New England Patriots Star Caught on Hot Mic Giving Teammate Curious Super Bowl Defeat Message

Glendale, Ariz. — Moments after the final whistle of a lopsided Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Patriots defensive tackles Christian Barmore and Milton Williams stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the sideline, helmets in hand, unaware that nearby microphones were still live. Audio captured by the broadcast feed reveals Barmore repeating a blunt refrain to Williams: “It wasn’t us, bro. It wasn’t us, man. It wasn’t us, twin. It wasn’t us, bro. It wasn’t us, twin.”

The exchange, replayed across social media within minutes, struck a nerve with a fan base still processing a 27-9 defeat in which Seattle running back Kenneth Walker carved through New England’s top-ranked rushing defense for 135 yards and MVP honors. Walker’s performance came while his father watched him play an NFL game for the first time, adding emotional weight to a night that belonged entirely to the Seahawks.

Barmore and Williams entered the championship as two of the league’s most productive interior defenders, key cogs in a unit that allowed the fewest rushing yards during the 2025 regular season. Both finished among the league leaders in pressures, and their ability to collapse pockets had been central to the Patriots’ surprise run to the title game in the post-Tom Brady era. On Sunday, however, they combined for only two tackles and rarely disrupted Walker’s rhythm.

Patriots coaches and players declined to single out individuals in post-game interviews, but the hot-mic audio has shifted scrutiny onto the defensive line. One fan’s post on the team’s largest online forum—”No wonder they lost. No accountability.”—had garnered thousands of interactions by Monday morning.

The loss itself was comprehensive: Seattle out-gained New England 412-261, held the ball for 37 minutes, and never trailed. Quarterback Drake Maye, making his playoff debut, was sacked four times and threw two second-half interceptions. Yet it was the inability to contain Walker—who broke five tackles on a 38-yard third-quarter dash that set up the Seahawks’ final touchdown—that defined the night.

Away from the field, Barmore’s future is clouded by an off-season legal issue. He is scheduled for arraignment in February on assault-and-battery charges involving a family or household member, an incident the Patriots say dates to August and was reported to the league at the time. The team reiterated in a Dec. 31 statement that it will “respect the ongoing legal process” and will not comment further.

New England now faces a daunting path back to contention. The AFC is stacked with Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs, Joe Burrow’s Bengals, Josh Allen’s Bills, and Lamar Jackson’s Ravens—all poised to return playoff-ready rosters in 2026. For a franchise still searching for its first championship since Brady’s departure, the hot-mic moment underscores questions about leadership and accountability inside the locker room.

Whether Barmore’s words reflect a broader sentiment among players or merely raw emotion in the immediate aftermath of defeat, they have become an early storyline in what promises to be a long off-season in Foxborough.