Seahawks Super Bowl History: From the First Trip to Two Championships
Seattle is 2–2 in Super Bowls through LX. See every appearance, season, date and score, plus the stories behind its two titles and two defeats.
Seattle’s 29–13 victory over New England in Super Bowl LX added a second Lombardi Trophy to the franchise’s history. As of October 10, 2026, the Seahawks have played in four Super Bowls and have a 2–2 record, winning the championships for the 2013 and 2025 seasons. Their fourth appearance brought their second title, this time under Mike Macdonald, more than a decade after Pete Carroll’s team won the first.
Every Seahawks Super Bowl appearance
The season year and game year differ: each of Seattle’s Super Bowls was played in February following the season it decided.
| NFL season | Super Bowl | Game date | Opponent | Seattle’s result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | XL | February 5, 2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Lost 21–10 |
| 2013 | XLVIII | February 2, 2014 | Denver Broncos | Won 43–8 |
| 2014 | XLIX | February 1, 2015 | New England Patriots | Lost 28–24 |
| 2025 | LX | February 8, 2026 | New England Patriots | Won 29–13 |
All four appearances came as the NFC champion, despite Seattle’s long AFC history. The Seahawks began in the NFC West in 1976, moved to the AFC West in 1977, then returned to the NFC West for the 2002 season when the NFL reorganized into eight four-team divisions. Their first Super Bowl trip followed three seasons later. The team’s realignment history explains that conference change.
Super Bowl XL: The first trip ends in defeat
Mike Holmgren’s 2005 Seahawks went 13–3 behind an offense featuring quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander. Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards and scored a then-NFL-record 28 total touchdowns, earning league MVP honors as Seattle reached its first Super Bowl. Seattle’s Alexander history documents that breakthrough season.
At Ford Field in Detroit, Pittsburgh beat Seattle 21–10. Two long touchdowns shaped the result: Willie Parker’s 75-yard run early in the third quarter and receiver Antwaan Randle El’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward in the fourth. Ward, who finished with 123 receiving yards, was the game’s MVP. Pittsburgh’s game recap records those decisive plays.
The loss also left an officiating controversy. In 2010, referee Bill Leavy acknowledged: “I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game.” He did not identify the calls in that statement. That admission belongs in the game’s history, but it does not establish that Seattle otherwise would have won. The Associated Press report carried by NFL.com preserves his comments.
Super Bowl XLVIII: Seattle’s first championship
The 2013 Seahawks arrived at the championship game after another 13–3 season, this time under Carroll. The matchup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey offered a clear historical contrast: Peyton Manning’s Denver team had produced the highest-scoring season in NFL history to that point, while Seattle led the league in scoring defense, total defense, pass defense and takeaways. Seattle’s tenth-anniversary retrospective details both teams’ strengths.
The contest became a demonstration of Seattle’s defense rather than a duel. A safety on Denver’s opening offensive play put the Seahawks ahead. Linebacker Malcolm Smith returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown, helping build a 22–0 halftime lead. Percy Harvin then returned the second-half kickoff 87 yards for another score. The scoring record traces Seattle’s expanding lead.
Seattle won 43–8, a 35-point margin, with Russell Wilson throwing two touchdown passes and no interceptions. Smith earned Super Bowl MVP honors after adding a fumble recovery to his interception return. The win made the defense associated with the “Legion of Boom” a championship unit—and gave Seattle its first Lombardi Trophy. The team’s retrospective recounts Smith’s award and Wilson’s performance.
Super Bowl XLIX: One yard from a repeat
Seattle returned the following season and led New England 24–14 entering the fourth quarter. Tom Brady then threw touchdown passes to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, putting the Patriots ahead 28–24. The scoring record shows the lead changing with 2:02 remaining.
The Seahawks still had a chance. Jermaine Kearse’s juggling catch helped bring them near the goal line, and Seattle reached second-and-goal at the New England 1. Instead of handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks called a pass. Rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson’s throw intended for Ricardo Lockette, leaving 20 seconds on the clock and preserving the Patriots’ victory. NFL.com’s contemporary recap records the sequence.
Super Bowl LX: A new team wins the second title
Eleven years after that defeat, Seattle faced New England again, now with Macdonald coaching and Sam Darnold at quarterback. At Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the Seahawks held the Patriots scoreless through three quarters and finished with six sacks and three takeaways. Seattle’s defensive recap documents the pressure that controlled the game.
Jason Myers kicked five field goals. Darnold threw a touchdown pass to AJ Barner, and Uchenna Nwosu’s 45-yard interception return supplied Seattle’s final touchdown in the 29–13 win. The game’s scoring record lists all seven Seattle scoring plays.
Running back Kenneth Walker III earned MVP honors with 135 rushing yards on 27 carries, plus 26 receiving yards. He became the first running back to win the award since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII. NFL.com’s MVP report records that distinction.
Seattle’s two championship teams belonged to different coaching and quarterback eras, but their Super Bowl victories shared a recognizable foundation: a defense that kept the opposing offense from dictating the game. For the wider championship chronology, see our history of Super Bowl champions.