SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The history of Patriots-Seahawks matchups is peppered with drama. 9 of the last 10 games between the two teams were decided by a score. 3 of the previous 4 came down to a play at the opponent’s 1-yard line.
The Seahawks have the edge over the Patriots with an 11-9 record. In their last 10 matchups dating back to 1992, the combined score is Seattle 215 and New England 208. But it’s the Patriots who came away as the winners in the most significant game of the series, beating Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX. 11 years later, the two teams will meet for the 21st time in a Super Bowl rematch.
Both teams have come a long way since their most recent matchup - a week two Seahawks win at Gillette Stadium in 2024. Neither team clinched a playoff spot that season.
The Patriots finished the 2024 season with a record of 4-13 for the second year in a row. Now, New England is just the 5th team in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl after winning 4 games the season prior. Seattle also didn’t land a playoff spot last season.
The Patriots and Seahawks 20-game history began in 1977. New England bested Seattle in their first 3 matchups - 1977, 1980, and 1982. Then, from 1989 through 1993, the Seahawks beat the Patriots five times in a row.
In 2004, the Seahawks ran into a buzzsaw at Gillette Stadium. A 10-point win for the Patriots pushed their winning streak to 20 games. It ended two weeks later at 21, and the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl, their third title in four years.
Four years later in 2008, A Patriots team led by Matt Cassel defeated the Seahawks 24-21 in Seattle. The Seahawks led for almost the entire game, but a Sammy Morris 1-yard touchdown won the game for New England with 2:44 remaining.
Seattle took down New England in 2012 - their first victory over the Patriots since 1993. Down by 6 with under two minutes to go, then-rookie Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson hit Sydney Rice for a 46-yard touchdown, putting the game to bed and giving Seattle a 24-23 victory.
Their next meeting was in February 2015 in Super Bowl XLIX. Seattle came in as the defending champs, blasting Peyton Manning and the Broncos the season prior, 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. With just under 8 minutes left in the game, the Patriots trailed by 10. A touchdown to Danny Amendola cut the lead to 3, then one to Julian Edelman put the Patriots ahead by 4 with two minutes left.
Seattle marched down the field in the ensuing drive. Wilson found running back Marshawn Lynch on a 31-yard pass to start it off. Not long after, a 33-yard circus catch by Jermaine Kearse put the ball on the 5-yard line. A one-armed tackle by Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower kept Lynch out of the endzone and put the ball at the 1-yard line.
Then, perhaps the biggest play in Super Bowl history: Patriots undrafted rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted a Wilson pass at the goal line. The Patriots won 28-24, completing the largest comeback (at the time) in Super Bowl history.
Since then, the Seahawks have won all three games against the Patriots. In 2016, the two met on Sunday Night Football in another game that came down to a final play on the 1-yard line. Down 7 with 14 seconds left on fourth down, Brady lobbed a pass for tight end Rob Gronkowski that sailed just over his head. No flags were thrown on Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, who was draped all over Gronkowski in coverage.
For a third matchup in a row, the game came down to a play at the 1-yard line in 2020. With 3 seconds on the clock, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was stuffed at the goal line, and Seattle won 35-30.
Last year, Seahawks kicker Jason Myers won the game for Seattle on a 31-yard field goal in overtime. Both teams’ starting quarterbacks in that game are no longer on the team, and both teams’ leading rushers from that game won’t play Sunday.
If the trend continues, Super Bowl 60 will be determined by a score, and maybe it will end on the 1-yard line.
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