Dominant 2013 Seahawks ranked among best Super Bowl champs since 2000

Truth is, we were overdue for a blowout in the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles blasted the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22 about a week ago, notching the first truly lopsided final score since Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs got whooped by Tom Brady's Buccaneers four years ago. That matchup was the only real blowout we've seen since the Seattle Seahawks dismantled Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos by a score of 43-8.

The story of that game is well-known to Seattle fans - from the Legion of Boom hacking the Broncos' code on offense to the wildly inaccurate first snap of the game that set the tone for the beatdown that was to follow. While Denver had arguably the greatest offense of all time, nobody was stopping the Seahawks defense that day.

In fact, that 2013 team was one of the greatest of all time. Their 35-point win in the Super Bowl has earned them a top-five ranking among the best champions of the last 25 years. Bryan DeArdo at CBS Sports has them ranked fourth.

nfl — Feb 2, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Super Bowl XLVIII ring to commemorate the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Feb. 2, 2014. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CBS Sports on 2013 Seahawks

"Similar to the Eagles' recent Super Bowl win, not many expected the Seahawks to blow the doors off the Broncos and their record-setting offense. But that's what happened, as Seattle's "Legion of Boom" defense actually outscored Peyton Manning and the rest of Denver's offense that night. Seattle's top-ranked defense was supported by the NFL's eighth-ranked scoring offense, led by Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch."

Only the 2016 Patriots, 2019 Chiefs and this year's Eagles team were ranked ahead of the Seahawks.

We would very much like to see how that peak LOB defense would have handled the gigantic Eagles' offensive line and Saquon Barkley. There's a decent chance that Philly's pass rush would have crushed Seattle up front and have Russell Wilson running for his life, though. We'll never know for sure, but we'll take that 2013 Seahawks team against any since the '85 Bears.

CBS Sports on 2013 Seahawks

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