In a tense game, the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, earning the first Super Bowl title in franchise history. The championship took place on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where thousands of fans filled the stadium, and millions tuned in online, including for Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Though much of the online buzz surrounded controversy regarding the halftime show, the win of the Seattle Seahawks was not overshadowed due to the explosive and unmistakable energy the players showed on field.
Against the New England Patriots, the Seahawks won by 29-to-13. During the regular season, the Seahawks “blitzed” (a defensive strategy where extra defenders rush the quarterback) only 20.7 percent of the time, the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL. Super Bowl XLVIII was memorable not only for the usual excitement surrounding the event, but also because the underdog team defied all odds and emerged victorious.
“I have always been a huge fan of the Seattle Seahawks, so to see them win for the first time in approximately a decade was thrilling,” Carson Park (12), avid fan of the Seahawks, said. “I think what made the win so memorable was also seeing [online] so many people celebrate back in Seattle. I feel like I have not seen such a spirited celebration, with the green and blue smoke and banners all around the city, in a long time. It really brought back the spark the city needed.”
Some memorable plays of the game were Kenneth Walker III’s explosive touchdown run in the second quarter that shifted momentum in Seattle’s favor. Seattle coach Mike Macdonald broke with an established tendency by showing the Patriots something they either were not expecting or underestimated based on the Seahawks’ previous performances. Macdonald “blitzed” Maye 33.3 percent of the time in the first half before dialing it back and sending extra rushers just 8 percent of the time after the break. Walker won MVP for his performance.
