Seahawks’ Devastating Decision Among 25 Moments That Shaped NFL History
At the most pivotal moment in the biggest game ever, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell made the fateful decision to call a slant pass for Ricardo Lockette, rather than feeding the ball to Marshawn Lynch, who was known for powering through defenses.
Any Seahawks fan can recall exactly where they were when that moment happened. Despite a dominant 35-point Super Bowl victory the previous year against the record-breaking offense of the Denver Broncos, Seattle’s infamous goal-line collapse against the New England Patriots quickly became the most devastating play in NFL history.
For me, the moment is etched in memory by the sound my Georgetown roommate Chloe made when Malcolm Butler picked off the pass—somewhere between a gasp and a shriek. While credit is due to Butler for making the interception, and to former Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner for reading the play, it remains a decision the Patriots should never have been able to capitalize on.
Seattle’s offense faced a loaded Patriots defense, but it would have made more sense to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch, who had made a career out of bulldozing through defenses. Instead, Bevell opted to pass, dialing up a slant to Lockette—who, at best, was Seattle’s fifth-best receiving option at the time. This resulted in the interception that forever altered the course of NFL history.
The fallout was immense. Russell Wilson’s legacy was forever impacted, and the defense’s lingering bitterness toward him, stemming from perceived favoritism by Pete Carroll, reached a boiling point. The damage to team chemistry was irreparable. Despite being the top team in the league again in 2015, the Seahawks didn’t even make it past the divisional round of the playoffs. The Legion of Boom era came to an end, and the sense of “what could have been” haunted the franchise.
This moment, described by Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab, is one of 25 moments over the past 25 years that reshaped the NFL. Schwab notes, “The Seahawks looked like a growing dynasty, but they’d never reach another Super Bowl. The Patriots, on the other hand, went on to play in four of the next five Super Bowls, winning three, solidifying themselves as the greatest NFL dynasty of all time.” That play, Schwab argues, was pivotal in shifting the trajectory of NFL history.
While the New England Patriots’ dominance after that play is undeniable, the Seahawks’ near-dynasty and their painful “what if” scenario still linger as one of the greatest missed opportunities in NFL history. The only possible competition for Seattle’s heartbreaking decision came two years later, when the Atlanta Falcons suffered a historic collapse of their own, blowing a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl to the Patriots. Though there was no single defining moment in the Falcons’ collapse, it remains a contender for the most painful loss in Super Bowl history—but that doesn’t diminish the Seahawks’ place in the NFL’s tragic moments.
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