Preseason is a liar. Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks certainly hope so. Their preseason was full of penalties (35 for 290 yards in 3 games), and empty in the win column for the first time since Macdonald took over in Seattle. The decision to rest starters throughout helped preserve some health. Time will tell if it creates a sluggish start. Macdonald’s postgame press conference sounded like someone trying to convince himself that what he witnessed in practice mattered more than what he has seen in the games. Preseason may be a liar, but every coach would gladly take quality play and happy victories over the dropped passes, porous run defense, ineffective run offense, operational issues, and paltry scoring, that Seattle put on film in these games. Games that count start in just over a week. The truth of this team will soon be on full display.

Resting starters provided ample opportunity for players lower on the depth chart to step forward and make their case for more playing time when the games count. Few took advantage of that opportunity. There were some flashes, but no player put together a preseason that should leave anyone begging for them to get on the field.

That is not to say everyone played poorly. The bar is very high to earn snaps on this team. Tyrice Knight showed what that looks like in the first game, and was given the rest of the preseason off. Nobody else reached that level.

Players who had good, if not great, preseasons included:

• Edge Jamie Sheriff
• Edge Connor O’Toole
• Guard Bryce Cabeldue
• WR Montorie Foster Jr.
• WR Emmanuel Henderson Jr.
• LB Chazz Surratt
• S D’Anthony Bell
• CB Nehemiah Pritchett
• CB Michael Dansby
• TE Elijah Arroyo

Jalen Milroe may have worked his name onto that list with a quality performance against the Chiefs, just days removed from a disappointing game against the Titans. The player that just about every Seahawks fan and analyst decided was hopeless, threw a touchdown, did not turn the ball over, and had a 101.9 rating while leading the team to what should have been a game-winning drive.

His decision making was better. He needs to get even faster through his progressions, but this was undeniable progress. Some of the throws he made were impressive, especially the ones when he had pressure in his face and still delivered. Drops and penalties cost him what could have been a great performance.

Going from the college system he ran to this under center, play-action, pro-style offense is going to take time. If the team needed him to be ready right now, it would have been a foolish pick. They don’t. He remains a lottery ticket with a couple of matching numbers and a few spaces still to scratch off before tossing the ticket in the trash.

Henderson Jr. was the splashiest player in this one, especially for fans who have not been able to see him in practice. He has a nice collection of tools, including terrific speed and functional athleticism. Plenty of straight line runners do not have the body control to go up and makes plays in the air, or avoid tacklers after the catch. Henderson Jr. has all of that and some sneaky physicality to his game as well. He has been on the bubble for my roster projections throughout the preseason, and he certainly put his best foot forward in this one.

Pritchett had one of his better games. He had multiple pass breakups and was sticky in coverage all night. It feels like his prior history with the team and his solid play through preseason has pushed him ahead of Noah Igbinoghene.

Complicating matters was the new face of Trevon Diggs, who got his first snaps as a Seahawk and walked away with an interception. Don’t be surprised if Diggs pushes his way into the lineup as soon as week one. Whether that says more about the state of the Seahawks cornerback depth or the resurgent talent of Diggs will be clear soon enough.

There has to be at least a little indigestion in the VMAC about where things stand with the team. On one hand, you look at all the players who helped you win a Super Bowl last year that will run through the tunnel and feel confident about the quality of this team. On the other hand, the only time you saw those players face quality opposing competition was in a joint practice against the lowly Titans, and the results were mixed at best. You also still have questions about the availability of Nick Emmanwori, Zach Charbonnet, Tory Horton Jr., Emmanuel Wilson, and possibly a few more. Your rookie class might be essentially one player, who was a backup in college that you are not counting on to be a starter.

This is not doom and gloom. Seattle has a roster full of talent and coaching staff built to optimize any player they work with. It is a reality check that not everything has gone exactly as one might have hoped to this point.

Every player who outperforms expectations provides a little more buffer through the rigors of a season. Every player who you lose to injury or who fails to meet their potential leaves a little less room for error. Few people knew Ty Okada or Drake Thomas or Josh Jobe would play such large roles in the 2025 season a week before the first game. That might be Diggs or Terrion Arnold or Julian Neal or Bryce Cabeldue this year. Whoever it is, has concealed themselves well to this point.

The truth is the Seahawks would have been 2-1 in the preseason if Jason Myers made his extra points and field goals. This is not about the record as much as the quality and crispness of play.

Best case scenario is that the Seahawks are a worse roster from 71-91 than they were a year ago, but stronger from 1-70. That feels plausible with how much of the sloppy play has come from players who will not be on the roster or the practice squad.

Week one is a trust fall every season. Even the best teams in franchise history have struggled in week one. Two of the four teams that made the Super Bowl lost in week one, and another barely survived a game in Carolina. The one Super Bowl team that thrived in the first game was the 2014 squad, coming off a championship the year before. They walloped the Green Bay Packers 36-16. Of course, they did lose the next week to the Chargers and started the season 3-3, so trying to predict any of this is silly.

What Seahawks fans can feel confident in is their head coach holding the bar high and grinding every day to help the team clear it. The players in the locker room know what it takes. Their desired destination remains the same even if they walk a different path to get there.

Irony has many faces. It can be playful. It can be thought-provoking. It can be cruel. Each made an appearance on the first Sunday football game of the Seahawks 2026 season. Tennessee Titans defensive tackle, Jeffrey Simmons, loudly boasted about his team’s performance in the joint practice with the Seahawks on Friday. He then got planted in the ground in this game by third string Seahawks guard, Christian Haynes. A Seahawks team that has yet to play its starters, entered this game with questions about its depth, dominated the Titans starters for most of the first half in this game. The cruelty came in watching parts of that depth leave Nashville with major injuries.

Mike Macdonald had to be pleased with how his team responded to both a lifeless loss to the Cowboys last weekend, and a mixed bag at the joint practice on Friday. Coaches used to coordinate how they would handle preseason games in terms of starter snaps and how aggressive they would be in terms of blitzing. That has faded as more teams prioritize joint practices, preseason games are fewer, and cuts happen once instead of three times.

Robert Saleh elected to play his starters on offense and defense for much of the first half. To say the Seahawks played their backups would be inaccurate. Take the edge position. The Seattle starters might be DeMarcus Lawrence and Derick Hall. Their backups would be Uchenna Nwosu and Dante Fowler Jr. None of those four players has played a snap in preseason. That means the Seahawks were running out fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth string edge players against the Titans first string offensive line.

You could say similar things about numerous other positions, including inside linebacker, where Ernest Jones, Drake Thomas, Tyrice Knight, and Patrick O’Connell did not play. Or running back, where Jadarian Price, George Holani, and Emmanuel Wilson did not play.

Judging a team’s performance in that kind of tilted matchup usually requires grading on a curve. You want to see effort and physicality and execution. Ideally, there are a few plays or a few players who flash and demonstrate their ability to go toe-to-toe with an NFL starter.

The Seahawks made it much more simple. They went up 16-3 in the first quarter, notching explosive plays on offense and punishing hits on defense. Drew Lock did not throw in an incompletion until his 11th pass. Running back Jacardia Wright still hasn’t been touched on his 69-yard touchdown run straight through the Titans defense. Chris Paul Jr., D’Anthony Bell, and Chazz Surratt may have just leveled another Titans player.

Finding a player to highlight other than Knight was challenging against the Cowboys. Far more stood out in this one. Paul Jr. had his best game in a Seahawks uniform at inside linebacker. He made a number of plays in the backfield, including a key fourth down stop. Surratt, the other off-ball linebacker, was flying around the field as well.

An edge group that did little to impact the passer last week, showed far more juice in this one. Connor O’Toole was credited with 6 pressures, 1.5 sacks, and 2 tackles for loss. Jamie Sheriff got his first preseason action, and got right back to sackalicious ways. He wound up with the team-best PFF grade of 87.9.

Defensive tackle J.R. Singleton was all over the field, and wound up leading the team in tackles with ten. That is absurd for a defensive lineman.

D’Anthony Bell delivered a number of big hits. Although, he also missed one key tackle. Nehemiah Pritchett had a terrific tackle for loss as he continues to make the case that he should get reps as the third corner.

Rookie corner Michael Dansby was terrific in coverage and physical in run support. Fellow rookie corner, Andre Fuller, had a nice game as well.

Starters had a better showing on the sideline this week as well. There was more to cheer for, and they were making their presence felt.

All the good energy stopped when rookie safety Bud Clark suffered a gruesome ankle injury. An air cast was applied and he was carted off the field. Macdonald confirmed a broken ankle after the game that will keep Clark out “months.” The Seahawks may choose to put him on injured reserve, which would end his season. It might be possible they hold out hope he can return later in the year.

Guard Mason Richman was also lost to what Macdonald called a, “major injury.” He walked off the field under his own power, but never returned to the game. His loss saps depth on the interior offensive line and limits the Seahawks flexibility to trade or release players like Haynes and Olu Oluwatimi. Both played well in this one.

Richman was one of the players who stood out the most in this training camp. He was more stout in pass protection and was showing real potential as a center. Bryce Cabeldue came in and had a very nice game. This also creates more opportunity for rookie Beau Stephens.

The loss in this trip that matters was not on the scoreboard. Three players who were going to be on the 53-man roster were likely lost for the season. None of those players were starters or guys expected to get significant snaps, but each were worthy of a spot on a very good team.

There are a number of options at safety to now keep an eye on. Ty Okada had already cemented his hold on the starting safety spot alongside Julian Love. Clark was often the next safety in the rotation. AJ Finley, Bell, Maxen Hook, and Rodney Thomas III all will be considered for that role now.

Clark had not separated himself in practice to this point. His standing in the depth chart felt as much about his draft status as a second round pick as about his performance. Finley could be the guy who benefits the most, which would be another form of cruel irony. It was Finley who went down for the season last year during the Seahawks Fan Fest at Lumen Field.

He is smart and gifted. The team and coaches like him. Thomas is another one to watch. He is a veteran who was showing signs of starting to adjust to the scheme. He is currently out after surgery on a broken hand, but that is not considered a long-term issue.

The other notable part of this game was the play of Jalen Milroe. He provided plenty of ammunition to those who have already made up their minds about the young quarterback. His two interceptions were bad decisions and bad process. They overshadowed some really nice moments, including a scramble on 2nd and 14 for a first down and a 24-yard completion on 2nd and 20 for a first down to Montorie Foster Jr. He also had a nice bootleg toss to Ricky White for a big gain that got called back for an offensive pass interference.

There were two penalties on his first possession. Two more on his third. Another on his fourth. The run game was nonexistent. It was not ideal conditions. None of that excuses the poor choices he made on the interceptions or taking a sack on 4th down for the second week in a row.

Making good decisions is arguably a more important skill than having a gifted arm for NFL quarterbacks. Milroe has looked very much like a developmental player with a lot of development left before a team could feel comfortable playing him in a game.

He will be written off by fans, which is fine. I do not expect the team to feel the same way. He will sit and learn for another season. The odds of him turning into a starting quality quarterback before the end of his rookie deal are lowering. What many fail to understand is that even if those odds are low, the payoff is too large to give up on him after one season.

Milroe had a very long way to go from the player he was in college and the scheme he played in. He still has a long way to go, even if that distance has closed more than people realize.

It is also too early to be talking about a position switch. The team will exhaust his reps at quarterback before giving up and looking for other ways to use his skills.

Seattle leaves Nashville with the first losing preseason record of Macdonald’s tenure, for as much or as little as that matters. Their play to start the game was encouraging not just because it came against the Titans starters, but because it showed Macdonald, this coaching staff, and these players, can bounce back from such a poor effort in one week. The injuries sting. Seattle plays another game in a few days, going from Sunday to Friday. They will have to travel to Kansas City for that one, leaving them with an even shorter week of practice.

They are seven days away from making cuts to their 53-man roster. Much is left to be decided. This game was one the team can build on.

Mike Macdonald wants to run it forward. The 2026 Seahawks may want to practice doing that on the field if they hope to do it this season. No matter the caveats one can offer about preseason football, this 17-7 loss the Dallas Cowboys was a performance that was below the standard that Macdonald and his players have set. The locker room talks about, “no drop off,” when starters leave the field. If what Seattle put on the field Saturday was not a drop off from their starters, this will be a long season.

Chief among the disappointing performances was quarterback Jalen Milroe. He continues a perplexing start to his career that includes flashes in practice that have earned him more snaps with the second string and rotating with Drew Lock in this preseason game, with game play that looks like someone not ready to command an NFL offense.

Milroe is at his best when he is decisive and getting through his progressions with pace. His worst is a tentative player, who seems confused by what he sees, and chaotic when his reads are not open. We saw very few snaps that looked like the good version, and too many that looked like the bad one.

It is nice to see that he does not bail from the pocket and abandon plays early. It is less good that he is too late to escape pressure either with a dump off or a scramble. Waiting until a player is already on top of him limits the potential for positive outcomes.

He was not helped much by an offensive line that struggled, especially at tackle. Bobby Hart was signed before training camp, likely as a hedge against the health of Josh Jones who had missed all of OTAs and minicamp. Jones has been on the field throughout training camp. It’s time to move on from Hart. He is regularly beaten in practice and may get one of the QBs hurt in joint practice in Nashville or one of these remaining games. He has had a long career. It should not continue here.

There will be those who wonder if i have some sort of rose-colored glasses on when watching Milroe during practice given my positive practice reports on YouTube. I would wonder that if I was not experiencing it myself. The truth is I have no reason to build up a player who is not earning the praise given that would only hurt my credibility as an analyst. So if he is performing better in practice than he is in games for two straight preseasons, where does that leave us?

I have seen plenty of comments from people saying he should not take up a roster spot. That is a bridge too far. How many quarterbacks have to demonstrate that it can take years for the light to go on at that position before people realize it is a mistake to kick someone to the curb this early? Maybe Sam Darnold would have realized his potential earlier if he had a chance to sit and develop in New York. Maybe Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love and Patrick Mahomes would have struggled more had they been asked to excel immediately.

The quarterback spot is so massively valuable that it makes no sense to move on from a player who is demonstrating progress and productivity in practice while still having two more years on his rookie deal. He can safely sit behind Darnold and Drew Lock. Seattle has twelve picks in the draft next year. If they want to push Milroe, they can prioritize drafting another young quarterback to challenge him.

It is true the light may never switch on for Milroe, or the ceiling he hits will not be high enough to warrant a starting spot. This is not the time to make that call. The already high odds that Seattle will need to pay Darnold big money, though, are rising every time Milroe puts on a performance like this.

Tyrice Knight was almost the lone standout in this game for Seattle. He was everywhere. Most importantly, he excelled in pass defense. This is a player who was known for run defense coming out of school, but struggled at times to defense the pass. That is part of how Drake Thomas took over the top of the depth chart.

Knight had arguably the best reps of any player for either team in this one. The most stunning play came when he lined up outside the tackle on the right side of the line, only to drop out into match with a slot receiver. The pass came his direction and Knight expertly broke on the ball and knocked it down. It was a play any nickel corner would put in their highlight reel, let alone an inside linebacker.

That was just one of the many plays he made while on the field. He is doing more than having a strong camp. He is forcing his way onto the field, a la Coby Bryant in 2024.

Montorie Foster Jr. caught a touchdown pass and led the team in receptions, but he had a costly drop and penalty. Lock missed him on what could have been a long touchdown and missed another receiver who was wide open down the left hash for what would have been a 20+ yard gain.

The offense looked lifeless and overmatched. Whether that was Brian Fleury acclimating to calling plays in a game for the first time, or the team being overly cautious about what they put on film against a team they will play during the regular season, or the Cowboys depth actually being better, is not something we can know yet.

Macdonald was sharply critical of the operation on both sides of the ball after the game. He may have meant that exactly as stated. He also may have been protecting his new OC by equally weighting the criticism at the defense and offense.

Penalties plagued the Seahawks and stunted drives. The most egregious may have been the false start on tackle Logan Brown after the team decided to go for it on 4th and 3 near midfield. Those types of mistakes and lack of discipline stand out as being well below the standard Macdonald sets for his teams.

The game felt sloppy and uninspired overall, leading Macdonald to even bemoan the lack of sideline celebration penalties. There was not much to celebrate.

We saw one nice quarterback hit from Rylie Mills. There was very little pressure beyond that. A few pressures from linebackers or defensive backs were the most effective on the night. I did like what I saw from nose tackle Uso Seumalo on first blush. The run defense was not good, but his effort and movement at his size showed up in some penetrating plays.

Shemar Jean-Charles has been victimized throughout camp, and that continued in this game. We did not see much from rookie safety Bud Clark or AJ Finley.

Rookie guard Beau Stephens had a holding penalty that negated a nice play as did second year guard Mason Richman.

The biggest takeaway from this game will be that Macdonald is going to get after this team, coaches and players. He basically apologized to fans who paid money to come out to Lumen Field and watch. He will be questioning himself about whether he has missed something in messaging or preparation that led to this result. Some might wonder what the big deal is about a throwaway bad preseason game. When you have spent an offseason trying to determine how to sustain excellence and seemingly were doing it through months of practice, only to see what may be the team’s worst preseason performance under Macdonald, it merits some reflection.

Joint practice in Nashville later this week will be intense. The veterans in that locker room will reinforce and demonstrate what Seahawks football looks like. If there is a repeat next week of this performance, Hard Knocks will certainly be in for some colorful conversations off the field.

WHERE: Lowlander Brewing (old FX McCrory’s)

WHEN: 4PM-5PM show, 5PM-6PM book signing & pictures

TICKETS: LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

I will also be bringing copies of my new book: We Did Not Care. If you would like a signed copy, please purchase a VIP ticket. If you just want to come and hang out and watch the show, grab the General Admission seat. There are limited tickets, so grab them while you can!

Hope to see you there!

Forget who plays for this team, who coaches them, or who works in the front office. We will get to them in a second. Think about what would have been the dream scenario for a Seahawks fan before this season. Start with a team that was ridiculed. Create that underdog tale the Northwest loves. Add in a vicious defense that strikes fear in opponents. Now weave in a playoff path that involves maximizing 49ers and Rams misery. Beat the 49ers on their home field to secure the top seed. Beat them again on your reinvigorated home field. Make it a humiliating loss for good measure. Welcome in a cocky Rams team that does not respect you and beat them and their MVP quarterback for the second time in three games. Take a trip back down to your new home-away-from-home in Santa Clara and beat the team responsible for the most scarring loss not only in franchise history, but maybe in sports history. Do it on your rival’s home field. Deck out their stadium with your green and blue colors. Hang massive pictures of your players inside and out. Lift the Lombardi Trophy surrounded by confetti and drench each other in champagne in their home locker room, something they have never done in any locker room.

Come on.

That is so silly that no Seahawks fan would have dared to even imagine it. Now add in the people.

Sam Darnold is a Super Bowl Champion. The same guy who was the butt of every joke and dismissed throughout this season no matter how many games his team won or how much evidence he provided. He may still see ghosts, but they will be the haunted souls of all the people who said he would never be here. He finished the playoffs with no turnovers despite facing Rams and Patriots defenses that excelled at making life miserable for quarterbacks.

Cooper Kupp and Ernest Jones IV were tossed aside by the Rams. Kupp is one of the world’s great people. He is humble and kind and hard-working and incredibly talented. He gives more than he takes, and has a fantastic sense of humor. The Rams discarding him was understandable, but they took it an extra step and snickered at him for fumbling in the first half of the second Rams game. Chris Partridge, the Seahawks outside linebackers coach, almost came to blows with Rams coaches for the slight. Look who’s laughing now.

Jones was anointed the new leader of the Rams defense by Aaron Donald after he retired. Sean McVay and Les Snead decided they knew better and traded him for a bag of chips before last season to the lowly Tennessee Titans. How fitting for him to find his way to the Seahawks.

In fact, the Rams were a primary reason Darnold became available to sign in Seattle after they sacked him nine times in the playoffs last season. That, combined with their Kupp and Jones decisions, contributed greatly to their own demise as all three played big roles not only in the wins over LA, but across the whole season.

Who they are as people was as important as who they were on the field as players. Darnold’s otherworldly ability to flush bad plays or bad games rubbed off on his teammates. But it was Jones’s fiery defense of his quarterback after he was in peril that will be remembered as the final stitch in the tapestry of this championship squad.

“Sam’s been balling,” he told reporters after Darnold’s four interceptions against the Rams in Week 11. “If we want to try to define Sam by this game, Sam’s had us in every f–king game. So, for him to sit there and say, ‘That’s my fault,’ no it’s not. It was plays that defensively we could have made, opportunities where we could have got better stops. It’s football, man. He’s our quarterback. We’ve got his back, and if you’ve got anything to say, quite frankly, f–k you.”

Seattle never lost again. Be sure to thank the next Rams fan you see for gifting Seattle Darnold, Jones, and Kupp. That is, if you can find one.

Mike Macdonald becomes a Super Bowl winner in just his second season at the helm. He told anyone who would listen that he expected to win it all throughout the offseason. Most took it as typical coach speech. He meant it. People will talk about him for his savant play calling, but his biggest contribution to this team might have been his willingness to admit he needed help growing as a leader.

His work with performance psychologist Michael Gervais helped him bring his vision of a connected locker room to life. They instituted walk and talks, mixed up the locker room assignments, leaned on Neiko Thorpe’s penchant for fun to launch shadow boxing competitions that spread like wildfire, forging bonds that will last a lifetime.

This team played not to prove others wrong, but to lift the brothers they loved.

The Patriots felt like an afterthought. We could recount the plays that led to the 29-13 win, but that would be like focusing on the flower instead of appreciating the Spring that nurtured the seed.

Macdonald constantly preaches process over results. The process this season was a work of art. Each day was maximized. The team never got high or low. They managed a steady burn that led to the league’s best point differential and three losses by a combined nine points.

They only trailed by 10 points or more twice all season. They won one of those games, and had a kick as time expired that would have won the other.

Coaches like McVay and Kyle Shanahan scoff at special teams. Macdonald hired Jay Harbaugh to torture the league. No team had more return touchdowns. No kicker has ever scored more points. No punter has merited consideration for Super Bowl MVP until this one.

There were no weaknesses.

This team could run. They could pass. They could defend the run, rush the passer, cover. They scored when they kicked off. They scored when you kicked off. There was nowhere to hide. No quarter was given.

So much can be traced back to the defensive line that was built in every possible way by John Schneider. He traded for Leonard Williams. He drafted Byron Murphy and Derick Hall and Boye Mafe. He signed Jarran Reed and DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu as free agents.

What was an embarrassment just two years ago when the Pittsburgh Steelers rolled into town and ran them over when the playoffs were on the line became the most feared position group in football. It was fitting that Hall had two sacks, including the back-breaking strip sack in the Super Bowl. He and Mafe played selflessly all year where so many young players would abandon their brothers in the name of a flash play that would get them a bigger payday down the line.

That happens because guys like Williams, Nwosu, Lawrence and Reed set the standard and held people to it.

If Williams and crew were the muscle, Devon Witherspoon was the heart. His infectious energy was on full display as he became a human blur on the way to sacking Drake Maye once and causing the game-ending fumbleception that Nwosu returned for a touchdown.

There are not words that can describe the respect he commands in that locker room. He is about ball and lifting his brothers. There is nobody quite like him.

The defense came together to form The Dark Side. Nothing so dark has ever created something so bright.

It would be hard to talk about what made this team special without talking about the offensive line. A source of misery for over a decade, this group became one of the most promising young units in the NFL. Grey Zabel became an instant starter and looks to be a future All-Pro. Charles Cross stepped into a leadership role in his fourth season. Abe Lucas finally had a chance to play healthy. Jalen Sundell got to play next to his former college roommate and ended the season as one of the more promising centers in the league. Anthony Bradford rebounded from rough moments to contribute heavily to the run game. They will be a group that can be the foundation for years to come. Teams with great offensive lines always have a chance.

None of this happens without John Schneider. He made all the right moves, starting with hiring Macdonald. No GM has ever won two Super Bowls with two different coaches and two totally different rosters. Until now. This ring cements him as one of the best in the history of the sport.

Perfect seasons don’t come around very often. We may never replicate the satisfaction that comes with this win and this season. Chasing perfection misses the point. What happened this year is permanent. It is written in ink. We started this season thinking perfection was a mirage, but as the confetti falls, it looks pretty real to me. This is ours. Forever.

What a game. What a season. It is finally time to raise the banner again.

The confetti is falling in Santa Clara, and the players are putting on their official “Champions” hats and t-shirts right now. If you want to wear exactly what the players are wearing in the locker room, the official Trophy Collection is live right now.

Shop the Official Super Bowl Champions Collection Here

Why Shop Through This Link? As many of you know, we are pushing hard toward our $1 Million Charity Goal.

Fanatics is partnering with HawkBlogger for this championship run. When you buy your championship gear through our links, you aren’t just getting the best merch—you are directly supporting this blog and helping us contribute a portion of commissions to our charity partners.

What’s Available? Fanatics just dropped over 500+ championship items, including:

• The Locker Room Trophy Collection: The exact hats and tees worn on the podium.
• Jerseys: Including Super Bowl patch editions.
• Autographed Collectibles: Look out for exclusive signed gear from stars like JSN.

Heads Up: We’ve been told that sales volume is expected to be massive immediately following the game. The popular sizes for the “Locker Room” hats and shirts usually sell out within the first few hours.

If you want to secure your piece of history, I recommend grabbing it tonight.

Click here to shop the full Seahawks Super Bowl Collection

It is hard to find the words to describe this moment. After a season where the outside world counted this team out, the Seahawks stayed the course. They believed in each other. And tonight, they stand on top of the world.

For years, I have had the privilege of writing about this team, riding the highs and lows right alongside you. But this season was different. It felt like a story that needed to be kept and cherished.

That is why I am incredibly proud to announce my first book, published in partnership with Triumph Books:

WE DID NOT CARE: How the Seattle Seahawks Silenced All Doubts and Became Champions

This book is the 2025 season through my eyes. It is a collection of the moments we experienced together, week after week.

What’s Inside:

• The “Morning After” Collection: I have compiled all my game columns from this season into one place. You can re-read the immediate reactions, the analysis, and the emotions of every single game that led us to this night.
• The Full Story: Along with the game recaps, I’ve included select feature stories that add context to how this roster came together and the pivotal moments that defined their character.

This isn’t just a recap of stats and scores; it captures the journey we’ve been on together. It is a time capsule of a season we will never forget, written as it happened.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU FOR READERS

Because this is my first book, and because you have supported my coverage all season, I wanted to make sure you got the best deal possible.

I have arranged a special discount code for HawkBlogger readers. You can use code HAWKBLOGGER20 at checkout on the Triumph Books website to get 20% OFF the title.

• Code is valid through the end of February.
• Pre-orders are open immediately.

You can grab your copy at the link below:

GET THE BOOK: triumphbooks.com/WeDidNotCare

(Alternative link: triumphbooks.com/Seahawks2026)

Thank you for reading, for commenting, and for being part of this community. Enjoy this night. We earned it.

Go Hawks!

-Brian

There are no new insights to uncover that really matter. There are no new storylines worth telling. Consider this more a journal of my final thoughts than an attempt to add to the conversation.

We have heard repeatedly that the Seahawks are the better team. Almost everyone is picking Seattle to win, and many are so bullish that they expect a comfortable margin of victory or have trouble coming up with a game script where the Patriots win. That has the ironic effect of making most Seahawks fans both happy and deeply uncomfortable.

The Seahawks are the more talented team. They should win. They also are probably in for a far tougher game than many are predicting.

New England is the second-best team the Seahawks have faced this season. They are not as good as the Rams, but they are better than the 49ers, the Texans, or any other team Seattle played. They are well-coached, disciplined in their assignments on defense, and feature elite talent in pivotal positions.

Maye is capable of making plays that guys like Brock Purdy or Matt Stafford can make, while also threatening with his legs in a way that would keep any defensive coach up at night. Milton Williams is a game-changing interior defender playing next to another defensive tackle who is not far behind in Christian Barmore. Christian Gonzalez is one of the best corners in the game. Mike Vrabel has his squad maximizing their talent, and playing with a grit that makes them hard to shake and often more than their opponents can handle. Josh McDaniels is one of the best play callers in the game.

The idea that the Patriots have little chance against any team they face is foolish. The talk about their schedule is overblown. The criticism of their offense in the playoffs is misguided. They are worthy of being the AFC representative in the Super Bowl, and will give the Seahawks everything they can handle.

If it took Seattle their “A” game to beat a team like the Rams, it will take at least an “A-” game to beat the Patriots.

Part of what has made the Seahawks such a great team this season has been how consistently they have been from week-to-week. Nobody has been able to truly separate from them. The one time a team did get ahead by a decent margin, Seattle still came back and won.

The Patriots cannot feel good about the matchup between the left side of their line and the array of weaponry the Seahawks can deploy to attack that spot. They may like their corners, but have to be uncomfortable with the stress players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Ken Walker III can apply both vertically and horizontally. They should be confident in their young quarterback, and also concerned about how he will hold up against the sophistication of Mike Macdonald’s defense.

One of the intangible reasons this game should be great is that both coaches instill confidence in their clubs while avoiding the traps of overconfidence. They prepare and play like professionals.

Neither team provided any bulletin board material this week. There is mutual respect.

People outside the building have provided New England with enough extra motivation with the constant wave of Seattle love and Patriots doubt. Maybe that intangible matters. Maybe it does not. In a matchup this close, little things tend to matter.

Experience playing in the Super Bowl can be one of those little things. These two teams have remarkably few guys who have been there before. Williams was there last year with the Eagles. Cooper Kupp and Ernest Jones IV were there with the Rams. Vrable played in it, but has not coached in it. McDaniels has coached in plenty of Super Bowls. John Schneider has helped his team through a bunch himself. That aspect is probably a push.

If this game is going to be close in the end, how teams perform in those close and late moments could be the difference. Seattle has an edge there. Sam Darnold has 4 game-winning drives this season, and 9 over the past two years. Maye has just two this season. His numbers in close and late moments (less than 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter or overtime with a scoring margin of +/- 8 points) are not great. He has yet to throw a touchdown, has been sacked three times, and has an 82.6 passer rating. It might be tough to count on those numbers improving in the biggest game of his life while facing this Seahawks defense.

Lost in all the focus on Darnold’s turnovers is that he has been among the best close and late QBs in the NFL the last two seasons. He has the third-highest passer rating (111.2) and third-most passing TDs (5) in those situations since 2024.

Maybe the masses will be right, and this will be a clean win for Seattle that will prove their NFL supremacy. I expect a far closer contest that could go either way. Seattle likely wins six times if these teams play ten games. Whether this game will be one of those six will come down to a few key moments and a few key decisions.

Lineup Notes

Seahawks fans have slowly recovered from the Nick Emmanwori injury news that sent them into a freakout frenzy earlier this week. The do-everything rookie has no injury designation for this game, and should be good to after practicing fully on Friday. Robbie Ouzts is the only true question mark. The fact that he has been battling a neck injury and was not made available to the media most of the week is probably not a good sign for his chances to play in this one. That would lead to more multiple tight end sets for Seattle, and use of Eric Saubert as an H-back when the team wants an extra blocker in the backfield. Brady Russell will play, but does have a hand injury that likely keeps him out of the backfield.

New England had their own little freakout with Maye’s shoulder injury. That appears to be behind him and the team. The remaining questions for them are defenders Robert Spillane and Harold Landry. Both have practiced in some capacity this week and have said they intend to play. The fact that the injuries are problematic enough to still be questions after two weeks could indicate they will be limited even if they get on the field, or may not be able to stay out there. Spillane is critical to the Patriots, and Landry was their sack leader. Missing either or both would be a significant shift in this game.

Personnel Spotlight

Special for the Super Bowl, I pulled numbers for how both teams perform on offense and defense in key personnel groupings.

The Seahawks have been one of the lowest 11-personnel teams in the NFL. They have dramatically improved their performance in that grouping since the addition of Shaheed. They are running from that grouping better than they had earlier in the year. Their bread-and-butter remains 12-personnel. They were the second-best EPA team in that grouping this season, and were equally likely to run or pass, making it tough on defenses to key on their tendencies.

New England has been very good at defending 11 and 12, ranking in the top ten against both. They struggled against 21, which makes the potential absence of Ouzts a bigger issue.

The Patriots are the best 11 offense in the NFL, but use it less than 50% of the time. Seattle has been a top ten defense against that grouping. New England like to run 21 as well (4th-highest usage rate), but the Seahawks have been the best 21 defense in the league this season. Former Husky Jack Westover will test them as the fullback who can be an effective receiver.

DVOA

Tale of the Tape features DVOA data, courtesy of FTNFantasy.com. If you remember the great Football Outsiders site that used to publish DVOA rankings, you should know that data has moved to FTNFantasy. The table below shows how the two teams match up from a DVOA perspective.

NOTE: The Total DVOA, Off vs Def, and Special Teams DVOA rows are using the weighted DVOA metric that includes playoff games. The Pass Off vs Run Def and Run Off vs Run Def rows are regular season only.

DVOA sees this game largely the way I do. Seattle has advantages in most areas, but the overall strength of these two teams makes it a close one. The Patriots challenges in defending #1 receivers is less about Christian Gonzalez and more about opponents finding ways to get their top target advantageous looks.

Seahawks Offense vs Patriots Defense

Note: All of these rankings include playoff games except for passer rating

Patriots key advantages on defense

Willams and Barmore are game-wreckers inside. Opponents have been unable to run on the duo and they are disruptive in rushing the passer. They will look for ways to overwhelm the Seahawks interior line where Anthony Bradford, Jalen Sundell, and Grey Zabel have had rough moments at times. Kobie Turner was the biggest disrupter when facing the Rams, and one could argue the Patriots have two players of Turner’s caliber on their line.

The Patriots have been blitzing far more in the playoffs. Their disguises are good, and help an otherwise underwhelming edge rush get some pressure with some effective twists and stunts.

Their corners are all capable of making plays on the ball.

New England will feel good about their chances if they are able to limit the Seahawks run game and allow their pressure packages and interior talent to take over.

Seahawks key advantages on offense

Part of what makes JSN so difficult to defend is that he does just about everything well and can be almost anywhere in the formation. This is not a guy who will stay on one side of the field and run a few specific routes well. Teams can try to put their best corner on him, but is that corner comfortable playing in all the spots JSN can line up?

There has been some talk of Gonzalez shadowing JSN. Gonzalez has played 828 snaps at outside corner and 38 snaps in the slot. How comfortable is he sorting through the messy middle of the field without the boundary acting as a de facto defender? What about covering a player coming out of the backfield who can’t be pressed? Gonzalez is a terrific talent, but learning new skills while facing the best receiver in the NFL in the Super Bowl is a lot to ask.

All the attention on JSN makes life easier for Shaheed, who is a mismatch vertically against any of the Patriots corners. Jake Bobo is another interesting name to watch as his height could be factor when matched up against 5’8″ Marcus Jones in the slot. Bobo and Kupp should have a blocking advantage there in the run game as well.

Walker has become almost as much of a headache as JSN. He is getting every yard on the ground and causing missed tackles in space as a receiver. The screen game for the Seahawks has quietly become a strength and could figure heavily into the game plan against some of these aggressive looks from the Patriots.

Seattle tight ends are among the most underappreciated position groups in the league. They are massive, and have a huge hand in the run and pass game. One name to monitor is Elijah Arroyo, who has not yet been active for a playoff game. It would create some uncertainty for New England if the hyper-athletic rookie was part of the game plan.

Patriots Offense vs Seahawks Defense

Patriots key advantages on offense

Maye was fantastic during the regular season. While struggling in the playoffs, he has still made enough plays to win. His legs and ability to not just extend plays, but take off for big runs, has to be the number one concern for Macdonald. They have experienced what it is like to play great defense against Purdy for 3-4 seconds, only to surrender a back-breaking throw or scramble. Maye has a similar profile. He holds onto the ball for a long time and that can lead to big plays or sacks.

Rhamondre Stevenson is a battering ram out of the backfield, and is excellent in blitz pickup. His backfield partner, Teveyon Henderson, is a big play machine. He is a liability as a pass protector, though, and that limited him to just four snaps against the Broncos.

Stefon Diggs remains a great route runner, who is reliably open for Maye. The other receivers are all capable of making big plays. It is a group without top-shelf talent, but their advantage comes in their ability to have contributors across the board. Deciding where to concentrate coverage is easier when you know the one or two guys you want to limit.

New England not only has an array of receivers, but guys like Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper at tight end.

Seahawks key advantages on defense

The Patriots play two rookies on the left side of the line in Will Campbell and Jared Wilson. Both are talented players, but have some physical limitations that make them targets for the Seahawks pass rush plan. Center Garret Bradbury has also had some challenges against size. He gave up a sack last year against the Seahawks when playing for the Vikings, and had just a 26.6 pass blocking grade in that game.

The most plausible way this game could get out of hand is if the Seahawks defensive front overwhelms the Patriots line and has Maye under siege the whole game. Maye has been sacked 5 times in each of their three playoff games so far, and has fumbled a lot as well. He was excellent against pressure during the regular season. That has not been the case in the postseason.

Watch for Derick Hall and Boye Mafe to potentially play bigger roles in this game as their matchups are favorable.

One schematic matchup that will be interesting to watch is whether this potential Cover 6 approach that Seattle employs is, indeed, a weak spot for Maye.

Special Teams

The Seahawks special teams has been remarkably consistent in finding ways to impact the outcome of games. They will have one of their biggest challenges of the year in covering Jones as a punt returner. New England has some tough decisions to make with kickoffs. Do you want to risk allowing Shaheed to return or give Seattle the ball at the 35-yard line? The Patriots kicker has been one of the least accurate in the league, with all of his misses coming under 50 yards.

Key to a Patriots win

New England has to bottle up the Seahawks run game. Do this, and they should be able to keep the game close if they avoid turnovers. It would put the Seahawks in more difficult situations where the talent on their interior defensive line could shift the outcome. They also need Maye to play a clean game. He cannot be the source of turnovers and negative plays.

Key to a Seahawks win

Seattle’s ability to rush the passer is critical. This has been an uneven aspect of the team. Creating pressure without getting to the QB won’t cut it this time. They have to both contain Maye as a runner and hit him as a passer. They will win if that happens.

This will be the third straight season Mike Macdonald will need to hire a new offensive coordinator. His first season as the head coach came at a similarly late time in the hiring cycle when the Baltimore Ravens were eliminated in the AFC Conference Championship. There is belief that timing contributed to a somewhat rushed process that resulted in a hire of Ryan Grubb that Macdonald took at least somewhat on faith, as the two had not crossed paths much and Grubb had a history of being heavily pass-oriented. That marriage didn’t last past one season, and Macdonald was far more deliberate about his hiring process this past offseason.

The selection of Kubiak not only brought a coach with an aligned philosophy that centered around running the ball, but also an experienced staff who were capable of installing their system rapidly and with confidence. John Benton, Rick Dennison, Andrew Janocko, and Michael Byrne came with Kubiak from New Orleans, and had a huge impact on the offensive line, while making the job of the quarterback clear and consistent.

Janocko and Dennison were with Kubiak in Minnesota when he was the OC there in 2021. Benton joined Kubiak in New Orleans, but was not present in Minnesota. Byrne is a relatively new coach at the NFL level and has only been with Kubiak. He does have history at Pacific Lutheran University, so there are some northwest ties there.

Justin Outten is an interesting name here. He was the offensive coordinator in 2022 for the Denver Broncos when Kubiak was the passing game coordinator and QB coach. Outten is the run game coordinator and also the assistant offensive line coach. He stepped in to take over the running backs room when Kennedy Polamalu stepped away from the team this season. The run game took off almost immediately after that change occurred.

Outten worked for Nathaniel Hackett in Denver and was saddled with the disastrous season from Russell Wilson that resulted in an offense ranked dead last in points scored, and 21st in yards. Hackett was the play caller to start that season until he turned over play calling to Kubiak instead of Outten, despite Outten having the OC title. Outten called plays the final two games after Hackett was fired. It is worth noting the Broncos scored 24 and 31 points in those two games, and had a season-high 471 yards in the season finale.

Seattle will want to stabilize the staff as much as possible. Benton is the biggest question mark. Both the line in New Orleans and Seattle took big steps forward under his tutelage. Seattle has one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL, and appears set up for a sustained run of quality line play.

Benton could find it appealing to stick with a group he has helped shape, and not have to uproot again. He may prefer to stick with Kubiak and get build another line in Vegas.

If Seattle considers Outten for the OC role, his relationship with Benton will also factor into the decision. The two have worked hand-in-hand all season with the line, so each will have a clear perspective on what their partnership could look like.

Dennison has a long history with the Kubiak family and would seem certain to go. Janocko would be a safe bet to move on as well to work with the top pick and possibly get the OC job under Kubiak.

The most worrisome scenario for Seattle would be if Kubiak offers Aden Durde the job as defensive coordinator. Durde does not have play calling duties in Seattle, so the team could not block his move to a team that was offering him that responsibility. The partnership between Durde and Macdonald has been foundational to the defense and to Macdonald’s comfort in Seattle. The two were fast friends, and have a lot of mutual respect.

Macdonald obviously is not going anywhere, so the defense would not be in trouble should Durde move on, but it would be a hit to the chemistry that had developed among the staff on that side of the ball the last two seasons.

Should Durde go as well, secondary coach Karl Scott becomes an appealing internal candidate, as does outside linebacker coach Chris Partridge.

The other internal OC candidate would be passing game coordinator Jake Peetz, who came as part of Grubb’s staff last season after working with Sean McVay. A partnership between Peetz (passing) and Outten (running) would make a lot of sense.

The team will almost certainly interview external candidates as well, but when you make a Super Bowl and set a franchise record for points with a young offensive roster, there is reason to try and introduce fewer variables to the mix.

Todd Monken, who Macdonald coached alongside in Baltimore was hired as the Brown new head coach. Greg Roman was the OC in Baltimore during Macdonald’s first season as DC and was there while Macdonald was coming up as young coach. He was fired by Jim Harbaugh after two seasons with the Chargers. He is reportedly interviewing for the Jets open OC spot.

Roman has a history of run-centric systems that date back to the Colin Kaepernick days in San Francisco under Harbaugh.

Grant Udinski was interviewed for the OC role last year before Kubiak got the job. He has been a candidate for head coaching roles but Jacksonville gave him a healthy raise to stay put. It’s possible Seattle could try to pry him away, but it’s not clear why he would take an OC job instead of staying when he chose Jacksonville over head coaching opportunities.

Hank Fraley was interviewed last year as well, and is an offensive line coach. He remained with the Lions, and might be an option if Seattle goes external.

Mike Kafka is a coach who John Schneider has expressed interest in multiple times. He was candidate for the head coaching role before Macdonald was hired. Seattle was denied the chance to interview him for the OC role last year by the Giants. He was recently hired as a to-be-determined offensive role with the Lions. There might be an opportunity to bring him in as well.

Arthur Smith is another offensive coach who has been linked to Macdonald in the past. He was the head coach for the Falcons for a few years and then the OC in Pittsburgh. He was recently hired by Ohio State as their OC. That should not keep him from taking a Seattle role if there is mutual interest.

One interesting option for Seattle would be to go after Kubiak’s brother, who is the OC in San Francisco. He does not have play calling duties, so the 49ers could not block the move.

Knowing Seattle has been successful on offense this year and is getting a late start on the offseason process due to the Super Bowl, hiring internally would seem to make the most sense. A protracted hiring process while also figuring out free agency and the draft would not be ideal. There is some value in coaches who were already vetted last season to shorten that process if they do go external.

The best news here is that Macdonald has a much more clear picture of what he wants and what works (and doesn’t) on offense than when he started last season. His ability to assess what the team needs and who fits in the building should make this a more efficient decision than it would have been a year ago.

The official word on Kubiak will not come until after the Super Bowl. Seattle will do everything they can to keep focus on the game. It will be challenging for Kubiak and the coaches who may come with him to avoid the temptation to look ahead. Seahawks fans have to hope they complete their mission.

The last time the Seahawks punched their ticket to the Super Bowl, it was with a brash band of brothers who took note of every slight, every doubt. They were 5th-round picks and undrafted free agents who had been passed over but rarely passed on. They were young and smart and terrifying for opponents. This new crew shares the youth and intelligence and brotherhood, but their defining characteristic may be what differentiates them from the iconic Legion of Boom. Michael Strahan posed a question that would have been catnip for the LOB, “Coming into the season, you were an afterthought to the Rams and the 49ers. How does it feel to go through both of those teams to go to the Super Bowl?” Standing on a stage in the middle of a euphoric Lumen Field, head coach Mike Macdonald responded genuinely and defiantly, “We did not care.” The man who resists every attempt to add meaning or narrative to what his team is doing, captured the essence of this group in a phrase so efficient, Hemingway would be jealous. Make no mistake, this team is overflowing with stories worth telling, but their dedication to the game and each other is what sets them apart. Mission over bullshit. One more game to complete the mission.

This was not a revenge story. It was a love story. Sam Darnold has enough bulletin board material to occupy every bulletin board in the country. The grandson of the Marlboro Man could have burned every doubter after a heroic postseason performance, and nobody would have faulted him for it. That is not who he is, and not how this team operates.

Rewind 10 weeks. Darnold walked off a much smaller stage in the bowels of SoFi Stadium after pouring rocket fuel on the negative narratives burning throughout his career with a four interception game. Ernest Jones IV made his way down a long hall to take the stage after Darnold. The two had to squeeze by each other in the narrow corridor, and Jones made a point to make eye contact with his quarterback and say, “I got you.”

Jones climbed behind the podium, and had a message that seemed directed outside the locker room, but was very much for every one of his brothers in it.

“Man, Sam’s been balling,” Jones said. “If we want to try to define Sam by this game, man, Sam’s had us in every fucking game. So for him to sit there and say, ‘Oh, that’s my fault,’ no, it’s not. There were plays that defensively we could have made, there were opportunities where we could have got better stops. It’s football, man. He’s our quarterback, we’ve got his back, and if you’ve got anything to say, quite frankly, fuck you.”

The Seahawks have not lost since Jones delivered those words. There is no way to prove Darnold would have fallen short of the flawless performance he put together to win the NFC Championship if Jones had chose different words or had different feelings. Yet, we have seen numerous teams loaded with talent crumble under the weight of ego and finger pointing. This is not one of those teams.

This team rallied behind their embattled quarterback, and he repaid them by outdueling the MVP.

That cross-team cohesion was born out of a deliberate set of decisions by Macdonald to invest in the connection as much as execution. He saw that the teams that went furthest in the playoffs were the ones who shared a bond beyond the jersey they wore. He took the advice of John Schneider to work with sports performance psychologist, Michael Gervais and his associate Stephen Hauschka. They made every Thursday a day to foster that connection with walk-and-talks that paired players from different parts of the team. They intentionally mixed up the locker assignments so players on offense were intermingled with players on defense and special teams.

Macdonald and Schneider were intentional about who they brought in, and who they let go. Their draft was full of talent and low ego young men with charisma that infused the team with fresh energy. Kids games, like shadow boxing, broke out across the roster and persisted throughout the season.

This team loves one another. Even when one of them makes a foolish and selfish decision, like Tariq Woolen did when he chose face his opponent’s sideline instead of his teammates, they love each other.

There has been doubt about this team, this coach, and players ranging from Darnold to Woolen to Anthony Bradford to Cooper Kupp to Abe Lucas to Drake Thomas and on down the line. That doubt has come from outside national pundits and Seahawks fans. Had they been wired to make this run fueled by doubt, there was a plentiful and renewable supply.

What makes them the favorite to win this franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy, and perhaps more in the future, is the detachment from doubt and hate. They are a team of ultra-talented individuals who are impervious the ups and downs of external perspectives. Others choose the roller coaster. They choose the light rail.

It is not always flashy, but it is dependable and sturdy.

This game required every bit of what they have to offer. The Rams offense was arguably the best unit in football this season. They proved that by beating up on the Seahawks defense twice. Seattle proved they were the better team by beating the Rams twice.

Matthew Stafford was every bit the MVP in this one. He had the determination and precision of The Terminator. Seattle could not shake him or contain him. His decision-making was exquisite. Some of the throws he made were obscene.

Maybe he was aided by Seahawks secondary players falling a few times. More likely, players were falling because they were getting put in bad positions by outstanding opponents.

Devon Witherspoon was having one of his worst games as a pro. He wrote an ending that changed his story. Stops on 3rd and 4th down wound up being enough for his team to punch their ticket to the title game.

The drive that followed was one of the best scoreless drives you will ever witness. It was fitting that the offense would be asked to start from their own 6-yard line in the same endzone that tortured them multiple times this season. There had been strip sack touchdowns and bad snaps and other miserable moments when backed up earlier in the year. Not this time. Not when facing the team that had forced six turnovers against this offense.

Ken Walker III started with a physical 4-yard run to provide some breathing room and start the clock ticking. Most people expected another run on second down. Klint Kubiak had other ideas. Knowing that his most advantageous passing situations were going to be on second down when the Rams were needing to sell out against the run, he dialed up a high percentage pass play to Walker, who turned it into a 15-yard gain.

Back to Walker for 3 yards on the ground made it 2nd and 7 at the 28-yard line with 3:31 to go. Kubiak again eschewed the conservative call and went for a pass. Darnold could not connect with Rashid Shaheed, who clearly was contacted before the ball arrived without a flag being thrown. Clock stopped. Third and long.

Good thing the Seahawks have become good at converting 3rd and long.

Kubiak made a nice call, but the work from Darnold and Kupp was even better. In an absolutely need-it moment, Kupp got just enough to move the chains. If that doesn’t happen, you are punting back to Stafford with over three minutes remaining.

Stuffed for no gain on the next play, Kubiak again went to the air and found Jaxon Smith-Njigba for another high percentage short throw that turned into another first down.

Each one of these decisions are magnified by a thousand in these moments. Every single minute poured into this season by everyone in the VMAC had brought the team to the precipice of a Super Bowl. Many people would crumble under that pressure. This franchise knows better than any how calling a pass when a run is the conventional wisdom can be scarring.

Kubiak’s savvy and courage had brought the team to the Seattle 49-yard line with three minutes remaining. Another run by Walker and then another pass from Kubiak’s playbook. This one fell incomplete, but the refs finally threw a flag on the Rams for holding. First down at the Rams 48-yard line with 2:12 to go.

Walker pushed the pile for 6 big yards on first down to get to the two minute warning. The rest of the drive did not go as well, as the team had to punt, but the damage had been done. The Rams got the ball at their own 7-yard line with 25 seconds to go and no timeouts.

Seattle moved the ball 49 yards and took 4 minutes and 29 seconds off the clock. They changed the field position from their 6-yard line to the Rams 7-yard line. The combination of Witherspoon’s redemption and Kubiak’s daring ultimately ended the Rams season.

They continued to be petulant losers after the final whistle, but it would be a betrayal of who this Seahawks team is to dwell on the ugliness of haters.

As Macdonald said, they do not care. It is ironic. Macdonald and Jones managed to demonstrate what they do care deeply about while emphasizing what they do not. They care about winning. They care about their standards. They care about each other. Bullshit never had a chance against this MOB. The Seahawk are super once again.