Patriots Fan Dave Portnoy’s Disappointing Super Bowl Experience
It wasn’t quite the Super Bowl 2026 that Patriots fan Dave Portnoy had hoped for.
Sharing his thoughts from a suite at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the Barstool Sports founder seemed to take the loss hard as he recorded several videos on X. The Seattle defense dominated, leading to a 29-13 victory over New England.
The Patriots were down 19-7 in the fourth when, after a touchdown from Drake Maye and Mack Hollins, Portnoy’s hopes began to rise—only for that to be dashed when Maye threw an interception, halting their momentum.
“He could have run 30 yards,” he remarked, referencing a play where Seattle’s safety, Julian Love, returned the ball 35 yards.
On New England’s following drive, Maye was picked off again, this time allowing Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to score on a 45-yard return.
Later, Portnoy summed up the game via another video as Seattle clinched the win.
“Honestly, I thought they were going to run away with it there. After we got the ball back and scored a touchdown, I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, we’re doing it again.’ But then Drake threw that awful interception. The defense was fantastic, really kicking it into gear. But damn, maybe Maye needed to get hurt, right?” he expressed.
In a moment of sportsmanship, Portnoy shared a quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena,” acknowledging the Seahawks’ impressive performance. “Congratulations @Seahawks. They were better than us today,” he tweeted.
Despite the lopsided loss, Portnoy tried to find a silver lining, reflecting on the remarkable turnaround the Patriots had under Maye and first-year coach Mike Vrabel. “We’ll be back. No one expected us to be here. The future is still very bright,” he responded after Maye’s emotional postgame press conference.
Interestingly, Maye mentioned he had received a painkiller injection before the game, which likely played a role in his performance.
This was Portnoy’s first Super Bowl in seven years, marking a return since he was ejected during the Patriots’ victory over the Rams in 2019.
