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When the Seattle Seahawks take the field against the New England Patriots on Sunday, it will be their fourth Super Bowl appearance.
The franchise’s first appearance came in 2006 in Super Bowl XL, when quarterback Matt Hasselbeck led them to a 13-3 record in the regular season. However, the Seahawks’ first trip to the big game did not go as expected, as they lost 21-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In that game, Hasselbeck completed 26 of his 49 passes for 273 yards with one touchdown and one interception. In a recent interview with Pak Gazette Digital, the 50-year-old said there is only one thing he would have done differently.
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback (8) Matt Hasselbeck warms up before Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on February 5, 2006. (Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2006)
“I don’t think I would have done anything different other than not lose my balance. There were a couple of calls in the game that didn’t go our way, and I lost my cool with the referee and didn’t regain my balance when the 40-second clock hit, you know, it was time to call the next play,” Hasselbeck told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview with the Family Heart Foundation.
“So, I threw an interception on that play I’m talking about and then I made the tackle on that interception and then I got penalized again for making the tackle, which, you know, that’s another thing that bothered me even more.”
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) throws a pass in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears in the 2011 NFC Divisional Playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on January 16, 2011. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The three-time Pro Bowl selection said he learned the lesson of just taking things at a time. That lesson from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl loss not only helped him as an athlete, but also as a father.
“If something ridiculous happens in your mind, you move on. And I think that’s something that’s certainly helped me as an athlete, it’s helped me as a parent. You know, you get in the car, my kids would tell you, you get in the car after a sporting event with me, you can’t talk about the referees. You can talk about whatever you want, but you’re not talking about the referees. Not doing it. And it’s a lesson I had to learn. learn the hard way,” Hasselbeck said.
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Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck greets fans before the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, on January 25, 2026. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
While the Seahawks did not win Super Bowl XL, they returned to the Super Bowl in the 2013 season and defeated the Denver Broncos 43-8 to capture the franchise’s first title. They reached the Super Bowl the following season, against the Patriots, but lost 28-24 when Russell Wilson was intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler to seal the loss.
Now, the latest version of the Seahawks hopes to push the franchise’s record in Super Bowls to .500 and get revenge on the Patriots for their heartbreaking loss more than 11 years ago.
The Seahawks play the Patriots at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
