2015 Called, It Wants Its Super Bowl Back
Graphic by Neshama Ryman
Following the National Football Conference and American Football Conference championships, the 2026 Super Bowl is finally here. For the first time in over a decade, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will face each other again. “Pats Nation” and the “12th Man” will meet again on Feb. 8, 2026. As a lifelong Seahawks fan, I watched my team battle through the season against the toughest opponents in the league. We’re returning to the Super Bowl with unfinished business.
For 11 years, I’ve been haunted by the name Malcolm Butler.
It’s Feb. 2015, and Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks are on a historic back-to-back Super Bowl run facing the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as they seek their fourth Super Bowl ring. The Patriots dominated the NFL in this era. In fact, they were so powerful that most fans refer to the 2001-2019 years as the “Brady-Belichick era” or “Patriots dynasty.” This team went down in NFL history as one of the most dominant dynasties in the sport’s history.
Both teams battled through tough starts to the regular season, making critical adjustments to both enter the postseason with a record of 12-4. The stage was set as both teams captured their divisional championship titles. Super Bowl XLIX was on the horizon.
Seattle’s infamous “Legion of Boom” featured a stacked roster of elite defensemen, including cornerback Richard Sherman and safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. A young Russell Wilson, in just his third season, led the offense, finishing the regular season with over 3,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin and running back Marshawn Lynch combined to create a powerful offensive threat throughout the field.
However, make no mistake—the Patriots would not be an easy opponent. New England had reached the playoffs nine times, the AFC Championship five times, and the Super Bowl twice throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. Tom Brady had solidified himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. To back up Brady, the team was led by all-star players Rob Gronkowski and Darrelle Revis, as well as a well-fortified defense.
The energy in Glendale, Arizona, was electric. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots had taken the lead with two late touchdowns. Trailing 28-24, the Seahawks were within sight of the end zone, threatening to take the lead with a go-ahead touchdown… until Malcolm Butler made an interception on the 1-yard line in the last seconds of the game. The Patriots would win Super Bowl XLIX, 28-24.
My city mourned this loss. It was the end of an era for us. Over the next few seasons, the team saw a lot of change. In the years that followed, we lost our franchise quarterback to Denver. We lost our longtime head coach to the Raiders. It looked like the Seahawks were entering a serious rebuilding phase. After Tom Brady left, the Patriots faced similar turnover and a string of unproductive seasons until drafting University of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
Fast forward 11 years to 2026: the Seahawks are making their first Super Bowl appearance since that fateful game, and the Patriots their first in their post-Tom Brady era. The two competing teams followed very different paths in pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy, but they will meet again on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in sunny Santa Clara. In my (openly biased) opinion, this could be one of the best rematches in recent sports history.
This matchup between the Patriots and the Seahawks has naturally caused many to take a trip down memory lane to the 2015 match up. However, it is not a case of déjà vu that occurs; these two teams have undergone significant changes in roster, management, and more. Let’s unpack what is defining today’s Super Bowl squads.
The Battle of the Mikes
In Mike Macdonald’s second season as head coach in Seattle, he has turned a franchise deemed in a “rebuild” into a dominant Super Bowl-bound team. With emphasis on a strong defense led by seasoned and rookie players alike, the previous defensive coordinator has brought back what many Seahawks players are calling “The New Legion of Boom” or “The Dark Side.”
Mike Vrabel, in his first season as head coach in New England, has managed to turn the Pats from a struggling team with a losing regular season record to an AFC powerhouse. They dominated the latter half of the season, earned the second seed in the playoffs, and beat the number one seed Denver Broncos in the AFC championship. Both head coaches notably have defensive coordinator backgrounds, which shine through in both teams’ strong squads.
Drake “Drake Maye” Maye vs. Sam “Ginger Cuz” Darnold
Drake “Drake Maye” Maye is so good that he deserves a category of his own. In just his second season in the pros, he recorded a 113.5 passing rating in the regular season and over 4,000 passing yards. Despite a rocky start to his rookie season, his sophomore season has shown impeccable promise as the new franchise quarterback.
Sam Darnold, affectionately nicknamed “Ginger Cuz” on X by Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch, has finally reached the Super Bowl on his fifth team after many years of being overlooked. He is now the second quarterback behind Tom Brady to have two consecutive 14-win seasons—albeit at two different teams… sorry Vikings fans.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Stefon Diggs
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having the opposite of a quiet third year at the wide receiver position. With 1,965 total yards across the regular and postseason, he has the chance to become the third player to ever pass 2,000 yards in the season. JSN was named the PFWA Offensive Player of the Year and was nominated for the AP Offensive Player of the Year.
After recovering from a 2024 ACL injury, Stefon Diggs is back and as strong as ever. He’s a reliable wide receiver 1 with significant experience in the position, boasting over 1,000 yards this season. A four-time Pro-Bowler, Diggs has proven his importance as a veteran player on this Super Bowl-bound team, helping to end their seven-season drought.
The Dark Side: A New Age Legion of Boom
The foreboding name says it all: Seattle’s defense has been a key factor in bringing this team back to the Super Bowl after eleven years. Allowing the fewest points in the NFL in the 2025 season, “The Dark Side” has been called dominant for a reason. In their game against the San Francisco 49ers, their divisional rivals, they held the offense to just two field goals. They were also the top scoring defense in the league this season. Yet, where they differ from “The Legion of Boom” is in the strength of their defensive line alongside the back seven, contributing to a pressure rate of 40.1%.
“Road Warrior”: 9-0 Season on the Road for Pats
After getting off to a rocky start, the Pats quickly became a breakout team as the season progressed. They boasted a perfect 9-0 record on the road, their best since 2016, and one of the best in the league. Against a fanbase nicknamed “The 12s” (or “12th Man”) for their role in supporting the 11 men on the field as the loudest crowd in the NFL, this unshakable confidence away from Gillette Stadium will be crucial going into Sunday.
As a lifelong Seahawks fan, I have been waiting patiently for this moment for the past 11 years. This is the new era of the iconic 2015 rivalry, and I am living for it. We’re long due for a good rematch—and hopefully sweet, sweet redemption.
Happy (almost) Super Bowl Sunday to those who celebrate.
Cameron Bernier ’29 (scbernier@college.harvard.edu) is a Deflategate believer seeking revenge. Go Hawks!