Kenneth Walker III Named Super Bowl 2026 Game MVP

NEED TO KNOW

• Kenneth Walker III is named the Super Bowl 2026 MVP at Levi’s Stadium
• The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13
• Both teams previously played each other in during Super Bowl 2015

Kenneth Walker III is joining the ranks of Super Bowl MVPs.

Following the Sunday, Feb. 8 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, the star player was recognized for his standout performance on the field at Levi's Stadium in California's Bay Area.

“We got the best team,” head coach Mike Macdonald said of his players, in part, before the announcement was broadcast live.

The 25-year-old running back then shared his gratitude for the recognition.

“First and foremost, I wanna thank God for this blessing to be here. Also, I want to thank my brothers, you know, this don’t happen without them. We went through a lot of adversity this season, but we came together and we stuck together, and you know, this is what we got,” Walker said in a post-game interview.

It was the 2021 Heisman Trophy candidate’s first championship appearance since being drafted by the Seahawks in 2022.

The two teams previously battled it out at Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, when the Patriots took the crown and narrowly defeated the Seahawks 28-24.

On newsstands now, PEOPLE's latest special edition issue covers Bad Bunny's groundbreaking career, from his earliest days to headlining the Super Bowl LX halftime show and making history at the Grammys. The 96-page issue is now on Amazon. A print edition in Spanish is available exclusively here.

For most of Sunday’s game, the Seahawks were in the lead with the Patriots not scoring a single point until the fourth quarter when Mack Hollins caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye with roughly 12 minutes left on the clock.

A second late touchdown came thanks to Maye when Rhamondre Stevenson caught a pass for a 7-yard touchdown, bringing Seattle's lead to 29-13 with just minutes left in the game.

In the end, the Seahawks came out victorious, becoming two-time Super Bowl winners.

After a cloud of green and blue confetti filled the sky, Walker was named as the game MVP. 

Other standout moments from the big game included Green Day opening with a pre-game mini concert with a medley of their biggest hits — including “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” "Holiday" and "American Idiot."

As an added bonus, several MVPs from the championship game’s last six decades joined the band onstage for the 60th anniversary of the Super Bowl.

The Manning brothers, Eli and Peyton Manning, along with Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Eli, Lynn Swann, Jerry Rice and Jalen Hurts were among the football legends who gathered, each dressed in the same navy blue and white letterman jacket with the NFL insignia on the front. 

“Pretty good group right here,” Eli, 45, tweeted with a group photo of himself and the guys.

Steve Young, 64, shared a post of his own, adding, “Too many [goat emoji]’s in one photo.”

See PEOPLE's coverage of the 2026 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, airing live on NBC on Sun., Feb. 8, from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Read the original article on People