Tag: Super Bowl XLVIII

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.

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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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Steve Raible identifies his favorite call of his play-by-play career

Seattle Seahawks announcer Steve Raible said his favorite play call of his career was the announcement of the team’s Super Bowl victory.

Seattle Seahawks play-by-play announcer Steve Raible recently identified his favorite radio call of his career. It was none other than his announcement that the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII.

“12s, they’re bringing the trophy home, your Seahawks — Super Bowl 48 champions!”

Raible told NBC Sports Northwest that it was not the most important play, but the most fun moment.

“That’s the most fun call I’ve ever had. It wasn’t a play, but it was the exclamation to that night,” Raible said. “That was the moment we could all celebrate and boy we sure did.”

Everyone knows what happened the following year, but this was the finest moment in Seahawks’ franchise history and will be remembered in the Emerald City for eternity.

Reliving this moment will hopefully give Seattle fans something positive to recall as everyone patiently waits for the reopening of professional sports and the start of the 2020 NFL regular season.

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Former Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin eyes NFL return

31-year-old Percy Harvin, who has been out of the league since 2016, is eyeing a return to the NFL this season.

Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Percy Harvin, who has not played in the NFL since 2016, told Josina Anderson of ESPN he is planning to return to the NFL and has been training with a former Olympian.

Harvin’s agent, Alvin Keels, also told Anderson that he has handled calls from teams looking to add a veteran receiver, and that the pandemic has caused some teams to turn toward established veteran players, like Harvin.

Harvin was famously acquired by the Seahawks in March of 2013, after they gave up a first round pick, a seventh round pick and a fourth round pick in the 2014 draft.

Harvin only played in one regular season game for Seattle that season, hauling in one reception for 17 yards, although he did have one of the most famous plays in franchise history – a kickoff returned for a touchdown to begin the second half of Seattle’s 43-8 win over the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Harvin was eventually shipped to the Jets after five games with Seattle in 2014, ending a tenure littered with injuries and disappointment, save for one epic play.

After a half year in New York and two injury-plagued seasons in Buffalo, Harvin was out of the league by age 28.

Now, he will look to catch on with a team this summer at age 31, hoping to reclaim some of the magic that made him a Pro Bowler early in his career.

Whether a team will be willing to put him on the 53-man roster remains to be seen, but it’s not hard to imagine there’s some juice left, especially now that his body has had time to recover.

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Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII win will air Thursday night on NFL Network

The 12th Man can now relive Seattle’s triumphant victory as the Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII win will air Thursday night on NFL Network.

It has been a long couple of weeks. As millions of Americans are stuck at home in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, lack of entertainment is certainly a major factor in a world without sports. While the 2020 NFL Draft is still slated to occur as originally scheduled, it is still essentially a month away.

However, Seahawks fans will be getting a bit of a pick-me-up to help stave off some of the boredom. Tonight at 6:00 pm PT, the NFL Network will be re-airing the Seahawks’ triumphant Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Broncos.

Seattle’s first Super Bowl title is undoubtedly the greatest achievement in franchise history, as the 12th Man’s decades-long dream was finally realized. Now fans have an opportunity to relive some of the glory.

The 2013 Seahawks were one of the most dominant teams in recent memory. Defined by perhaps the best defense in league history, the Legion of Boom routinely suffocated opponents while an offense led by Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson made the Seahawks hard to defeat.

Seattle matched its franchise’s highest win total by finishing 13-3 and securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the second time ever and defeated both Drew Brees’ Saints and Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers in the playoffs en route to its second Super Bowl appearance.

There, the Seahawks would face Peyton Manning’s Broncos, who fielded the most dynamic offense the NFL had ever seen. Super Bowl XLVIII was billed as a true clash of the titans. The unstoppable force versus the immovable object.

Unfortunately for Denver, the unstoppable force proved to be hardly formidable and was quickly extinguished. Right from the get-go, the Seahawks clearly outmatched Denver with their physicality, dominating the entire game.

A Broncos offense that had scored more points than any other team in league history was held to only eight in the Super Bowl and was shutout for three full quarters.

As fans re-watch Seattle’s dominance, it will undoubtedly fuel hope the 2020 Seahawks can end this coming season with a similar result.

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Watch iconic Seahawks games for free on NFL Game Pass

The NFL opened up Game Pass for free to fans, and there are tons of great Seattle Seahawks games and content available for fans to watch.

In case you missed it, the NFL has opened Game Pass for free to fans, allowing them to watch 10 years of regular season and playoff games, as well as other football related programming like Hard Knocks and A Football Life.

For Seattle Seahawks fans, this invites an opportunity to watch tons of memorable team content, including their two most recent Super Bowl appearances as well as many other classic games and moments.

Outside of the Super Bowl win, here are 10 pieces of programming available for free that Seahawks fans should check out while self-quarantining at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

  1. January 18, 2015: NFC Championship win over Packers
  2. January 19, 2014: NFC Championship win over 49ers (The Tip)
  3. January 8, 2011: Seahawks win over Saints (BeastQuake)
  4. A Football Life Season 5 Episode 6: Steve Largent
  5. A Football Life Season 8 Episode 8: Mike Holmgren
  6. October 29, 2017: Seahawks 41-38 win over Texans
  7. December 23, 2018: Seahawks 38-31 win over Chiefs
  8. NFL 360 Episode 201: Shaquem Griffin
  9. November 13, 2016: Seahawks 31-24 win over Patriots
  10. November 29, 2015: Seahawks 39-30 win over Steelers

Fans can enjoy all the free NFL programming they want by going to NFL.com/GamePass. Have fun and stay safe!

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See where Russell Wilson’s 2 Super Bowl appearances rank all-time

Pro Football Focus ranked the best quarterback performances in every Super Bowl since 2006. Where did Russell Wilson end up?

With the Super Bowl nearly upon us, Pro Football Focus has taken the time to rank the performance of every quarterback in each of the last 13 Super Bowls, as well as from the 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons.

That’s 36 Super Bowl quarterbacks, including Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who is of course on there twice.

Since this does not count the 2005 season, it does not include Mass Hasselbeck.

Despite not gaining his reputation as an elite NFL quarterback until after Seattle’s back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, Wilson fared extremely well by PFF’s metrics, finishing with the fourth highest Super Bowl grade for a quarterback in Super Bowl XLVII against Denver, and 18th in Super Bowl XLIX against New England.

PFF credits Wilson with three big-time throws against the Patriots, where he also racked up 178 total passing yards and largely kept the team in the game. Of course, his grade suffered when he threw perhaps the most famous interception in Super Bowl history on the one-yard line with 20 seconds remaining, giving the victory to Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Brady posted a PFF grade of 84.2 in the fourth quarter of that contest, and ended up ranked 15th on this list.

None of Brady’s other Super Bowl appearances topped Wilson’s performance in Super Bowl XLVII however, as he placed fourth just behind Aaron Rodgers (XLV), Eli Manning (XLVI) and Nick Foles (LII).

Wilson posted a 92.4 grade from PFF, one of four quarterback to ever earn an elite grade in a Super Bowl. He completed 17 passes on 22 attempts for 199 yards, along with three big time throws.

Seattle’s win in that game was in large part thanks to Wilson’s heroics, but the Legion of Boom defense wasn’t too shabby either, as evidenced by Peyton Manning’s 61.4 grade and 0-6 completion rate on passes 20+ yards downfield.

The Seahawks may have to watch this Super Bowl from their couches, but they’ll do what they can to get Wilson back on this list next season.

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USA TODAY ranks Seahawks vs. Broncos Super Bowl worst in history

Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports took a stab at ranking all 53 Super Bowls and the Seahawks’ win over the Broncos in XLVIII came in dead last.

While the Seattle Seahawks’ coaching staff is busy prepping the NFC roster for Sunday’s 2020 NFL Pro Bowl, the biggest game of the season is still ahead.

With this year’s Super Bowl pitting the San Francisco 49ers against the Kanas City Chiefs just over a week away, Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports took at stab at ranking the best Super Sundays in history from first to worst.

The Seahawks’ 48-3 win over the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII landed at dead last on his list.

“The chasm between pre-game expectations and eventual outcome may have been the widest in the game’s history,” Davis writes. “Seattle’s Legion of Boom defense stifled a Peyton Manning-led offense that had scored a league-record 606 points.”

Seattle has appeared in two other Super Bowls, however, and Davis found the Seahawks’ most recent matchup against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX to live up to the hype at No. 3.

“It will forever be remembered for Russell Wilson’s goal-line interception with the game hanging in the balance when the Seahawks could have given the ball to bruising RB Marshawn ‘Beast Mode’ Lynch,” Davis notes. “The loss likely denied Seattle’s shot at a dynasty while burnishing the Patriot Way. Brady won a record-tying third MVP award as he and Belichick collected their fourth title together but first in a decade.”

Davis ranked the Seahawks’ loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL at No. 33.

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