The matchup for Super Bowl LX is finally set, pitting the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. With hype building around the big game, there’s no better time than now to take a look back at the history of these teams in the big game.
It’s been a minute since their last appearance on this stage, but the Seahawks are no stranger to the Super Bowl. How many appearances do they have under their belts, and have they ever hoisted the Lombardi Trophy?
Founded in 1976, it took many years for Seattle to even make the postseason, much less the Super Bowl. The Seahawks didn’t make their first playoff appearance until their eighth season in the NFL, and they only had four postseason berths prior to the 1999 season.
Ahead of that campaign, Mike Holmgren took over as head coach, a post he held for a decade with the team. Under Holmgren, the Seahawks made six playoff appearances — including a trip to the first Super Bowl berth in franchise history. Seattle faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL, ultimately losing 21-10. Holmgren was dismissed a few seasons later and Jim Mora served as head coach for one year prior to the arrival of an iconic leader.
In 2010, Pete Carroll was hired as head coach and kickstarted an entirely new era of Seahawks football. Carroll spent 14 seasons at the helm of the franchise, leading the group to five division titles and 10 playoff appearances. Seattle made its second-ever Super Bowl appearance and first under Carroll during the 2013-14 campaign. In Super Bowl XLVII, Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and the “Legion of Boom” defense led the Seahawks to a dominant 43-8 win over Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos, securing the first Lombardi Trophy for the team’s trophy case.
That core made it to the biggest stage once again the following year, but ultimately fell short to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots. Super Bowl XLIX slipped from Seattle’s grasp in the final minutes thanks to the infamous decision to throw from the one-yard line rather than hand it off to Lynch — resulting in an interception by Malcolm Butler to seal the 28-24 loss for the Seahawks.
Whether that coaching decision cursed the franchise is up for debate. The Seahawks didn’t make it past the Divisional Round of the postseason throughout the remainder of Carroll’s tenure. The front office split from the head coach after the 2023 season, opting to bring in Mike Macdonald as the iconic leader’s replacement.
If there were a curse on the Seahawks, it appears to have mostly been lifted over the last two years. While they missed the playoffs last season, the decision to build a standout defense and acquire the services of journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold have revitalized the franchise under Macdonald’s tutelage. After a 14-3 campaign which saw Seattle finish as the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the team now makes its fourth Super Bowl appearance in its history.
With this fourth appearance in America’s biggest sporting event, the Seahawks have a real chance to secure their second-ever Lombardi Trophy.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Seattle enters Super Bowl LX as 4.5-point favorites over New England. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 8.
