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New England Patriots: What to root for over Wild Card Weekend

By Patrick Morgan

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 30: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks on during the first quarter of a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 30: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks on during the first quarter of a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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4. Nothing good can come from another Patriots/Seahawks Super Bowl… so cheer for the Cowboys.

GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 01: Malcolm Butler #21 of the New England Patriots intercepts a pass by Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks intended for Ricardo Lockette #83 late in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 01: Malcolm Butler #21 of the New England Patriots intercepts a pass by Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks intended for Ricardo Lockette #83 late in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

As absolutely, positively, mind-blowingly, breath-takingly sublime and magical as Super Bowl XLIX was for Patriots fans, the last thing they should want is to make it to Super Bowl LIII and find the Seahawks waiting for them there.

Yes, the teams look completely different now than they did then. Gone are the major players from that game’s lore: Marshawn Lynch, Malcolm Butler, Richard Sherman, Danny Amendola… they all wore different uniforms in 2018 than they did four years ago.

Seattle is nowhere near the team they were that year; then again, neither is New England. But the same problems the Seahawks presented in 2015-2016 still hold true today: excellent ball control/rushing attack, fierce pass rush, strong linebackers, mobile quarterback with dual-threat capabilities, intelligent coaching, etc.

Not only would Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson’s Seahawks present a significant challenge to the Patriots – they’d also have all the world rooting for them. Even casual fans of the sport know what happened at the end of that Super Bowl four seasons ago, and how heartbreaking it was for Seattle’s players, coaches, fans, and the entire region of the Pacific Northwest.

Even Malcolm Butler’s feel-good story is outdated.

Overnight he became a household name, after coming into that season as an undrafted rookie and a former employee of Popeye’s Fried Chicken. Whatever good will and warm feelings he brought with him to the Patriots franchise were promptly destroyed, when stone-hearted Bill Belichick benched him in last year’s Super Bowl and then sent him packing to Tennessee with no real explanation as to why.

If there is such a thing as karma, and if the football gods are real and watching, the Patriots do not want to see the Seahawks in the title game again.

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