One final loss, another season finished. A heartbreaking, emotional defeat at a time when we felt like we could conquer the world. We were going all the way, carried on the shoulders of DangeRuss, Beast Mode, and the Legion of Boom. We were the team of destiny (thank you Brian Billick). Those dreams were shattered in just 31 seconds.

This loss was different though. This loss didn’t leave us feeling crushed like so many others have. This season has been filled with hope. Over and over again our faith in this team has been rewarded. Our hopes were consistently fulfilled. We stole a win right out of Green Bay’s and M.D. Jennings’ hands. Down 13, we rallied against the Patriots and won. We won in overtime on the road in Chicago. We outscored our next three opponents 150-30. We finished the season with five straight wins. We were undefeated in our house. On the road, in the playoffs, we rallied back against the Redskins and won. We overcame a 20 point deficit to take the lead with 31 seconds to go in Atlanta. It was here where we fell short. Here, our hopes let us down.

Yet we walk away from our defeat and cannot help but continue to feel hopeful. It’s a strange feeling to have hope in a sports team from Seattle. As if we’re hesitant to reach out and grab it for fear of it being pulled right out from our fingers. It feels a little uncomfortable to be so hopeful after such a devastating loss. Perhaps that unsettling feeling is a product of our culture. A culture that tells us, “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” Author John Tunis once wrote, “Losing is the great American sin.” Why celebrate when our team has lost? Because losing allows us to look, ever upward. Because losing is the greatest teacher. Because we are still hopeful, carried on the shoulders of DangeRuss, Beast Mode, and the Legion of Boom, carried on the wings of Hawks.