The Seahawks’ first Super Bowl championship was made possible by a nail-biting comeback victory in the NFC Championship game in January 2014. Playing at home, Seattle went down 10-0 to the 49ers and trailed, 17-10, in the third quarter. In the fourth, down 17-13, big plays from Seattle’s top-ranked defense and its quarterback, Russell Wilson, made the difference: Wilson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse for a 20-17 lead. The Seahawks forced a fumble and an interception, kicked a field goal, and led 23-17. But with just a few minutes left, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who rushed for 130 yards and threw for another 153, led the 49ers on a long drive and had a chance to win the game. With 30 seconds left at the Seattle 18, Kaepernick threw a pass intended for Michael Crabtree in the end zone. But Richard Sherman tipped the ball with his left hand, linebacker Malcolm Smith intercepted it, and the Seahawks clinched the game and went on to blow out Denver in Super Bowl 50.