The Seattle Seahawks have their eyes set on a Super Bowl berth. The 12th Man would certainly say they've waited long enough with a decade since they last raised the Lombardi Trophy.
Pete Carroll brought the Seahawks to the promised land in his fourth season as head coach. Could Mike MacDonald get it done in Year 2? First, let's walk down memory lane and remember the last time.
Seahawks' last Super Bowl win
Super Bowl XLVIII | Details |
|---|---|
Date | Feb. 2, 2014 |
Location | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
Opponent | Denver Broncos |
Final Score | 43-8 |
Head coach | Pete Carroll |
MVP | Malcolm Smith |
The Seahawks first and last Super Bowl win took place in New Jersey, where weather was expected to be a factor, until it wasn't. On a 49-degree February evening, Carroll led his team to a dominant victory over Denver.
Seattle had gone 13-3 during the regular season, securing the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage in the NFC. The Broncos matched them with a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Denver knocked out the Chargers and Patriots en route to the big game. Seattle handled the Saints and 49ers.
How Super Bowl XLVIII played out
Quarter | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|
1st | 2-0 | Cliff Avril SAFETY |
1st | 5-0 | Stephen Hauschka 31-yard FIELD GOAL |
1st | 8-0 | Stephen Hauschka 33-yard FIELD GOAL |
2nd | 15-0 | Marshawn Lynch 1-yard TOUCHDOWN (PAT good) |
2nd | 22-0 | Malcolm Smith 69-yard interception return TOUCHDOWN (PAT good) |
3rd | 29-0 | Percy Harvin 87-yard kickoff return TOUCHDOWN (PAT good) |
3rd | 36-0 | Russell Wilson to Jermaine Kearse 23-yard TOUCHDOWN (PAT good) |
3rd | 36-8 | Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas 14-yard TOUCHDOWN (Manning to Wes Welker 2PT good) |
4th | 43-8 | Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin 10-yard TOUCHDOWN (PAT good) |
The Seahawks got an edge early...extremely early. On the Broncos' first play of the game an errant snap sent Knowshon Moreno into a scramble to recover the ball. Cliff Avril downed him in the end zone for a safety. After just 12 seconds (a Super Bowl record), Seattle held a lead, and it would only grow.
On the ensuing drive, the Seahawks had to settle for a field goal after a pair of explosive plays from Percy Harvin and Doug Baldwin but it wasn't long before they had the ball back. Peyton Manning's offense went three-and-out. Seattle then marched to the goal line, but a holding penalty resulted in a first-and-goal from the 16 and another field goal.
It simply didn't get better for the Broncos. Kam Chancellor intercepted Manning. This time, when Russell Wilson got his team back to the goal line, they reached paydirt. Marshawn Lynch punched in the first touchdown of the game.
Still only down 15, the Broncos looked ready to cut into the deficit as a 15-play drive took them into Seattle territory. Disastrously, that possession ended with an early death knell. Manning was hit while he threw and Malcom Smith got under the arcing pass. He rumbled to the end zone, making it 22-0. To put a cap on the half, the Seahawks defense forced a turnover on downs from their own 19.
If Denver thought they could turn things around in the second half, they were mistaken. Harvin took a bouncing kickoff and cut through the Broncos for another quick score — again 12 seconds into the half.
The Seahawks' next touchdown came on the back of a Demaryius Thomas fumble, which was recovered by Smith, the eventual Super Bowl MVP. And that wasn't even the most embarrassing element of the sequence. Wilson's touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse hit the receiver at the 17-yard line with two Broncos defenders in arm's reach. He spun loose from them and two more tackle attempts to make a break for the end zone.
Manning delivered a consolation score at the end of the third quarter to Thomas, but the game was well over by then. All that was left was for Baldwin to grab a touchdown for himself, producing a final score of 43-8.
Stat leaders
Super Bowl XLVIII | Seahawks | Broncos |
|---|---|---|
Passing | Wilson: 18/25, 206 yds, 2 TDs | Manning: 34/49, 280 yds, 2 INT |
Rushing | Harvin: 2 att, 45 yds | Moreno: 5 att, 17 yds |
Receiving | Baldwin: 5 rec, 66 yds, 1 TD | Thomas: 13 rec, 118 yds, 1 TD |
Tackles | Chancellor, Smith, Wagner: 10 | Trevathan: 12 |
Seahawks Super Bowl history
- 2005: Super Bowl XL vs. Steelers, L 21-10
- 2013: Super Bowl XLVIII vs. Broncos, W 43-8
- 2014: Super Bowl XLIX vs. Patriots, L 28-24
In total, Seattle has made three Super Bowl appearances, all in this century.
Their first Super Bowl appearances was in 2005 against Bill Cowher's Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger had a rough day as a passer, but he ran for a touchdown while Hines Ward had 123 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
The second trip was a lot more fun for Seattle. A 43-8 win over the Broncos brought the Lombardi Trophy to the Pacific Northwest for the first time.
A year later, the Seahawks had a chance to double up their Super Bowl triumphs. However, They suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Patriots as Russell Wilson threw an interception in the end zone in the final minute.