The Ingraham Cascade’s Super Bowl LX Preview

AP photo / Stephen Brashear

Legion of Boom

On February 2^nd, 2014, the Seattle Seahawks hoisted their first Lombardi Trophy. The game was supposed to be a thriller between future hall of famer Peyton Manning and the second year phenom Russell Wilson. Instead, the self-proclaimed L.O.B. (Legion of Boom) held the Denver Broncos to 8 points, with the Seahawks scoring 43 themselves.  Touchdowns from Super Bowl MVP (Most Valuable Player) linebacker Malcom Smith and kick returner Percy Harvin started what Seattle fans hoped would become a dynasty. 

The next year, the Seahawks sat atop their conference, securing a bye during the Wild Card round. They opened their playoff run by beating the Cam Newton led Carolina Panthers at “The Clink” (CenturyLink Field). They then punched their ticket to their second-straight Super Bowl through an incredible comeback against current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The game winning overtime catch by Jermaine Kearse sent Seattle into a frenzy. 

The dynasty was on the horizon, with a Wilson and Pete Carroll duo looking like the future of Seattle sports. The moment finally came with just over two minutes left. After a New England Patriots three-yard touchdown by Julian Edelman to put them up 28-24, the Seahawks got their final opportunity. With 1:05 left in the game, Kearse made one of the most forgettable plays in NFL history: A 33-yard pass juggled on the sideline, before being pushed out of bounds at the five-yard line by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler. Then, the Seahawks ran the  clock down to 26 seconds with a four-yard run by Marshawn Lynch (A.K.A. BeastMode)–their star offensive player. 

Who designed the second-and-goal play from the one-yard line? While many rumors circulate, no one knows if Carroll or Wilson made the call. The Seahawks chose to throw the ball, a quick slant to Ricardo Lockette. Butler read the play perfectly, jumping the route, intercepting the ball, and sealing the Patriots' 4^th Super Bowl win. 

The infamous Butler interception stained the Seahawks organization, as the L.O.B. slowly disbanded. Star cornerback Richard Sherman went down with a season-ending injury (ruptured Achilles) in Week 10 of the 2017 season and ultimately joined rival San Francisco 49ers in 2018. Safety Kam Chancellor retired the next year, ending a strong, but short, NFL career. That same year, safety Earl Thomas “flipped the bird” towards Carroll, leaving for the Baltimore Ravens the next year. Even with new acquisitions for the Seahawks, i.e.. DK Metcalf and Rashaad Penny, the Seahawks could never muster the magic they had from 2013 to 2015. 

Rebuild

Ingraham students range from the ages of 14-18, meaning some may not even remember that interception. Seniors were in first grade; sophomores hadn’t even started elementary school. Teenage Seattleites have experienced mediocrity since the Seahawks’ last Super Bowl appearance, only racking up 11+ wins one time since.  

Something had to change if the Seahawks wanted to be back to the high level they once maintained. In 2022, general manager John Schneider decided to gamble. The Seahawks traded Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round pick for quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, 2022 first, second, and fifth-round picks, and 2023 first and second-round picks. The trade shocked the sports community, as once-beloved Wilson sported the new phrase “Broncos country, let’s ride.” The Seahawks were left with a void at quarterback, having to choose between newly acquired University of Missouri alum Lock, or go in favor of journeyman backup Geno Smith. 

They ultimately chose Smith; he started the 2022 season against the Wilson led Broncos. In their Action Green jerseys, the Seahawks flipped the script on the Broncos, winning with a 17-16 upset. Smith was quoted after the game saying, “they wrote me off, I ain’t write back though.” Smith then led the Seahawks to the Wild Card, where they got smacked by the 49ers. Smith won NFL CPOY (Comeback Player of the Year) and continued to start for another two years. 

Come 2024, the Seahawks made another decision: they fired Carroll and hired former Ravens DC (Defensive Coordinator) Mike Macdonald. Macdonald led the Seahawks to a 10-7 record his first year, but they sadly missed the playoffs.  

The Dark Side

This past off-season, Schneider made season-altering decisions for the 2025-26 Seahawks.  They fired former University of Washington OC (Offensive Coordinator) Ryan Grubb in favor of former Saints OC Klint Kubiak. At wide receiver, they released veteran Tyler Lockett, and traded star player Metcalf to the Steelers. This paved the way for 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba to step into the role of wide receiver one. Schneider also signed former NFL OPOY (Offensive Player of the Year) Cooper Kupp to a three-year deal. Finally, they traded quarterback Smith to Carroll’s new team, the Las Vegas Raiders, for a 2025 third-round pick. They also signed former New York Jets, Panthers, 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold –now known as Seahawk Sam– to a three-year deal, averaging 37.5 million per year. These transactions put pressure on Darnold, Smith-Njigba, and Kubiak to perform, as they prepared to face off against a strong division and conference in front of the 12s. 

Fast forward to the present day, where the staff and students at Ingraham are buzzing about Super Bowl LX, a rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks. Students don hats, sweatshirts, and jerseys as they prepare for February 8^th. What happened, how did the quarterback who was “seeing ghosts” just over 5 years ago turn into a Super Bowl caliber quarterback? Also, what and who are the Dark Side? 

During the 2025-26 season, the Seahawks lost three games, all by one score. A record of 14-3 led the Seahawks to the #1 seed in the NFC (National Football Conference), giving them a bye for the Wild Card round of the playoffs. This seeding did not come easy, with big games against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16 and the 49ers in Week 18. 

Week 16 was electric, opening with the matchup between the Seahawks and Rams for the #1 seed in the NFC for the moment. After being down 30-14 during the second half, the Seahawks needed a comeback. With 9:48 left in the game, the Rams got an interception at their own six, likely putting an end to what seemed to be a blowout of a game. At that point in the game, ESPN gave Seattle a 1.2% chance to win. On the ensuing drive, the Seahawks forced a punt, sending trade deadline acquisition wide receiver Rashid Shaheed back to return. Shaheed was traded to the Seahawks from the New Orleans Saints in week eight and quickly enlightened the 12s community. Shaheed was even named a pro- bowler for his kick returns. Therefore, it was no surprise when he took the Rams punt to the house, with a Kupp two-point conversion. The Seahawks got another opportunity less than two minutes later, and Darnold capitalized. On the second play of the drive, tight end AJ Barner was found in the endzone for a 26-yard touchdown.

Down by two, the Seahawks decided to attempt their second two-point conversion of the game. It initially appeared to be an unsuccessful screen pass from Darnold, blocked easily by the Rams defensive line. After a long pause, one of the biggest twists of the NFL season came from a replay review. The pass was backwards, therefore a fumble, picked up in the endzone by Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet. The review reversed the call, making it a successful two-point conversion for the Seahawks and tying the game at 30.

The next score came in overtime, when star Rams wide receiver Puka Nucua scored his second touchdown of the game, giving the Rams a seven-point lead. The Seahawks methodically moved the ball down the field, answering around three minutes later with a touchdown to Smith-Njigba. On the biggest plays of the game, every 12 was on their feet, including some Ingraham students. Senior Brody Simon sat in the nose bleeds as he watched Darnold line up for the game-deciding play. “It was electric,” Brody says, referencing the atmosphere. A beautifully drawn up play by Kubiak left backup tight end Eric Saubert wide open in the endzone, sealing the Seahawks win. 

This win meant the #1 seed came down to a matchup against the 49ers. A highly hyped-up game for week 18 was put in a primetime spot, 5:00pm on ESPN and ABC. Instead, the Seahawks held the 49ers to three points, their season low. Unlike the thriller in Seattle against the Rams, this game was won easily by the Seahawks. For the first time since 2014, the Seahawks were NFC champions. 

Over the past two games, Seattle’s defense (A.K.A. the Dark Side) came to life. From top to bottom, this defense is always hungry and hold each other accountable. The Dark Side helped Seattle blow out the 49ers (holding them to only six points) and hold on against the Rams. Over a decade later, Seattle has found their new L.O.B.  

Super Bowl LX

What should Ingraham students expect from the Super Bowl? As a lifetime Seahawks fan, I am very excited, and honestly shocked. I’m not sure any expert expected to see a Super Bowl XLIX rematch in 2026, but here we are. Throughout my time at Ingraham, I watched Smith say, “they wrote me off,” cried about Carroll’s firing, celebrated Macdonald’s hiring, understood trading away Metcalf, and now get to watch the Seahawks take on the Patriots.  

The betting line opened in favor of the Seahawks, with the most recent one favoring them by five and a half points. This favor leans towards the Dark Side – containing Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, safety Nick Emmanwori – and OPOY candidate Smith-Njigba. However, the Super Bowl stage is always different. The Broncos went into Super Bowl XLVIII with the statistically bets offense of all time and came out scoring eight points. In other terms, anything is possible on February 8^th. 

One player for the Patriots who gives them a chance is their MVP level quarterback, Drake “Drake Maye” Maye. He has become viral over the past year, with one Instagram account, @drakemayelover, having over three hundred and forty thousand followers. His style of play is similar to a modern-day quarterback, which can be seen by his Super Bowl clinching run against the Broncos (in the snow) for a first down. 

Who will win? No one knows, and that’s why sports are so popular, but it doesn’t hurt to guess. As a true Seahawks fan, I would never root against my home team. Therefore, my predication is a Seahawks win, 17-13. While I do believe that they could absolutely blow out this Patriots team in the regular season, the Super Bowl will always be a bigger stage, with more pressure and higher stakes.