The Top 3 Most Iconic NFL Playoff Moments in Seahawks History

Some playoff moments only live in highlight reels and eventually die, but these 3 will forever live in the bones of Seahawks fans.

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You remember exactly where you were and who you were with, like it was yesterday. If you are a true Seahawks fan, these three moments didn’t just decide games; they helped define an entire era of Seahawks football. And for me, two of these three iconic playoff moments were ones I was lucky enough to witness in person.

#3 Top Seahawks Playoff Moment — Kearse Ends the NFC Title Game in Overtime

Few playoff games have ever tested Seahawks fans the way the 2014 NFC Championship Game against Green Bay did. Seattle looked finished — dead in the water. Down 19–7 late in the fourth quarter, the Packers had controlled nearly every aspect of the game. The crowd was quiet in a way that felt unfamiliar at CenturyLink Field.

Then everything changed, and unraveled for Green Bay.

A late Seahawks touchdown suddenly made it 19–14. Seattle attempted an unlikely onside kick and somehow recovered it. Marshawn Lynch then powered in from 24 yards out to give Seattle the lead, followed by a miracle of a desperation two-point conversion.

In the final minute of regulation, Green Bay forced overtime with a field goal. But the momentum had already shifted.

Seattle got the ball first. On the opening drive, Russell Wilson hit Doug Baldwin for 35 yards on third down. One play later, Wilson found Jermaine Kearse in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. CenturyLink Field exploded. The comeback was complete.

Seattle would go on to play in Super Bowl XLIX and lose to the Patriots in the now-infamous goal-line interception. Even so, that night remains one of the loudest and most emotional finishes the stadium has ever seen. I can only think of two moments that could possibly top it.

#2 Top Seahawks Playoff Moment — Beast Quake

On January 8, 2011, the Seahawks entered the playoffs as massive underdogs in every sense with only a 7–9 record. A home playoff game that few believed they deserved. And a matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Saints, who had already beaten Seattle earlier that season.

Marshawn Lynch had other ideas.

With 3:38 left and Seattle clinging to a four-point lead, Lynch took a handoff at his own 33-yard line and turned chaos into Seahawks history. He broke tackle after tackle, bounced off defenders, stiff-armed Tracy Porter into the turf, and finished with a 67-yard touchdown run so violent it registered on a nearby seismograph.

The stadium literally shook, giving birth to the nickname “Beast Quake.”

Seattle held on to win 41–36, earning its first playoff victory since 2007. It was a reminder that playoff football in Seattle is different. Loud. Physical. Unpredictable.

#1 Top Seahawks Playoff Moment — “The Tip” Sends Seattle to the Super Bowl

There’s no debate about the top spot for me.

January 19, 2014. NFC Championship Game. Seahawks vs. 49ers. Everything that rivalry had built over multiple seasons came down to one final play, with everything on the line.

San Francisco was driving, down 23–17 with less than a minute left. After avoiding Richard Sherman most of the night, Colin Kaepernick finally tested him, targeting Michael Crabtree in the end zone. Before the ball was even snapped, everyone in the stadium sensed where it was going.

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Kaepernick threw toward the end zone. Sherman leapt, twisted, and tipped the ball at the last possible second. Linebacker Malcolm Smith intercepted it for a touchback.

Game over.

The stadium erupted. I was there in that corner of the stands, maybe 50 feet away, and it’s a sound I’ll never forget. The Seahawks were headed to Super Bowl XLVIII, which they would win dominantly over the Denver Broncos.

For many fans, myself included, this moment stands as the single greatest memory in franchise history. A perfect blend of rivalry, timing, and championship destiny.

Some moments fade, but these three moments never will for Seahawks fans.

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