History and Heartbreak: The Last Time the Patriots & Seahawks Each Made the Super Bowl
On Sunday, January 25, the stage was set for two NFL games to decide which teams would secure their spot in Super Bowl 60. However, it was also a day that offered specific players an opportunity to make statements of their own. In the AFC Championship, Drake Maye led the New England Patriots to a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos, continuing his push for not only a Super Bowl victory but potentially an MVP award. Sam Darnold again left critics silenced by leading the Seattle Seahawks to a 31-27 NFC Championship win over MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Darnold went blow-for-blow with the MVP favorite, matching Stafford's three touchdown passes and throwing for 346 yards.
With the Patriots and Seahawks returning to the Super Bowl, it not only sets up a rematch of one of the most memorable championship games in sports history but also underlines each team's last appearance in the big game. And to say the least, each team's previous Super Bowl trip had significant meaning.
The Last Time the Patriots Made the Super Bowl: Defensive Dominance
It's unlikely NFL fans have to rack their brains too much to remember who played quarterback during the Patriots' last trip to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and company were headed to the Super Bowl for the ninth time together, culminating the 2018 NFL season. The Patriots entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, unlike in previous years, the Patriots were set to face a team that was one of the most explosive offensively throughout the regular season in the Los Angeles Rams. Led by the NFL's youngest head coach to make a Super Bowl, Sean McVay, and second-year quarterback Jared Goff, the Rams went 13-3 in the regular season and finished with the second-most points scored, 527.
While offensive fireworks were expected between Belichick and McVay's team, Super Bowl LIII was just the opposite. It became the first time in Super Bowl history that neither team scored a touchdown through the first three quarters, as the Patriots and Rams entered the fourth quarter tied 3-3. The Patriots finally broke through when it mattered most, with running back Sony Michel scoring the game's only touchdown, and New England's defense taking center stage in a 13-3 victory.
The three points allowed tied for the lowest in Super Bowl history, and Super Bowl LIII went down as the lowest-scoring title game ever.
New England's defense stifled one of the NFL's top offenses of 2018, holding the Rams to 260 total yards and 198 passing yards. They also held the Rams to the most consecutive drives ending with a punt in Super Bowl history, with eight.
The Patriots' Super Bowl victory following the 2018 regular season was widely considered the end of one of the NFL's greatest dynasties, as Brady left New England after the next season.
The Last Time the Seahawks Made the Super Bowl: Seattle's Near-Dynasty
The storylines heading into the Seahawks' last trip to the Super Bowl are just one part of the story, but the team's trip to the 2026 NFL Super Bowl also highlights a chance for redemption in the eyes of the fanbase. Seattle faced none other than the Patriots in Super Bowl 53 (XLIX), a game that easily went down as one of the most memorable finishes, for a reason Seahawks fans almost certainly wish they could forget.
It was Brady and Belichick against the Seahawks' Legion of Boom defense, along with a strong offense led by Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch. The Patriots and Seahawks entered the postseason as the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC for the second consecutive year.
After jumping to a 10-point lead in the third quarter, the Seahawks looked positioned to win their second-straight Super Bowl, until Brady and company reeled off 14 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to take the lead. This was followed by one of the most controversial decisions in Super Bowl history, when Seattle drove down to New England's 1-yard line with 26 seconds remaining.
Lynch, who had cleared the 100-yard rushing mark in the game, was one of the league's most powerful runners, so a hand-off from the 1-yard line looked destined. However, head coach Pete Carroll and company opted to throw, and Russell Wilson was intercepted by Malcolm Butler, making one of the best plays in Super Bowl history.
Notable stats from Super Bowl 53 between the Patriots and Seahawks:
- Tom Brady (Patriots): 37/50 passing, 328 passing yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions
- Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks): 24 carries, 102 yards, one touchdown
- Julian Edelman (Patriots): 9 receptions, 109 yards, one touchdown
- Chris Matthews (Seahawks) 4 receptions, 109 yards, one touchdown
The Patriots won 28-24, and the victory marked the first of three over the next five years for Brady and company. As for the Seahawks, who were one yard from back-to-back Super Bowl titles, they failed to get past the divisional round in their next six playoff appearances.
Darnold and company not only cleared that hurdle, but now look to bring home Seattle's first Super Bowl victory since 2013 and possibly give fans a memory that can replace the brutal loss to New England.
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