Honestly, if you ask any Seahawks fan about the last time Seahawks went to the Super Bowl, you’re gonna see a specific look in their eyes. It’s a mix of "we were almost a dynasty" and "why didn't we just hand it to Marshawn?"
That game, Super Bowl XLIX, happened on February 1, 2015. It feels like a lifetime ago, but also like it was just yesterday.
The Seahawks were coming off a total demolition of the Denver Broncos the year before. They were the defending champs. They had the Legion of Boom at the absolute height of their powers. They were, basically, the scariest team in football.
The Game That Changed Everything
The matchup was legendary: Seattle vs. New England. Pete Carroll vs. Bill Belichick. The unstoppable force against the immovable object.
The game itself was actually incredible. High level. Chess match stuff.
People forget that Chris Matthews—a guy who was literally working at Foot Locker earlier that season—came out of nowhere to have 109 yards and a touchdown. Russell Wilson was dealing. Bobby Wagner was flying all over the field.
Seattle actually had a 24-14 lead going into the fourth quarter. You’ve gotta remember that. Ten points. Against Tom Brady.
But Brady did what Brady does. He engineered two touchdown drives against a defense that was missing Cliff Avril (concussion) and had a beat-up Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. By the time Julian Edelman caught a 3-yard TD with 2:02 left, the Patriots were up 28-24.
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Then, things got weird.
The Drive, The Catch, and The Decision
The Seahawks get the ball back. They're marching.
Then Jermaine Kearse makes one of the most absurd, bobbling, "how did he do that" catches in NFL history while falling on his back. It puts Seattle at the 5-yard line.
One yard.
Marshawn Lynch, aka "Beast Mode," runs for four yards. He gets stopped at the one.
The stadium is shaking. Everyone on the planet—including the Patriots' sideline—expects a handoff to #24. Instead, the Seahawks line up in a stack formation.
You know what happens next.
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Russell Wilson throws a quick slant to Ricardo Lockette. Malcolm Butler, an undrafted rookie who had been getting beat earlier, jumps the route.
Interception.
Game over.
Why the Last Time Seahawks Went to the Super Bowl Still Stings
There is so much "ball logic" that people debate even now, over a decade later. Pete Carroll defended the call for years. He argued that with one timeout left and 26 seconds on the clock, they wanted to save the run for third and fourth down.
If they throw an incompletion on second down, the clock stops. They can run on third. If that fails, they use the timeout and run or pass on fourth.
But you don't throw an interception.
That play didn't just lose a game. It kinda broke the locker room. There was always this underlying tension afterward—did the coaches not trust Marshawn? Did they want Russell to be the MVP hero?
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It’s the kind of "what if" that haunts a franchise. If they score there, they’re back-to-back champs. They probably win a third in the next few years. They become the team of the 2010s.
Instead, it was the start of the end for the Legion of Boom era.
Realities of the Roster
Looking back at that squad, it was peak talent.
- Russell Wilson: 12/21, 247 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT.
- Marshawn Lynch: 24 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD.
- Doug Baldwin: 1 TD.
- The Defense: Bobby Wagner had an INT, Jeremy Lane had an INT (and a horrific arm injury on the return).
The loss of Cliff Avril in the third quarter was actually the secret turning point. Without his pressure, Brady had time to dissect the secondary.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re looking to revisit this era or understand why the Seahawks haven't been back since, here is the reality of the situation:
- Watch the All-22 Footage: If you can find the coaches' film, look at Brandon Browner. He played for the Seahawks the year before and was on the Patriots for this game. He’s the one who jammed Kearse at the line, allowing Butler to make the play. He knew the play call because he’d practiced against it in Seattle.
- Study the Salary Cap: The last time Seahawks went to the Super Bowl, Wilson was still on his rookie contract. Shortly after, the big extensions kicked in. When you have to pay a QB, a middle linebacker, and two All-Pro safeties, you lose the depth that makes Super Bowl runs possible.
- Appreciate the Greatness: Despite the ending, Super Bowl XLIX is widely considered one of the top five best-played Super Bowls in history. No blowouts, just two heavyweight teams swinging until the final second.
The Seahawks have remained competitive since 2015, but they haven't caught that lightning in a bottle again. For now, that 1-yard line remains the high-water mark and the ultimate heartbreak of the Pacific Northwest.
To truly understand the current state of the team under the new Mike Macdonald era, you have to understand the ghost of this game. It defined the standard—and the ceiling—for everything that followed.