It's an exciting time for Seattle Seahawks fans. The team has a new young head coach, full of promise and potential. The team is headed in a new direction for the first time in a long time following Seattle's amicable divorce from long-time head coach Pete Carroll. It was a necessary change, but one that tugged on the heartstrings of many fans.
Hired back in 2010, Pete Carroll was the hottest coaching candidate on the market following his wild success at the University of Southern California. Carroll led USC to two BCS Championships, winning the national title in 2005. Carroll developed three Heisman winners and constantly had an elite team that spent a record 33 consecutive weeks as the consensus number-one ranked team in the country.
As Carroll took over in Seattle, his success at USC seemed to follow him seamlessly. After a few loaded draft classes orchestrated by Carroll and general manager John Schneider, Carroll led Seattle to the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history and brought Seattle its first-ever world championship only four years after taking the job. Pete Carroll had some incredibly historic and memorable moments in Seattle, but which were the most satisfying for Seahawks fans?
The 'U Mad Bro?' Game: Seattle Seahawks defeats Patriots 24-23 (2012)
A young Seahawks team made a massive statement in week six of the 2012 season when Tom Brady and the prolific New England Patriots visited Seattle. Until then, that Seahawks team was relatively unknown. They started a rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson, over their big free agent signing, Matt Flynn. They had a young and hungry defense, but nobody really took them too seriously...until this game.
New England had built a 23-10 lead in the fourth quarter with less than ten minutes to play and it looked like it would be a routine and easy Patriots win over a mediocre team. It easily could've been a way bigger lead had Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman not come down with Brady interceptions earlier in the game.
But this was not your average Seahawks team and it wouldn't roll over and die. Russell Wilson found Braylon Edwards in the end zone to cut the lead to 6. Following two forced New England punts, Seattle had the ball back with just under 3 minutes to play.
That is when Russell Wilson's magic happened. A crazy run that featured Wilson bouncing off defenders, spinning away from grasps of the Patriots, and some sneaky speed, put Seattle on New England's side of the field with less than two minutes to go. Wilson dropped back and let a moonball rip. It landed in the waiting arms of Sidney Rice behind the New England defense and he strolled in for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:27 remaining.
Seattle held on for the win, and following the game, Richard Sherman tweeted a picture of himself barking at Tom Brady after the game with the text inscribed "U mad bro?" The infamous and now-deleted tweet launched Sherman and Seattle into the headlines where they remained for the next several years. That was truly the moment the brash and brazen attitude in Seattle was born.
Seahawks blow out the Cardinals in historic fashion, 58-0 (2012)
After Seattle had beaten New England in week six, they'd rattled off a few more wins and the young Seahawks were starting to put the league on notice. By December, Seattle was 7-5, threatening the San Francisco 49ers' division lead. The visiting Arizona Cardinals didn't know what hit them.
On Arizona's first possession, quarterback John Skelton (yikes) was picked off by Bobby Wagner and returned deep into Arizona territory. Wagner finished the game with two interceptions. Seattle managed a field goal after mustering only one yard on their opening possession. I remembered thinking this game would be a tight, messy, low-scoring affair. I was hilariously wrong.
After forcing an Arizona punt on its next possession, the Seattle offense kicked into gear and drove down the field with ease. The drive ended with a 20-yard Marshawn Lynch touchdown run, the first of Lynch's three eventual touchdowns. Seattle forced another punt and drove down for another touchdown. By the start of the second quarter, it was 17-0 in favor of Seattle and things were quickly getting out of hand. I don't think anyone could have predicted quite how crazy it would get, though.
After a strip sack of John Skelton, a pick-six by Richard Sherman, and another Sherman interception that led to a Zach Miller touchdown, the Seahawks led 38-0 at the half. Seattle's offense looked unstoppable and the defense had forced four turnovers, including a defensive score, in the first half. It was genuinely the most dominating half of professional football I've ever witnessed. The second half wasn't too shabby either.
Seattle received the opening kickoff in the second half and drove down the field with little resistance and scored again, blowing open the lead to 45-0. At this point, it looked like the Seahawks would score 70+ and I started to feel pity for Arizona. The Cardinals' ensuing possession ended in yet another turnover for poor Skelton as Wagner snagged his second interception of the game. It was just Seattle's day and Arizona could do nothing about it.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, both teams had pulled their starting quarterbacks, but for very different reasons. Russell Wilson just needed to avoid injury and his easy day at the office ended early. Skelton had thrown four interceptions and had lost a fumble and Arizona was just tired of looking at him. However, when backup Ryan Lindley entered the Cardinals game, he was immediately stripped too. It was just that type of day.
Seattle ultimately won the game 58-0, a historic win that really could have been a lot worse had Carroll not pumped the brakes. It was pure domination for Seattle, who improved to 8-5 and was heading with a full head of momentum toward the postseason. It was one of the most dominating wins in NFL history
Seahawks storm back and steal the NFC Championship against Green Bay (2014)
Coming off Seattle's first-ever Super Bowl win, the Seahawks were well on their way to the promised land once again. After clinching the first seed in the NFC, Seattle easily dusted off the Carolina Panthers in the divisional round and was set to match up with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Seattle. A Super Bowl trip was on the line and Seattle was planning on going back-to-back.
The game started about as well as Seattle could help, the polar opposite of the past season's NFC Championship. Richard Sherman intercepted Aaron Rodgers in the end zone and Green Bay came up empty after driving well into Seattle territory on the first possession of the game. But that interception was about the only good thing to happen to the Seahawks in the first 45 minutes of the game. For most of the game, this one was a nightmare for Seattle.
Starting with the Seahawks' first possession after Sherman's interception, Russell Wilson gave the ball right back to Green Bay. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix came away with the ball and returned it all the way inside Seattle's 5-yard line. From there, Green Bay settled for a field goal, which felt like a big win for the Seahawks.
But the Seahawks offense did not even get a chance to answer back, as Doug Baldwin muffed the ensuing kickoff and Green Bay was suddenly in business again. The momentum was swinging quickly in Green Bay's favor as the Packers added another field goal. The game felt like it should be much worse than 6-0.
With a chance to swing momentum back, Seattle received the kickoff and held onto it this time. But the offense went three and out after Wilson was sacked on second down and Green Bay would force a punt. Rodgers and company drove down with relative ease into Seattle territory and this time cashed in with a Randall Cobb touchdown. It was 13-0 and Seattle was sleepwalking. The offense needed to wake up and get some sort of momentum. Instead, they went three-and-out again and the Packers added another field goal. Seattle was trailing 16-0 early in the second quarter.
Wilson and the offense got the ball back and desperately needed a drive that culminated in any kind of score. On the first play, Wilson was still looking for his first completed pass of the game and aired it out to Jermaine Kearse. Kearse happened to be double covered and the ball landed in the arms of Clinton-Dix again for one of the easiest interceptions of his career.
Things were derailing fast. Green Bay had the ball again and could blow open the game with a score, but Byron Maxwell provided the first spark in a long time with an interception of Aaron Rodgers. Okay, this was the spark the offense needed. Certainly, they'd get going now, right? Wrong. Wilson threw his third interception of the game to Sam Shields in the Packers' end zone.
Seattle was down 16-0 at the half and had absolutely no momentum. They needed something from their offense, who was set to receive the second-half kickoff. They went three-and-out, again. It was looking bad and Super Bowl dreams were quickly fading. Green Bay punted and gave Seattle the ball back, but we all figured it would either end in another three-and-out or another turnover.
Instead, we got punter Jon Ryan throwing a touchdown to offensive tackle Garry Gilliam. Suddenly, Seattle had some life, as they trailed 16-7 in the third quarter. Following an uneventful several minutes of both teams trading punts, Green Bay was able to add a field goal, going up 19-7.
Down by two scores with less than four minutes to play, the Seahawks finally woke up. It only took two minutes for Seattle to march down the field, culminating in a 1-yard read-option touchdown run for Russell Wilson. With the clock barely above two minutes, Seattle would need an onside kick to stay in the game, down 19-14.
Seattle lined up for the onside kick and Steven Hauschka popped a perfect kick high into the air. Infamous Green Bay tight end Brandon Bostick was in a perfect position to leap up and field the ball, which would end the game, sending the Packers to the Super Bowl. But the ball doinked off his facemask into the waiting arms of Seahawks' wide receiver Chris Matthews.
The imaginary roof blew off the stadium and Seattle was in serious business. It took less than a minute for the Seahawks and Marshawn Lynch to find the endzone, taking a 20-19 lead with a little over a minute left in the game. Seattle lined up for the two-point conversion to try for a three-point lead when Wilson scrambled left, spun, scrambled back another 15 yards right, then threw up a hail mary. Luke Willson somehow, some way came down with the ball and Seattle erupted once again.
Green Bay drove down and nailed a field goal as time was expiring and the game was headed to overtime. Seattle won the toss and would receive the ball -- a touchdown wins the game. A couple of minutes later, on Green Bay's 35-yard line, Wilson noticed Green Bay was showing cover-0 and checked into a deep post route for Jermaine Kearse, who had been having nothing short of a nightmare game. Wilson lofted a moon ball and Kearse came down with it in the endzone. Game over.
It was possibly the most improbable win in NFL playoff history. Seattle had no business winning that game based on the way they played for 56 minutes. But it was one of the most satisfying moments in Seahawks history to watch Jermaine Kearse come down with the walk-off touchdown after having the worst game of his life. We'll never forget that day, from the teary Wilson interview to Michael Bennett riding a police bicycle on the sidelines.
Seahawks hold on to defeat the 49ers in the NFC Championship (2013)
In 2013, the Seahawks went 13-3 and boasted the best defense in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers, led by phenom quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and an elite defense of their own, presented a formidable threat to Seattle's quest for their first Super Bowl win. And of course this new budding, yet already heated rivalry would culminate in the NFC Championship game for the chance to meet the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.
Seattle, needing desperately to gain some momentum, finally answered back. After a 51-yard completion to a wide-open Doug Baldwin, Seattle was in business inside San Francisco territory. However, the Niners' defense stood their ground and forced the Seahawks into a field goal attempt. Steven Hauschka cut the Niners lead to 10-3.
After a quick 3-and-out, Seattle got the ball back with a chance to tie the game before the half. Seattle made their way inside of the Niners' 40 and faced a 4th and 6 at the 38-yard line. Instead of settling for a 56-yard field goal, Seattle elected to go for it, but Wilson's pass fell incomplete. San Francisco owned a 10-3 halftime lead.
After forcing a San Francisco punt to open the second half, Seattle finally found the end zone and tied the game. Marshawn Lynch took the handoff on the Niners' 40 and bounced it outside, taking it all the way to the house. Seattle was rocking and momentum was swinging. However, after a 22-yard Michael Crabtree reception and a 22-yard Kaepernick run, the Niners were threatening to retake the lead. A 26-yard Anquan Boldin touchdown catch gave the Niners the lead back, going up 17-10.
The following kickoff was returned by Doug Baldwin for 69 yards (nice), and Seattle was suddenly threatening to score from San Francisco's 33-yard line. Seattle couldn't cash in on the short field and settled for a 40-yard field goal, cutting the lead to four with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. Kaepernick and the Niners received the ball back with a chance to pad their lead, but Seattle's defense forced a quick 3-and-out. Seattle would get the ball back with time running out of the third quarter.
Seattle faced a 3rd and 22 at midfield to start the fourth quarter. Zach Miller gained a good chunk of it back with a 15-yard reception, and it was 4th and 7 from the Niners' 35-yard line. Carroll trotted Hauschka out for a long field goal, but bizarrely, Hauschka was frozen on the field as the play clock was running out.
The Seahawks called for time and decided the field goal was too long and they'd let their offense have a crack at the 4th and 7. Wilson drew the Niners offsides with a hard count and had a free play, he aired it out to Jermaine Kearse, who miraculously came down with the ball. Seattle exploded as the Seahawks took a 20-17 lead.
The Niners' ensuing possession ended when Cliff Avril stripped the ball out of Kaepernick's hands and Seattle regained possession deep in Niners' territory with a chance to bolster their lead. On 3rd and goal from the 10, Wilson's pass to Kearse was caught at the 1-yard line, but San Francisco great Navorro Bowman was there to stonewall him.
On the replay, it was fairly obvious that Bowman actually intercepted the ball straight from Kearse's grasp, but Seattle got away with it. Although, interception or not, Seattle squandered their opportunity on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line as Wilson scrambled all the way back to the 15 and took a strip-sack.
The very next play, Kaepernick's pass was intercepted by Kam Chancellor, and Seattle was immediately back in business. It was a chaotic few minutes which led to Seattle settling for a field goal to take a 23-17 lead with a little over three minutes to play in the game.
The Niners needed the end zone to win the game, and Seattle fans were on the edge of their seat as Kaepernick and company took the field. With just a tick over two minutes to play, San Francisco faced a 4th and 2 at their own 3-yard line. Kaepernick connected with Crabtree and the game would continue.
The Niners continued to gain chunk yardage as the clock dwindled down inside a minute left and the Niners were starting to creep into Seattle territory. With 55 seconds to play, Kaepernick found Vernon Davis for 11 yards to the Seattle 18-yard line. The Niners didn't use a timeout, nor hurry back to the line, letting precious seconds, for both teams, wind off the clock. With 30 seconds to go, Kaepernick took the snap. He looked right and kept looking right as Michael Crabtree was one-on-one with Richard Sherman.
Kaepernick let the ball fly for Crabtree toward the corner of the end zone. The ball hung in the air for what felt like an eternity as it hurled towards Crabtree in the end zone with a Super Bowl trip on the line. Crabtree had a step on Sherman. But as the ball made its descent towards Crabtree's waiting hands, Sherman swiveled his hips towards the ball, lept upwards with his left arm, and tipped the ball upwards. The ball landed right into the arms of linebacker Malcolm Smith, and the game was over.
Sherman did not let the Niners hear the end of it and was ultimately flagged for taunting, but it didn't matter. The game was over and the Seahawks were headed to the Super Bowl. Wilson and the offense took three kneel-downs from the victory formation and the clock expired. Richard Sherman was interviewed by Erin Andrews and gave one of the most disrespectful and legendary postgame interviews of all time.
The Seahawks dominate Super Bowl XLVIII to win their first Super Bowl, 43-8 (2013)
It was the historically great offense, led by legendary quarterback Peyton Manning versus the historically great defense as Super Bowl XLVIII kicked off at the chilly MetLife Stadium. The storyline coming into the game was if Seattle's vaunted defense could stop the high-powered Denver offense. It was projected to be a fantastic game that would likely come down to the wire.
That was not the case. Seattle dominated every facet of the game from the opening snap, which sailed over the head of Peyton Manning, mid-check, and flew out of the back of the Denver end zone. Seattle jumped out to a 2-0 lead only, fittingly, 12 seconds into the game. Seattle received the ball after the safety and on their second offensive play of the game, Percy Harvin took an end-around 30 yards to set the Seahawks up with a 5-0 lead.
Denver's ensuing possession didn't go much better than their first as they suffered a quick 3-and-out. Kam Chancellor made his presence felt early with a 2nd down hit stick on Demaryius Thomas that sent the Pro Bowl wide receiver flailing three yards backward after catching a shallow drag. Seattle would get the ball back with an early lead. Seattle drove down to the Denver 14, but settled for another field goal, extending their lead to 8-0.
On Denver's next possession, Kam Chancellor made his presence felt again. On third and seven, Manning was pressured by Cliff Avril and threw an errant pass well behind tight end Julius Thomas. Chancellor was in a perfect position to intercept the pass at the Denver 37. It took Seattle seven plays to find the end zone for the first time of the night, and with just over a minute left in the first quarter, it was 15-0, Seattle.
Denver got the ball back and finally, their offense began to produce. After looking rattled and discombobulated for the entirety of the first quarter, Manning and the Broncos' offense started to get into a rhythm and was in the midst of a productive drive. A touchdown would cut the lead to five, and Denver looked well on their way to the end zone.
However, on 3rd and 13 on Seattle's 35-yard line, the dagger of the game, in my opinion, Malcolm Smith intercepted a pop-up ball after Avril provided pressure, and took it 69 yards to the house. Seattle led 22-0 with just over three minutes left in the half and Denver was deflating quickly.
By the time the second half kicked off, the Broncos were hoping for a defensive stop and a chance to get the offense back on the field to turn the game around. But the Denver defense didn't even have the chance to get a stop. Denver kicked a short, sky ball, designed to keep it away from Percy Harvin. However, the ball bounced perfectly to Harvin, who took it 87 yards to the house. With only, fittingly again, 12 seconds off the clock into the second half, Seattle had jumped out to a commanding 29-0 lead.
After trading punts, Denver had the ball back down 29-0, needing a score for any sliver of a chance for a comeback. Two plays later, Manning found Demaryius Thomas for a 23-yard gain, down to the 21-yard line. But Byron Maxwell cocked back and punched the ball right out of Thomas's hands, and Seattle took over.
It felt like everything that could go right for Seattle, was going right. The Seahawks took only three minutes to drive 58 yards, culminating in an incredible Jermaine Kearse touchdown. Seattle was then on top 36-0 late in the third quarter and there was no doubt about this game anymore.
The fourth quarter was fairly uneventful, other than Denver finally getting on the board and avoiding a shutout. But it was a slow burn to the final official end of the game. As the clocks hit double zero, Seattle had won their first-ever Super Bowl in dominant fashion, 43-8.
All the fantastic draft picks, sneaky-good free agent signings, and the culture built by Pete Carroll culminated that night in February 2014 as the Seahawks were crowned world champions. It was the most satisfying night to be a Seahawks fan -- and even today, I still enjoy going back and watching the game in its entirety.