The cause and effect of the Biggest Mistake in Super Bowl History

The Seattle Seahawks became an NFL team in 1976; making them a prominent name in the league in the last decade. Pete Carroll, one of the most successful College football head coaches and multiple stints in the NFL finally found his home with the Seahawks. Pete was hired to coach the Hawks in 2010 and still holds that title to this day in 2023. The Seahawks became famous for having a seriously good defense under head coach Pete Carroll; later getting named the Legion of Boom during the stretch of multiple successful seasons. Pete Carroll and company made an outstanding defense with players like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Cam Chancellor, with Russell Wilson at the throne of Quarterback. The 2015 Super Bowl goes down as one of the biggest mistakes made in football history. That decision causes huge tension within the team; therefore causing the team to grow further away and making an end to an era. What if the Seahawks won their second straight Superbowl; what could have happened the season after?

Going to the Superbowl back-to-back seasons was one of the biggest feats any professional sports team can think about. After winning the 2014 Superbowl in such fashion with a final score of 43-8 over the Broncos; the Seahawks were at it. In Glendale Arizona, the venue of the 2015 Superbowl, the biggest mistake came in the final minute of the game on the one-yard line; Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, and the Seahawks offense decided to throw the ball and a game-ending interception sealed the win for the Patriots. The Seahawks were considered to have the best running back at the time in Marshawn Lynch; the chance of them throwing the ball in anyone’s head was not going to happen. Marshawn Lynch went over the one-thousand-yard mark for rushing yards four years in a row. The biggest play call in a Superbowl in the last decade ended horribly for the Seahawks and has always gone down as a very bad mistake.

The ending of the 2015 Super Bowl did not end the way any Seahawks fan ever dreamed about, that was the same feeling across all Seahawks players at the time. Big-time players like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor, all began to grow apart making a reunion to the big stage, not a possibility. Pete Carroll took full responsibility for throwing on second down on the one-yard line. He fully believed that they had to throw at least once during their time in the red zone on their final drive of the game, but no one will know why on second down. One big mistake changed a whole franchise forever and the team never looked the same again.

The 2015 season was thought to be a situation that could have looked very similar to the two years before. If the 2014 season Super Bowl did not go the way it did, the team would have looked almost untouched with all of the big players still under contract. The big-name players did return to the team but with them were all still living in the disappointment of the ending of the season before. The team never looked the same and their team chemistry was nowhere close to where it was. This led to a falling-out party between all of the players; Earl Thomas, Cam Chancellor, and Richard Sheman all left due to season-ending injuries. The team morale was extremely low and it seemed everyone put everything they had for the Seahawks.

Many Successful seasons were followed by a disastrous ending in the Superbowl. The Seattle Seahawks, Coached by Pete Carroll went on a run and made a name for themselves with the Legion Of Boom with their lockdown defense. On the offensive side of the ball, the big mistake happened; Russell WIlson inside of the one-yard line threw a dart pass just beyond the goal line, and Malcolm Butler, a defensive back for the Patriots intercepted the ball to seal the win. The big turmoil for the whole team was the effect of this big loss and caused big changes to the Seahawks team. From the Good to the Ugly to Now there is one thing that has stayed the same. Pete Carroll is still the Head Coach of the team and still is living his best life at the age of 72. Pete Carroll has kept the Seahawks competitive ever since the big change in recent history. Right now he has one of the best-performing defenses and is trying to make it back to the big stage. Mistakes are always to be remembered and are hopefully something to think back at and think about what could have been done better in the future. Pete Carroll got a lot of backlash for that controversial play call on the one-yard line in 2015. With that being the case it has not stopped Pete from becoming one of the most popular and inspirational coaches in the recent history of the NFL.

“Seahawks Superbowl Parade” by Dave Sizer is licensed under CC BY 2.0.