Super Bowl Sunday: Revisiting Where the Padres Were the Last Time the Patriots and Seahawks Met in the Big Game

It’s officially Super Bowl Sunday. The biggest event in sports is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. PT with an electric matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will also headline what should be a modern, exciting halftime performance.

This isn’t the first time in the past 12 years that the Patriots and Seahawks have played in the big game, as this matchup is a rematch of the 2015 Super Bowl. With everyone turning back the clock to revisit that historic game, let’s take a look at what the Padres were up to the last time the Patriots and Seahawks met on football’s biggest stage.

To start, it wasn’t pretty. The Padres had just concluded a frustrating 2014 campaign that ended with 77 wins and a third-place finish in the National League West. It’s actually impressive that manager Bud Black was able to muster more than 75 wins, as this group featured very little high-end talent.

The offense was led by just three players with an OPS+ over 100: catchers Rene Rivera and Yasmani Grandal - both of whom had fewer than 450 plate appearances - and outfielder Seth Smith, who posted a solid .807 OPS. Grandal led the team with 15 home runs and was one of just four players to reach double-digit homers that season.

Despite a poor offense, the pitching staff was borderline playoff-caliber. Ian Kennedy and Tyson Ross led the way with 13 wins each and ERAs of 3.63 and 2.81, respectively. Andrew Cashner and Jesse Hahn were also respectable, posting ERAs of 2.55 and 3.07, but neither made more than 20 starts. The rest of the rotation was questionable at best.

The bullpen showed promise but, like the rotation, lacked the depth and health needed to compete over a 162-game season. Houston Street had arguably the best year of his career, recording 24 saves and a 1.09 ERA, but he appeared in just 33 games. Beyond Street, relievers Dale Thayer, Kevin Quackenbush and Joaquin Benoit each threw at least 50 innings with an ERA below 2.50.

Current general manager A.J. Preller was hired that August and had his first full offseason during the 2014-15 winter, when he made several aggressive moves that should've turned the Padres into a playoff team.

He completely reconstructed the offense, adding Matt Kemp, Will Myers, B.J. Upton and Justin Upton - all of whom finished with an OPS+ over 100. Justin played particularly well, making an All-Star team and hitting 26 home runs.

Despite a revitalized offense, the pitching staff couldn’t maintain its production. The group was finally healthy, featuring five starters with more than 30 appearances, but the performance decline was real. Three of those arms, including Kennedy, finished with a negative WAR, and nobody posted an ERA below 3.00.

The bullpen also regressed slightly. Street was replaced by future Hall of Famer Craig Kimbrel, who spent just one season in San Diego but performed well, recording 39 saves with a 2.58 ERA. Benoit continued to dominate as well, posting a 2.34 ERA and establishing himself as one of the league’s best setup men.

Still, there was little health or continuity beyond those two. Black was fired 65 games into the season after a 32-33 start and replaced by current Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who struggled to overcome the slow beginning, leading the team to a 42-54 finish the rest of the way.

It would take the Padres five more seasons after 2014 to make their next postseason appearance, but eventually better days arrived. Hopefully, new ownership can take over and continue the Padres’ relevance as one of the best up and coming franchises in sports.