Twelfth Man? More like Millionth Man.
Hundreds of thousands of Seattle Seahawks fans were at Lumen Field and lined downtown streets Wednesday morning to celebrate their Super Bowl LX champions.
RELATED: Seahawks dominate Patriots in 29-13 Super Bowl win
The Seahawks crushed the New England Patriots in Sunday’s big game, never losing the lead and finally winning 29-13. Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense made the win seem inevitable early on; the Seahawks led 12-0 at the end of the third quarter — all thanks to four field goals kicked by Jason Myers — and that gap widened to 19 before the Patriots even got on the board.
The decisive win was retribution for the Seahawks, who lost to the Patriots in the 2015 Super Bowl after a heartbreaking interception at the goal line that led to a New England victory 28-24.
That was firmly in the past Wednesday.
“The Seahawks, they’ve broken our hearts many times,” said lifelong fan Andres Munoz as he waited for the parade to begin. “It was literally the perfect way to bring home this win, to get our revenge on the Patriots where the 49ers play.”
Munoz was referring to the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle’s biggest rival. This year’s Super Bowl was played at Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers.
Seattle expected anywhere from 750,000 to a million fans to turn out along 4th Avenue. Blue-and-green-clad spectators started lining the streets hours before the festivities officially kicked off . It was a clear but chilly morning. Fans were bundled in their gear and got the party started early with music to stay warm.
Anyone still looking to join the celebration, or simply to navigate the downtown area, should expect street closures and heavy traffic between Lumen Field and the Seattle Center until at least 1:30 p.m. City officials urged attendees to use public transit, walk, or bike.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.