The Seattle Seahawks’ infamous loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 49 — with Malcolm Butler intercepting Russell Wilson at the goal-line in the final seconds — will go down as one of, if not the most incredible endings in Super Bowl history. It may also prove to be the most impactful moment in Seahawks history, in more ways than one.

In an appearance on the Dave Dameshek Football Program, former Seattle defensive end Cliff Avril thinks the Seahawks likely would have gone on to complete a three-peat had they been able to win their second in a row by beating the Patriots.

“Sometimes it's tough, because two is better than one, obviously,” Avril said. “You think about what could have happened — if we win that Super Bowl, I think we probably would have won another one in the two years that went by.”

But perhaps more critically, though, Avril believes that crushing loss was the tipping point for the team’s relationship with Carroll, which quickly started to sour.

“So I think guys started questioning [Carroll] more, more so than actually following his lead, if we'd won that Super Bowl,” Avril said. “The situation sucked regardless of who took the blame. It's just the fact that we were so close and we weren't able to get it, so I think a lot of guys got turned off by the message.”

Unsurprisingly, Avril references that infamous play call to pass on the goal-line — which Carroll took the fall for — played a part in the veterans on the team tuning the coach out.

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Avril’s comments reinforced the sentiments of former teammates Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett that Carroll had basically lost the locker room. That’s likely why the team decided to make significant changes this offseason to help clear the air.

Obviously, no one knows for sure whether the Seahawks actually would have gone on to establish a dynasty had it not been for that improbable defeat as Avril presumes. But it’s now clear for all to see how significant that moment was for the Seahawks' relationship with Carroll as they’re having to deal with the negative effects of that crushing defeat.