players on last year's team, as well as the fans across the six New England states. An ugly showing on the Super Bowl stage gave a sour taste to what was a fantastic 2026 season.

There wasn't one specific play that stuck out to Hawkins about that game -- he had five tackles and a quarterback hit -- but the entirety of the night that's stuck with him.

"It's a couple plays you wish you would've had out there," he said. "(Kenneth Walker), he played a good game. Sam Darnold did his thing. Their defense played really well, so it just sucks to come up short, man, especially when you got a good group of guys who worked their tail off all season."

And although the Patriots and Hawkins (who spent two seasons in New England) aren't together any longer, the defensive back says that it's a new slate for next year.

"It's like (a) new journey, new team, new everything," Hawkins said. "So we got a clean slate, we gotta start all over. So just using it as fuel for real."

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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