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What if Pete Carroll ran the ball? Exploring alternate ending for Seahawks, Patriots in Super Bowl 49 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Will Compton – co-host of the podcast "Bussin' With The Boys"– loaded up a question for Seattle coach Michael Macdonald at the Super Bowl 60 Opening Night on Monday …
"I'm going to paint a situation for you," Compton shouted. "It's the fourth quarter – 26 seconds left. It's second and goal on the one. You're down by four. Are you going to run the football or are you going to throw it?"
"Is 'Beast Mode' in the backfield?" Macdonald responded.
We get the reference. Seattle coach Pete Carroll's decision not to run Marshawn Lynch on second-and-goal with 26 seconds remaining in Super Bowl 49 is still being second-guessed 11 years later. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson's pass intended for Ricardo Lockette was intercepted by New England cornerback Malcolm Butler, and that gave the Patriots a 28-24 victory.
Why did the Seahawks throw the ball? It's a question Macdonald – not Carroll – had to answer four times heading into the Super Bowl 60 rematch with the Patriots at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday.
This is arguably the biggest "What if?" in Super Bowl history. How much did it impact the relationship between Carroll, Lynch and Wilson? What about New England coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady? What if Lynch did get the ball?
We answered those questions with an alternate Super Bowl 49 ending.
What if Marshawn Lynch ran ball at end of Super Bowl 49?
Carroll is having a flashback to the 2006 Rose Bowl between No. 1 USC and No. 2 Texas.
The Patriots took a timeout with 26 seconds left in Super Bowl 49. Both sidelines at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., are still processing Jermaine Kearse's juggling catch that set up first and goal.
So, why is Carroll thinking about Texas? USC had a chance to win a third straight national championship when Carroll decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Longhorns' 45-yard-line. Texas stuffed LenDale White, however, and Vince Young scored on fourth-and-5 on the ensuing drive to give Texas a 41-38 victory. Carroll had been second-guessed about that play to this day.
Carroll makes two adjustments. On that ill-fated USC play, Trojans fullback David Kirtman was lined up in an Offset-I formation, which tipped the run to the left side and did not open up the play. Carroll just watched Lynch barrel for four yards behind lead blocker Will Tukuafu in a standard I formation to the 1-yard line.
The second adjustment is simply giving the ball to Lynch. In that USC loss, running back Reggie Bush – the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner – was the Trojans' best player. Carroll would be damned if that would happen again. On the other side, Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia have a goal-line defense on the field, but Butler runs on as a last-second substitution across from Lockette.
Wilson, however, sticks with the call from the sideline. Lynch follows Tukuafu's block through the left side again and plows into the end zone run behind tackle Russell Okung with 20 seconds left. Lynch gets up and spikes the ball so hard it richochets into Blitz, the Seahawks' mascot, who falls over.
The Patriots have time for two plays when they get the ball back. Brady hits Julian Edelman for a 20-yard gain to the 40-yard line. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman knocks down Brady's desperation heave to tight end Rob Gronkowski on the last play.
Seattle 31, New England 28.
The Seahawks become the first team since New England to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Carroll hugs Lynch, who earns Super Bowl MVP honors after his 103-yard, two-TD performance. During the Lombardi Trophy presentation, Lynch is asked how he will celebrate.
"I'm going to Disneyland, mother … "
Dan Patrick pulls the mic away just in time, but everybody hears it. In fact, the reverberations from Seattle's Super Bowl victory ripple across the league for the next decade.
New England's dynasty breaks up earlier
New England owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick are scheduled to meet on Feb. 11, 2018. Adam Schefter, however, reports tensions are high in Foxborough, Mass., one week after the 41-33 loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl 52.
The Patriots lost 28-26 to Atlanta despite a late-comeback attempt in Super Bowl 51. New England is now 0-3 in the Super Bowl since "Deflategate,"and the doubts are creeping in about the future of Belichick and Brady.
The tandem is now 3-5 in the Super Bowl with a streak of five losses that started with the 17-14 loss to the Giants in Super Bowl 42. That was the year of "Spygate."
Kraft, Belichick and Brady give it one more run in 2018, and New England makes the AFC championship game against Kansas City on Jan. 20, 2019.
The teams are tied at 31 at the end of regulation, but the Chiefs win the toss. Patrick Mahomes leads a drive that ends with a Travis Kelce touchdown, and OT rules prevent the Patriots from getting a chance to respond in a 37-31 loss. The Chiefs then beat the Rams in Super Bowl 53.
Instead of signing an extension, Kraft agrees to trade Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with first-year coach Bruce Arians. Tampa Bay finishes 10-6 in 2019 but loses to San Francisco in the NFC divisional playoffs after upsetting New Orleans in the NFC Wild Card round.
Brady leads the Buccaneers to a 31-9 victory against Kansas City in Super Bowl 55 during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. At that point, he has a 4-5 record in the Super Bowl - which ties Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most Super Bowl wins by a starting quarterback. Instead of coming back for one more run, however, Brady opts to retire instead of returning for the 2021 season.
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Bill Belichick passes Don Shula – but with what team?
Belichick and Kraft part ways in New England after a 7-9 record in 2020. Belichick does television work during the 2021 NFL season but is open about wanting a chance to coach in the NFL one more time.
Belichick is watching a game between the Bills and the Patriots in the AFC Wild Card round on Jan. 15, 2022 when the phone rings. New York Giants owner John Mara is looking for a new coach.
The Giants have a pair of top-10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and are looking to build around a core that includes Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney. Belichick looks down at the two Super Bowl rings from Super Bowl 21 and Super Bowl 25 during his time as defensive coordinator with the Giants after taking the call. Then the phone rings again. It's Lawrence Taylor, and it is a short conversation.
"LT?"
"Coach, you better take this job or I'm gonna have to kick your … "
The Giants' rivalry with the Eagles reaches its highest point for the next three seasons, and New York makes its run to the NFC championship game in 2024. Barkley scores three TDs – including a screen pass where he hurdles Philadelphia safety Reed Blankenship. The Eagles pull out a 31-28 thriller, however.
Belichick stays on for the 2025 season. On Dec. 1, 2025, Belichick gets a chance to make history on Monday Night Football against first-year Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. The Giants – led by backup quarterback Jameis Winston – beat the heavily-favored Patriots 23-20 on a last-second field goal. That gives Belichick his 348th victory as a head coach, which passes Don Shula for the all-time record.
"It's only a matter of time before Bill Belichick will be celebrated in Canton," ESPN announcer Joe Buck says on the telecast.
Belichick retires after the season, which starts that process. When asked about what is next at his press conference, Belichick announces his intention to start a podcast with former Alabama coach Nick Saban. They have a one-word working title in mind – "GOATS" – and Lynch is the first guest.
Seattle stays together after Super Bowl run
The Seahawks' bid for a three-peat ends in a 31-24 loss against the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 NFC championship game on Jan. 17, 2016, but the pieces are in place for another Super Bowl run.
Lynch – who suffered a sports injury in 2015 – plays out the final year of his contract with Seattle in 2016. He agrees to one more year in 2017 – and the Seahawks lose 21-17 to the Eagles in the NFC divisional playoffs despite two interceptions from Sherman, who signs a long-term contract with Seattle and spurns an offer from rival San Francisco.
Carroll and Wilson stick together through 2023. Seattle sneaks into the playoffs one more time when the Packers lose in Week 18 to the Chicago Bears. The Seahawks upset Dallas in the NFC Wild card behind a vintage performance from Wilson before losing to the 49ers in the NFC divisional playoff round.
Carroll retires from coaching after the loss, and Wilson signs a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. Seattle does not win a third Super Bowl, but Lynch, Carroll, Sherman and Wilson are among the pieces that are waiting for the call from the Pro Football Hall of Fame over the next few years. Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas also are in the mix.
The Seahawks hire McDonald in 2024, and bring in Sam Darnold for the 2025 season.
Would the Patriots, Seahawks still be in Super Bowl 60?
What if Carroll decided to run the ball with Lynch? It is the ultimate Super Bowl hypothetical.
Maybe New England doesn't win six Super Bowl championships with Brady and Belichick. Perhaps Seattle repeats as champions and makes a run at a third straight Super Bowl with its core intact a little longer. How much did the trajectory of both franchises really change as a result of that decision?
The regular-season records of both coaches are not that different.
Belichick had a 91-56 record with the Patriots from 2015-23. Belichick had a 9-4 playoff record after Super Bowl 49 and tacked on two more Super Bowl victories with Brady, who added that seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Carroll finished 90-73-1 in the regular season, including a 3-14 record with the Raiders this season. Carroll had a 3-6 record in the playoffs after the loss to New England in Super Bowl 49.
Lynch retired in 2016, played two seasons with the Raiders and signed with the Seahawks before retiring in 2019. Sherman played with the 49ers and Buccaneers before retiring in 2021, and Wilson has played for the Broncos, Steelers and Giants since leaving Seattle. Sherman played in Super Bowl 54 with San Francisco.
The reality is both franchises are back. Vrabel, the Sporting News Coach of the Year, has led a remarkable turnaround in New England. The Patriots finished 14-3 with quarterback Drake Maye and have done that with a similar defense-and-mistake-free-formula Belichick made popular.
Macdonald and quarterback Sam Darnold have been a hit in Seattle. The Seahawks finished 14-3 this season with receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year. Super Bowl 60 could be every bit as entertaining in the fourth quarter as Super Bowl 49. How many times will we see that replay of Butler's interception on Sunday?
It is still very much in the forefront. After the fourth time Macdonald was asked about it, he said, "I don’t know, I mean I’m kind of done answering this question."
Then he put an end to the hypotheticals.
"That was an incredible part of our history as Seahawks to go to back-to-back Super Bowls," Macdonald said. "Win one, be in a position to win another one, now being in it right now and understanding the work that goes into that … The result wasn't what the Seahawks wanted, but can you blame the process? I'm not sure."
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