For the second straight year, this is a Seahawk-free Super Bowl. For Seattle fans, it’s going to hurt seeing the Atlanta Falcons, a team they actually beat this season, a team led by their former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, on the grand stage.
But not nearly as deeply, and painfully, as seeing the New England Patriots — another team the Seahawks defeated this year. But that’s not the source of the existential ache, of course. And it’s not the fact that the Patriots get to the Super Bowl with annoying frequency, although that might help explain why the rest of America will lean toward Team Julio.