Matt Hasselbeck Shares Warning for Seahawks About the Patriots

Former Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck sees the Super Bowl as ripe for trickery.

Feb 5, 2006; Detroit, MI, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XL at Ford Field. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images Copyright © 2006 Matthew Emmons

The first time the Seattle Seahawks made the Super Bowl was 20 years ago. That was when Mike Holmgren, Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander went all the way to Ford Field, eventually losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in controversial fashion.

The Seahawks eventually got their first ring eight years later, dominating the Denver Broncos and their all-time great offense by 35 points. The following year they came one yard short of repeating, losing to the New England Patriots in the most mortifying way imaginable.

READ MORE: Broncos star Pat Surtain predicts total blowout in Super Bowl LX

Today Seattle has a chance to avenge that infamous loss by taking down New England in the Super Bowl. Their previous experience is a useful thing to take advantage of, though. Here's a warning that Hasselbeck shared for the Seahawks on Seattle Sports radio about the Patriots.

Matt Hasselbeck's Super Bowl warning for Seahawks

Could trick plays be an x-factor in SBLX? 👀@Hasselbeck warns the #Seahawks to be on alert for the Patriots to find unique ways to move the ball against Seattle's elite defense.

(Full Interview w/@BrockHuard & @TheMikeSalk: https://t.co/5SEkM8BfLG) pic.twitter.com/Jzx5Cjj0a6

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) February 6, 2026

This is a sharp take - and something Mike Macdonald, Klint Kubiak and Jay Harbaugh all have to be wary of going into today's game.

The truth is that the Seahawks are vastly more talented than the Patriots in all three phases and outside of a major injury to Sam Darnold or same freaky bad luck with turnovers, they should win and win comfortably.

READ MORE: 8 key matchups to watch for Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl

Mike Vrabel is no fool though, and odds are he knows he's overmatched - that means he knows he has to find ways to eat into Seattle's advantage outside of the box. Trick plays are one the best ways to do that. While there's always the potential for those to go horribly wrong, the Patriots have little to lose when they're so overmatched when simply lining up.

Of course the Seahawks could flip this script on its head. While the rare trick plays they have tried in the 2025 season haven't gone very well, you can bet that Kubiak has a couple of slippery play-calls that he's been saving for a huge game like this still in his bag that we haven't seen yet.

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