The Seattle Seahawks have had 12 10-win seasons since their first season in 1976. Ten of those seasons have come in the last 20 years. So, it's safe to say that the Seahawks have had their fair share of success in the 21st century. With that success comes quite a few quality teams.
However, only one team in Seahawks history has done the one thing to separate themselves from others: win a championship.
The 2013 Seahawks would dominate the Denver Broncos in the big game to claim the franchise's first and only Super Bowl. This accomplishment puts them ahead of any other Seahawks team.
On offense, Seattle was led by former third-round pick Russell Wilson. The young quarterback out of Wisconsin was only in his second season but Wilson showed the NFL in 2013 that he was a future star.
That season, Wilson completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Wilson also added 531 yards rushing as well as four game-winning drives and three fourth-quarter comebacks that season.
As far as weapons for Wilson to throw to, the pair of Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin operated as the team's main receiving duo as they combined for 1,676 yards and 10 touchdowns. Additionally, tight end Zach Miller and wideout Jermaine Kearse also made an impact.
Still in the prime of his career, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was his usual dominant self in 2013 as Beastmode rushed for 1,257 yards and 12 TDs while catching 36 passes for 316 yards and two additional touchdowns.
Overall, the Seahawks offense ranked eighth in the league in scoring offense (26.1 points per game), fourth in rushing yards and third in fewest interceptions thrown to make for a tough and efficient offensive machine.
However, the real bread and butter of the 2013 Seahawks came on the defensive side of the ball where the team trotted out one of the most dominant defenses we have seen in the last decade.
The self-proclaimed Legion of Boom was led by stars like Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman.
The Seahawks defense had elite players at every level and could simply overpower opposing offenses.
On the defensive line, the Seahawks ranked in the top 10 in terms of sack production led by 8.5 sacks from Bennett, 8.0 from Avril and 5.5 from defensive tackle Clinton McDonald.
At linebacker, the team employed the deadly trio of Wagner, K.J. Wright and Bruce Irvin. Wagner in particular was incredible in 2013 as he recorded 120 tackles, five sacks, seven passes defended and two interceptions while being named a First-Team All-Pro
However, perhaps the most intimidating part of the 2013 Seattle defense was the secondary led by Richard Sherman. Alongside Sherman, the team had another First-Team All-Pro selection in Thomas as well as a Pro Bowler in Chancellor.
The team's cornerbacks, Sherman and Byron Maxwell, were elite, but the safety duo of Thomas and Chancellor combined to make one of the most fearsome secondaries in football history.
Overall, the Seahawks had the best defense in all of football and surrendered just 14.4 points a contest. The team also ranked first in turnovers forced, passing yards allowed and rushing touchdowns allowed.
A young, up and coming offense combined with a defense that had elite playmakers at every position helped guide the Seahawks to a 13-win regular season where they joined the 2005 team as the only two squads to have a margin of victory over 10 points (11.6).
While the team did have two close games in the first two rounds of the playoffs, their 43-8 pounding over Peyton Manning and the high-powered offense of the Denver Broncos make the '13 Seahawks team not only the best in franchise history but one of the best we have seen in the 21st century.
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