Tag: Super Bowl XLVIII

5 biggest plays from Super Bowl XLVIII

5 biggest plays from Super Bowl XLVIII

Friday marked the 10th anniversary of the Seattle Seahawks’ triumph in Super Bowl XLVIII – the first championship in team history. Although this anniversary feels a bit different knowing it is the first one without Pete Carroll as the head coach, it is still more than worth remembering the glory.

As we kick off the week leading up to the next Super Bowl ending in an VIII, why not go back and look at the best plays from the last one?

There is no doubt these are burned into the collective memory of the 12th Man. It was hard to narrow it down to only five, as practically the entire game is one big highlight reel for the Legion of Boom.

But for a more trimmed down highlight reel, let us watch the top 5 plays from the greatest moment in Seahawks history.

Today is the 10th anniversary of Seattle’s triumph in Super Bowl XLVIII

Today is the 10th anniversary of Seattle’s triumph in Super Bowl XLVIII

Pop the champagne bottles tonight, 12s. This isn’t just any ordinary Friday night, it is the 10th anniversary of the Seattle Seahawks’ triumphant and dominant 43-8 victory in Super Bowl XLVIII.

It has been a recent joke about how much the city of Seattle owns Denver, specifically when it comes to the Seahawks and Broncos. But Feb. 2, 2014, is where the one-sided bullying truly began.

The greatest single-season offense in NFL history vs. the greatest single-season defense to ever take the field. Peyton Manning vs. the Legion of Boom. A showdown for the ages!

Or so we thought. The Broncos folded like a cheap suit against the immense physicality of the LOB, who shut them out for three whole quarters of play.

It’s truly hard to believe it’s already been a decade since this glorious moment. In many ways it feels like a lifetime ago, and yet it feels like it happened yesterday. The highlights from the single greatest moment in franchise history live on forever, and highlight reels are most assuredly revisited countless times by the 12th Man.

While these memories are still fun, I cannot help but feel something I haven’t felt before when it comes to this Super Bowl: a sense of finality. This is the first anniversary of Super Bowl XLVIII where Pete Carroll, the grand architect of Seattle’s first championship, is no longer the head coach. They say all good things must end, and we’ve reached the conclusion to this story.

But with this sense of finality is a renewed sense of gratitude. What Carroll built in the Pacific Northwest was truly the golden era of Seahawks football. While Seattle was certainly no stranger to making the playoffs before Carroll, they weren’t going to be confused for an NFL blueblood either. Typically, when teams that aren’t routine Super Bowl contenders finally win one, they quickly fade back into obscurity, such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not Carroll’s Seahawks. It says a lot about Carroll that he remained with Seattle for a decade after winning a Lombardi. His team returned to the Super Bowl the following year and remained contenders for the remainder of his tenure in the Pacific Northwest.

So take a moment tonight, 12s, to raise a glass to Carroll and soak in the glory from Super Bowl XLVIII. Watch highlights, wear the old championship hat or T-shirts, and reminisce. Not every fan gets to say they watched their favorite team win their first championship, and we did because of Pete Carroll.

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2024 wild card schedule gives ‘NFL is scripted’ fans quiver of ammunition

A look at the wild-card round schedule and how in a season where a lot of fans feels things aren’t on the up and up, the storylines are extra juicy.

The NFL season isn’t scripted. Right?

Over the last several years, cries have gotten louder that the most popular form of American entertainment, the last bastion of dependable big-money ad revenue for broadcast and cable networks, have gone beyond fair-fought sports competition. The contention is that the league’s referees no longer make calls that tend to keep games competitive, but that the league wants certain teams to advance and that those back-breaking flags, or lack thereof, are done in a manner to rig the outcomes.

This isn’t the truth, of course, but the Week 18 game results that finalized the playoff brackets coincidentally provided some immaculate storylines. The truth is that the league has a ton of great storylines and thanks to free agency, one could throw a penny out of an airplane and it’d land on an intriguing matchup.

Still, it’s pretty fun to travel down the rabbit hole with a tinfoil hat on.

Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith to raise the 12th Man Flag

Could it be anyone else on a day like today?

The Seattle Seahawks are honoring the 10-year anniversary of their Super Bowl XLVIII championship. So naturally, there’s only one person who should be raising the 12th Man Flag today:

Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith.

Malcolm Smith was a quality contributor on the famed 2013 Legion of Boom defense, playing in all 16 games and accounting for 54 total tackles. But where Smith played his way into Seattle sports immortality was how he played down the stretch.

Smith ended Week 15 and 16 with an interception in both games, and continued his ball-hawking streak into the playoffs. Smith was the one to catch Richard Sherman’s infamous tip of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s ill-fated pass, an interception to seal the victory. Little did he know that would be only the second greatest interception of his career.

The Seahawks were facing the single greatest offense in NFL history in Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. But Smith and the Legion of Boom reminded everyone why the phrase “defense wins championships” rings true to this day.

Smith tallied 10 total tackles, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a Manning wobbler, only to return it 69 yards to break open Super Bowl XLVIII with a 22-0 lead for the Seahawks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swjjdRSgmCM

When linebacker Bobby Wagner made his return in Week 1, it was the loudest roar for a single player I have heard at Lumen Field. But when Malcolm Smith walks onto the south end zone platform to raise the flag, I predict a similarly loud ovation.

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Week 3 preview and prediction

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Week 3 preview and prediction: Seahawks vs. Panthers

Can the Seahawks get above .500 for the first time this season?

It is Week 3 and the Seattle Seahawks are back home to face off against the Carolina Panthers. It isn’t any other ordinary home game for the Seahawks, it is a celebratory one. Seattle has chosen this Week 3 matchup to honor the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl XLVIII championship winning team.

It is only fitting they selected the Panthers game as the time to celebrate, as it was Carolina who the Seahawks played in Week 1 of the 2013 season. Seattle claimed a hard-fought 12-7 victory over the Panthers on the road.

Sunday also marks the first time in franchise history the Seahawks will be wearing their white jerseys at home. The white jersey/blue pants combination is what the team wore when they obliterated the Denver Broncos 43-8 to hoist their first Lombardi Trophy.

However, don’t expect a similar Super Bowl-style blowout against this Panthers team. Carolina may be 0-2, but they hardly bottom feeders. In fact, this team marched into Lumen Field and clean Seattle’s clock in a 30-24 road upset.

Making things more complicated for the Seahawks is the fact backup Andy Dalton will be starting in place of the injured Bryce Young. For whatever reason, backup quarterbacks have given Seattle fits over the years under Pete Carroll, including last year when Dalton’s Saints beat the Seahawks.

This will be a legitimate test for Seattle’s run defense, who was ran over by Carolina to the tune of 223 yards on the ground last year. The Seahawks look improved in this department, but we’ll see how much shortly.

Prediction: Seahawks over Panthers 26-24 

This won’t be easy for Seattle, but when are things ever easy for this team, especially against the Panthers? Dating back to 2012, eight of the last ten matchups between these two teams have been decided by a single score, including the last two, which were both identical 30-24 wins – split between them.

However, I do believe the Seahawks are finding their way after a major stumble in Week 1. Seattle’s offense is red hot following their explosive overtime win over the Lions in Week 2. While the defense still has work to do, but they are opportunistic. The pass rush will need to take advantage against the immobile Dalton to force a few more key turnovers.

The Seahawks are the better team, and they’re more desperate for a win to keep pace with the resurgent Rams and the juggernaut 49ers. If there was ever a day to show up for the 12th Man, it would be on the day to honor the franchise’s lone Lombardi.

Current series history: Seahawks lead 10-5 all time 

  • Seattle: 8-4 regular season
  • Seattle: 2-1 postseason

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Remembering Super Bowl XLVIII

The lone Lombardi won by the Seahawks stands as the crowning achievement of the franchise

Bust out the champagne, 12’s. This past Thursday, Seattle’s triumphant victory in Super Bowl XLVIII reached it’s ninth anniversary. The lone Lombardi won by the Seahawks stands as the crowning achievement of the franchise, and still worthy of celebration.

Wind the clocks back to the 2013 season. The Seahawks were a trendy pick to take the next step. With ferocious defense, a monstrous ground attack, and a young, exciting quarterback, the Seahawks had built a bully in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle lived up to the billing, and then some. The Legion of Boom became arguably the greatest single season defense in NFL history, as the Seahawks worked their way to a 13-3 record.

After defeating the rival 49ers in the NFC Championship, the Seahawks took on the Denver Broncos. It was a showdown of strength versus strength. Denver’s offense was the best to ever do it, and they had to face the Legion of Boom. Unstoppable force against an immovable object.

In this case, the Broncos offense proved to be quite stoppable, as they barely managed to score one touchdown in the 43-8 blowout defeat. Seattle claimed its first Lombardi, and the dreams of many became realized in New Jersey that night.

With the memories of this Super Bowl, as well as the recent Russell Wilson trade, it appears Seattle owning Denver is a bit of a modern tradition.

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Seahawks 48-45 win over Lions in Week 4 results in a Scorigami

The Seahawks at Lions in Week 4 was an offensive affair that resulted in a 48-45 Scorigami, the 1073rd unique final score in NFL history.

The Seattle Seahawks at the Detroit Lions in Week 4 was an offensive affair that resulted in a 48-45 “Scorigami,” the 1073rd unique final score in NFL history.

According to nflscorigami.com:

Scorigami is a concept thought up by Jon Bois. It is the art of building final scores that have never happened before in NFL history. Due to the unique nature of how points are scored in (American) Football, where it is impossible to score 1 point on its own, as well as the rarity of the 2 point safety and 8 point touchdown and 2 point conversion, there are a lot of scores that are possible, but have never happened.

As rare as Scorigamis are, the Seahawks managed one every season from 2010 to 2018, including Super Bowl XLVIII which resulted in a 43-8 win over the Broncos.

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Broncos vs. Seattle series history: Super Bowl memories still haunt Denver

The Broncos lead the all-time series against the Seahawks 35-21, but Seattle won the most important matchup between the two teams.

Monday night will mark the 57th meeting between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. Today, Broncos Wire takes a look back at the history between these two teams.

Back when they both played in the AFC West, the two franchises first met in 1977, right in the thick of Denver’s first magical Super Bowl run. The Broncos won the first meeting of the teams, 24-13.

Since that time, Denver has had Seattle’s number, leading the all-time series (including the postseason) 35-21-0.

The most memorable game of this series was frankly one to forget for Broncos Country. The Seahawks came into Super Bowl XLVIII with the NFL’s best defense. On the other sideline, Peyton Manning had led Denver into the big game with an historic offense, breaking numerous individual and league records along the way.

Needless to say, the game quickly got away from the Broncos, with the opening snap of the game sailing over Manning’s head, resulting in a safety. Seattle cruised from there on out, 43-8 for their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

The most recent meeting between the two teams came in during the Case Keenum era in Denver, in 2018. Then-Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson completed 19 of 33 passes for 298 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Keenum completed 25 of 39 passes for 329 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. In the end, Denver prevailed, 27-24.

As the Broncos, now led by Wilson, head into Lumen Field for a Monday showdown, they’ll look to build on the history of this rivalry.

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Russell Wilson joining Broncos will make NFL history

Russell Wilson is now the first quarterback in NFL history to join a team he previously beat in a Super Bowl.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, but the deal won’t become official until the NFL’s new league year begins next week.

Once the deal does become official, the trade will mark a first in NFL history. Wilson will become the first quarterback to join a team that he previously beat in a Super Bowl, according to NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano.

Wilson, of course, was the Seahawks’ starting quarterback in 2014 when they defeated the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Wilson completed 18-of-25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout win. He also rushed three times for 26 yards. The quarterback had a near-perfect game with no interceptions and no sacks.

Eight years later, Wilson is set to join the team he demolished on the NFL’s biggest stage. The NFL has never had a story quite like that.

The NFL has had cases of quarterbacks winning Super Bowls with multiple teams — Peyton Manning won with the Broncos after having previously won with the Indianapolis Colts and Tom Brady won with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after having previously won with the New England Patriots.

Wilson now aims to follow in the footsteps of Manning and Brady.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
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Russell Wilson congratulates Michael Bennett on career retirement

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson congratulated defensive end Michael Bennett on his retirement to a lengthy and stellar career.

Defensive end Michael Bennett made the decision to retire from the NFL and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson congratulated him on his career on Twitter.

Bennett compiled five seasons in the Emerald City and was a significant factor in the Seahawks winning Super Bowl XLVIII after he arrived in 2013 via free agency with fellow defensive end Cliff Avril. He compiled 39 sacks and 195 combined tackles (151 solo) in 75 games and 62 starts during his tenure and was one of the most ruthless players on the defensive line.

Bennett was also an outspoken advocate for racial equality during his career. He joined other NFL players in peaceful protests in the form of kneeling while the United States national anthem played before every game and spoke out against police brutality whenever a high-profile case of it surfaced. He was ultimately traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 offseason, but he capped off a solid legacy in Seattle and will certainly be remembered as an integral part of the Seahawks’ elite defense in 2013 and 2014.

The retired 34-year-old defensive end will no longer see the field, but Michael Bennett made marks with his play and advocacy, and the memories will linger on.

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