National Football League

Fans in Seattle reeling after "heartbreaking" loss

Published Feb. 1, 2015 11:36 p.m. ET

foxsports

SEATTLE (AP) People in Seattle poised to celebrate a second straight Super Bowl win by the Seahawks were instead left stunned.

''I'm sad,'' said Rebe Wolverton, who was part of a crowd watching Sunday's game on large screen televisions outside a restaurant near Century Link Field.

A late interception preserved New England's 28-24 victory.

''This hurts,'' said Wolverton, who was wearing a Seahawks winter cap and holding a bag of Skittles, the favorite candy of the team's running back, Marshawn Lynch.

Moments before the turnover Seattleites were certain their team would score with a run from the 1-yard-line. The boisterous crowd in the Pioneer Square neighborhood near where the Seahawks play home games was instead left shocked.

In the city's University District police officers kept watch on a crowd of dozens of fans, some waving ''12th Man'' flags.

In north Seattle, 46-year-old George Bunting was mystified that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll would make the ''wrong decision'' and decide to throw instead of having Lynch take the ball.

''This is a major upset. He should've just used the man,'' Bunting said, referring to Lynch.

Emily Simpson and Steven Baily were already for another celebration.

''This is heartbreaking,'' the 25-year-old Simpson said. ''I didn't hear any fire arms or fireworks or anything. But it's just a game.''

Baily called the Seahawks play calling ''just insane.''

''I was hoping they were going to just fall into the goal. That's all that needed to happen,'' said Baily, 23.

---

AP photographer Ted Warren contributed to this report.