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Seattle Seahawks Literally Threw Away Super Bowl XLIX Win With Passing Play-Call

Super Bowl XLIX

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard enough to lose the biggest game of the season on your own terms, but going down without using your greatest weapon makes the entire ordeal even more difficult to swallow. Yet that’s exactly what the Seattle Seahawks did in the closing moments of Super Bowl XLIX when they chose to forgo the textbook handoff to Marshawn Lynch at the goal line in favor of an asinine passing play that resulted in a game-ending interception.

Trying to figure out just what the Seahawks were thinking in the waning seconds of their repeat championship effort is pretty much an impossible task. They have quite possibly the most difficult to stop weapon in the backfield with a literal beast in Lynch, yet for some reason they chose to get cute and go with a Russell Wilson pass against the New England Patriots rather than make the smart call.

Maybe the ulterior motive here was to justify the eventual gargantuan extension to Wilson that has been rumored for a while now. That possibility can’t be overlooked given that money talks in all walks of life, but it’s hard to believe a team would stake an entire year of hard work and effort to return to the NFL’s mountain top on such a trivial pursuit.

Or maybe the hidden message here was to Lynch, who made a stink in the offseason about his contract and has been rumored to be on his way out of Seattle. It’s hard not to think that played a part in the way he’s been utilized by the team at times this year.

Perhaps Darrell Bevell just outsmarted himself as the Seahawks offensive coordinator. Sometimes it’s hard to go back to the well again after it’s worked so many times and you anticipate the other team expecting your move to go by the book.

But that’s no excuse for not handing the ball to Beast Mode in the most critical moment of the season. 53 players fought through blood, sweat and tears to reach the pinnacle, yet some coordinator who thought he knew better than logic determined the outcome of the game rather than going down with all guns blazing.

There’s no telling just what led to what can only be described as one of the worst play-calls in NFL history. Only Bevell and the Seahawks sideline can truly reveal what the thinking was behind a pass instead of the simple handoff. What doesn’t need any explaining, however, is the fact that the decision literally threw away a repeat celebration for Seattle.

Anthony Blake is a Senior Writer/Copy Editor for Rant Sports. You Can Follow Him on Twitter, on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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