Yes, the Seahawks’ Last Play Call Was Awful, One Of The Biggest Chokes In Sports History

We’re here to confirm what you already know: the Seattle Seahawks’ play call on 2nd and goal in the final minute was awful. Historically awful.

Down 4, the Seahawks needed a touchdown to regain the lead over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. They drove down the field thanks to the arm of quarterback Russell Wilson (and some spectacular theatrics by receiver Jermaine Kearse) to get within striking distance. And on first down, star running back Marshawn Lynch had one of his patented tough runs to gain 4 yards and put them a yard from a second straight Super Bowl.

So what do the Seahawks call? A slant route on the goal line that forces Wilson to throw the ball into heavy coverage. And what happens? A Malcolm Butler interception to bring the Patriots back to Super Bowl glory and end the Seahawks’ dreams of a dynasty.

While Wilson could’ve made a better decision, it’s clear that the majority of the blame has to be placed on the Seattle Seahawks’ coaching staff. They claim that they ran the play to save some clock. While Seattle did fumble around with their two timeouts called on the final drive, they still had plenty of time left if 2nd down didn’t result in a touchdown with their timeout in hand. And with New England seemingly giving up on trying to keep some clock for themselves if Seattle scored, willingly allowing the clock to go down without using any of their timeouts, Seattle didn’t have to worry too much about Tom Brady marching down 80 yards to come up with a miracle comeback.

Logic says to use your defense-crushing running back in Lynch, who just powered his way to a big gain, and score the touchdown to go up. Logic also says to not go into the shotgun when you’re at the one yard line. And logic says that in the worst case scenario, you draw up a pass play that allows your super athletic quarterback in Wilson to get around the pressure and run away to either a touchdown or throw the ball out of bounds.

But of course, logic didn’t apply to the Seahawks’ coaches. Head coach Pete Carroll, who to his credit has done a great job of coaching the Seahawks the past couple years, was thinking too much about this play. Instead of calling a simple run up the middle, he outsmartened himself by thinking the Patriots would never expect the pass. And just like it did when he was coaching USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl against Texas, Carroll’s late game red zone strategy blew up in his face and allowed the opponent to walk off the field as champions.

So while everything was in place to establish the Seahawks as the NFL’s 2010s dynasty, the coaching staff has instead pulled off one of the biggest chokes in sports history. No, it’s not hyperbolic at all to say that. The play call was mind-bogglingly dumb. The Seahawks can now put themselves alongside Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series, the 2006 New York Mets, the 2011 Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves, and last year’s San Jose Sharks as some of the biggest collapses in sports history.

While the Seahawks did blow a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter, tied for the largest in Super Bowl history, the Seahawks still had a Super Bowl victory in their grasp. With one playcall, the entire course of football history has changed. And it cannot be said enough – the call to pass the ball with one yard to go was among the stupidest things we’ve ever seen.