On the brink of back-to-back Super Bowl titles, the Seattle Seahawks are once again trying to prove that defense wins championships.
Super Bowl 49: What is the Seahawks’ ‘Legion of Boom’
Seattle’s secondary is the backbone of the league’s latest defensive dynasty.
And if history is any indication, they are a good bet to become the ninth repeat winner in Super Bowl history. Since the 1970 merger, teams with the No. 1 scoring defense during the regular season are 13-3 in the Super Bowl and have won seven of the last eight times.
The Seahawks have established themselves as the league’s preeminent defensive team thanks largely to the dominance of their famed secondary, a.k.a the Legion of Boom (L.O.B.). The origin of the name has been traced back to a local radio interview in Aug. 2012 with Kam Chancellor, who noted that Seattle’s secondary liked to “bring the boom.” Shortly afterwards, a fan on Twitter suggested the nickname of “Legion of Boom” -- and the rest is the stuff of legends.
Who is the Legion Boom?
The L.O.B. includes everyone who has played defensive back for Seattle since 2012. The four original starting members were cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, along with safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas. Browner signed with the New England Patriots as a free agent this past offseason, and was replaced in 2014 by Byron Maxwell, a reserve defensive back during his first three seasons in Seattle.
Historic performance
The stats leave no doubt that the Legion of Boom is the best secondary in the NFL. Since 2012, the Seahawks lead the league in passer rating allowed (71.8), passing touchdowns allowed (48), passing yards allowed (8,972), and yards per attempt allowed (6.1).
No player has more interceptions (20) or passes defended (53) over the last three seasons than Sherman, who is widely recognized as the top cover corner in the league. Chancellor is routinely known as the one of the NFL’s hardest-hitting safeties, while Thomas’ incredible range makes him the perfect fit in Seattle’s Cover-3 scheme. Although Maxwell doesn’t often get the acclaim of his fellow L.O.B. members, he was still a valuable piece of the secondary in 2014, with a team-best 13 passes defended and two interceptions.
The L.O.B. is also the backbone of what has become a bona fide defensive dynasty in Seattle. The Seahawks are the first defense to lead the NFL in fewest points and yards allowed in consecutive seasons since the 1985-86 Chicago Bears, and are the first team to have the league's top scoring defense in three straight seasons since the 1969-71 Minnesota Vikings.
Immovable object vs. unstoppable force
If the Seahawks and the Legion of Boom are going to cement their place in the record books, they need to slow down the high-powered Patriots offense on Sunday night.
Since their Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots have averaged a league-best 33.4 points per game and have put up at least 30 points in nine of those 14 games. In that same timespan, the Seahawks have allowed the fewest points per game (15.1) and haven't given up more than 30 points in any contest.
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