The stage has been set. We won the NFC and AFC championships: the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. This is the first time the two teams have faced off in the Super Bowl since February 2015. Seattle vs. New England in the second round will be the ninth rematch in Super Bowl history. Of course, of those nine, four of them have/will involve the Patriots.
Revenge has been a theme for the Seahawks this postseason. Seattle defeated the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 and beat the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game. For much of the past five years, both teams have had a firm grip on the NFC West division, especially the Seahawks. The Seahawks finally showed they’re back to their old self this The bully on the block. Now, only one team is still on their revenge journey, and this team is undoubtedly the team that hurt them the most.
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It is seared into the collective memory of the Twelfth Man. Just yards… inches, even… from the reigning Super Bowl champions. Instead, Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler. Moments of glory gave way to unforgettable embarrassment, and the Super Bowl’s most shocking ending became one of the most memorable sports moments in pro football history…all at the expense of the Seahawks. Since then, highlights of Butler’s interception have been shown before the Super Bowl every year. This is inevitable.
Things haven’t been good for the Seahawks since that infamous moment. No, the team hung on for a few more years. Not immediately, but slowly. Seattle is competitive and wins the playoffs regularly. Then it became, “Oh, at least they did it.” Sadly, even making it isn’t an annual event anymore.
Enter: Mike McDonald, the Massachusetts native who will now coach the Patriots. In two years, he defeated two long-hated division rivals. Now he has a chance to right another wrong. The ability to balance the scales of sporting justice and reclaim a long-lost Lombardi that should have been won more than a decade ago.
It all ends on Super Sunday, February 8, 2026 at 3:30 PM PT. Oh, and did I mention the game is at the 49ers’ home court? The Seahawks have the potential to put together one of the most memorable seasons in Seattle sports history.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks vs. Patriots Part 2: Super Bowl LX rematch
