Matt Calkins: Seahawks have chance to mend some Super Bowl heartache vs. Patriots

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Feb 6, 2026

Published in Football

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There is no Tom Brady, no Bill Belichick and certainly no Malcolm Butler.

Darrelle Revis won't be lining up at corner. Gronk won't be catching any passes.

But this is still the Patriots — the team responsible for what might be the most painful moment in Seattle sports history. And though the chance for redemption in the Super Bowl might not apply to any of this year's Seahawks, none was part of the team 11 years ago, it might provide some closure to their fans.

Few around here need a recap of the final moments of Super Bowl XLIX, but just in case …

Seattle had the ball on second-and-goal on the 1 with 26 seconds left while trailing New England 28-24. Then, Russell Wilson threw a pass intended for Ricardo Lockette that Butler picked off at the goal line.

Then-coach Pete Carroll has endured more than a decade's worth of criticism for signing off on a pass play instead of having Marshawn Lynch — who had 102 yards rushing that game — carry the ball. And the Legion of Boom-era Seahawks became the Dynasty That Never Was.

You know that. Your friends know that. The neighbor who tuned in for the commercials and Katy Perry knows that. So with Seattle returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since that infamous interception, is there a more appropriate opponent the Pats?

Recently, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was asked if it meant anything to him that he's going back up against New England. He downplayed it overall, but you could tell there was still a sting.

No. Thanks for that. Tried not to think about that too much. That was an amazing game, though," Schneider said. "But no, it really doesn't (matter). It's, OK, what's the next team we're playing. It doesn't (matter)."

But former Seahawk tight end Luke Willson, who suited up for Seattle in that loss to New England, had a different take. A day after the Seahawks' win over the Rams in the NFC championship game, he took to X to acknowledge the chance at hand for his old team.

“The current @Seahawks really have a unique opportunity. A chance to win the Super Bowl and a chance to lesson the blow of one of the most devastating plays/losses in this history of sports," Willson posted. Nothing will ever change the outcome of that last play, but beating the Patriots in a Super Bowl could perhaps provide a shred of solace for the 12s.”

One of the great ironies in sports is the more successful you are in a given season, the more susceptible you are for a lifetime of heartache. Nobody cares about the missed field goal that kept a team from going 6-11, but a shank in the Super Bowl lives forever in infamy.

Same with what the Seahawks squandered 11 years ago. If any team unsuccessfully passes the ball from the 1 these days, you can count on former Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman to criticize it. Lynch’s legacy, meanwhile, is defined as much as by what he didn’t have the chance to do as it is by what he accomplished.

That said, one of the great storylines in sports is a redemption arc. The Seahawks are back after one of — if not the — most crushing last-minute blows in the Super Bowl history.

The players aren’t the same, but the franchises are. And history matters. You think the Lakers’ fan base would get as riled up for a Finals showdown vs. the Cavs as they would the Celtics?

Of course not.

The Seahawks — particularly head coach Mike Macdonald and quarterback Sam Darnold — have been dedicated to nixing narratives and subduing storylines all season long. It seems to be more a byproduct of their personalities than a deliberate calculation but don’t expect a Patriots rematch to be hyped up by this year’s players.

But what we will see is that Butler interception being played no less than 100 times. We will hear analysts hearken back to the Seahawks’ final play call. We will see pieces on what that did to Carroll’s legacy and how it might have instantly solidified Brady — that game’s MVP — as the GOAT.

Will we hear about the hole in Seahawks fan’s hearts, though?

Make no mistake, the 12s would overwhelm the streets of Seattle no matter who the Seahawks beat in the Super Bowl. But topping the Pats would add an extra hint of satisfaction.

That loss still hurts. Perhaps Sunday, it doesn’t have to anymore.