It is only fitting that today, on Halloween, I share with you the horror that was the Patriots’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Okay, fine, I’m exaggerating. It was really only the end of the day that was horrifying. The rest of the day was great. We started out with a hot breakfast at the hotel with a bunch of other Patriots fans, a little bit of NFL countdown, and a lot of layering and team gear. Then we hopped the shuttle to the light rail and headed down to the stadium!
There were Patriots fans all over the train, and even more when we got to the stadium! There isn’t a lot of tailgating due to lack of parking near the stadium, but there were fans everywhere, street vendors, and live entertainment from the very talented Seahawks band!
We explored outside the stadium a while, then decided to make our way inside the stadium to watch warm-ups. Finally, I was in the same building as Tom Brady!!!
We decided that since we were making this a once in a lifetime experience, we should experience the whole thing, including stadium food. I’m telling you, if our politicians are really so worried about inflation, they should visit a football stadium. It makes the price of gas seem rather insignificant when you pay $4.50 for a bottle of soda. (And really, at nearly $5 each, don’t you think they should let you keep the cap to your soda)? Apparently, there are magic bubbles in the Sprite and Root Beer that they sell there. So, after spending a small fortune on sodas and hot dogs, we made our way to our seats!
We had a great view, which was perfect, because it was almost time for warm ups. And that means . . .
And because you should always give credit where credit is due . . . (and because their uniforms are awesome):
It was really fun watching warm-ups and seeing what goes on before a game. Before we knew it, the stadium was full and they were singing the national anthems (yes, anthems). Oddly enough, despite the fact that there were a gazillion Patriots fans in town and the fact that we were sitting in the visitor’s section, we were completely surrounded by Seahawks fans.
After the national anthem, the announcer introduced the Seahawks starting defense. Each defensive starter was introduced individually with a shower of fireworks. It was pretty cool, although I did feel a little sorry for their offense, which was not acknowledged at all. I think that tells you everything you need to know about Seahawks fans and how they feel about their team!
And then it was time for the main event! The first play of the game . . .
At that point, we realized why our shuttle driver had suggested we bring earplugs from the hotel. I didn’t believe it could be as loud as he said, but WOW . . . it was even louder. My ears were still ringing when we got home at midnight that night. But it was worth it. The whole game experience sucked me in. It was so cool to be able to see everything happening during a play, as opposed to just what the TV cameras want you to see. It was also really interesting to see what goes on during the commercial breaks.
We learned a lot about Seahawks fans during this game as well. For starters, they are crazy. And intense. And so very loud. They are not at all attached to Russell Wilson. They hate him one second, and love him the next. Seahawks fans all know that they got beyond lucky on the blown call in the Green Bay game. They know they should have lost. I even heard a few cries of, “Bring back the replacement refs!”. And finally (and most importantly), they hate the Cowboys just as much as we do. When the score of the Ravens-Cowboys game was announced, the entire stadium roared its approval of the Ravens’ win. It just goes to show that even polar opposites can find common ground, at least as far as the Cowboys are concerned.
We saw a LOT of awesome things during the game. The first nugget of awesomeness was Wes Welker scoring a touchdown right in front of us! Witnessing a Brady-Welker TD in person made both our days. Seattle also dropped a punt, which turned into a crazy play. We had an official review controversy when Russell Wilson lost the ball and the refs ruled it a fumble (when it was clearly an incomplete pass). They reviewed it and still ruled it a fumble, which did not really please our Seahawks seatmates. Also, thanks to my dad lending me his binoculars, I was able to binocu-stalk Tom Brady all over the field! THAT was fun. The big screen also helped me out with that from time to time as well.
And for three glorious quarters, everything went swimmingly. The players and everyone in the lower levels got soaked by the rain, but we stayed warm and dry where we were sitting. Tom Brady had thrown a couple picks, but the Patriots still had a two touchdown lead, and life couldn’t get better. So of course, the Patriots’ good for nothing, heart-attack inducing defense felt the need to re-emerge and make things interesting. And things went downhill from there. The Pats’ defense made Russell Wilson look like Aaron Rodgers, the Seahawks rallied, and scored a last minute touchdown to beat the Patriots by a point. No offense to Russell Wilson, but the credit for the Seahawks win goes to the Patriots’ defense, no to him.
I will admit that it was beyond disappointing to have the Patriots collapse and lose the game like that. But I have to say, it was a REALLY exciting game. I didn’t want to watch a blowout or a snoozer, and this game went down to the very end. There was nothing boring about it, and despite the loss it was still one of the most awesome days ever. The only thing that could have possibly made the day better was a win. But on the bright side, we got to see fireworks go off when the Seahawks won, AND we both got a free short stack of pancakes at IHOP that night before we went home, thanks to the Seahawks scoring at least 23 points. So there’s that. Free food makes up for a lot of things.
Besides, the Patriots’ loss didn’t seem nearly as painful once we got on the road to head home and I checked my fantasy score, only to discover that the TBFC was losing to my HUSBAND by thirty points . . . with a 34 point game from Jordy Nelson sitting on my bench. Oy.
And THAT concludes the epic story . . . the trip of destiny, the game of a lifetime, and probably the closest to Tom Brady and the Patriots that I will ever get. Which is probably good, because if I ever get anywhere near that defense, there would definitely be some yelling. I am so glad we splurged and took this trip, because it was SO worth it. Even if the Patriots had to lose for us to get it. Next up . . . Foxborough?
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