A casual Seattle fan's guide to the Super Bowl
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The Seahawks face the Patriots at 3:30pm Sunday in Santa Clara. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
For die-hard Seahawks fans, Sunday's Super Bowl means a return to glory not seen since the "Legion of Boom" dominated the league a decade ago.
Yes, but: That means casual sports observers in Seattle have gone years without having to navigate a football-crazed city.
- Don't worry. Here's a guide to the big game for all you normies.
State of play: The Seahawks face the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium, the Santa Clara-based home of the San Francisco 49ers.
- 📺 3:30pm Sunday on NBC and the Peacock app.
How we got here: It would have been hard to predict a year ago.
- The Seahawks were coming off a 10-7 record under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, who'd taken over for franchise legend Pete Carroll.
- Quarterback Geno Smith was shipped off to Las Vegas to join Carroll on the Raiders. His high-priced replacement, Sam Darnold, was on his fifth team since being drafted in 2018.
- Then, magic happened: Darnold had a stellar season, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba became a superstar and the defense — Macdonald's calling card — was the best in the league.
Guys to know: Though Darnold and Smith-Njigba are the big names on offense, the defense has led the way this season.
- Up front, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II and DeMarcus Lawrence chase the quarterback and clog running lanes.
- Further back, Julian Love, Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori make life hard for opposing pass-catchers.
Know your enemy: The Patriots also boast a strong defense.
- But the headline name is Drake Maye, a rising star at quarterback playing for a championship in just his second pro season.
The intrigue: The Seahawks are seeking revenge for Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. After a close-fought game, Seattle was on the cusp of a winning touchdown, only to be foiled by a Patriots interception.
Friction point: Darnold was once the quarterback for the Jets, a division rival of New England's, and has a history of struggling against the Patriots.
- In a lopsided 2019 loss to the Pats, Darnold famously was recorded saying he was "seeing ghosts" against New England's defense.
The bottom line: Both the Seahawks and Darnold have some bad spirits to exorcise on Sunday.