Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander isn’t holding the referees accountable for his team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL. He is certain that Seattle would have prevailed if they had rolled the football out one more. every other instance.

In an interview with Big Al & JoJo on KOA Sports Radio, Alexander discussed Super Bowl 40 and said the Steelers were lucky to face the Seahawks on their worst day.

Alexander told the show, “We probably would have lost one if we had played the Steelers 100 times.” And it was the right one that evening. We understood that if we accomplished these three things, we wouldn’t be able to play with them. Avoid giving up the ball, committing offensive penalties, and allowing them to make any major plays. A 50-yard reverse throw for a score and an 80-yard run at the start of the third quarter would result from going in reverse order. That they wouldn’t be able to drive was known.

And then, just as we were about to drive in and take the lead in the fourth quarter, we threw an interception down there. Additionally, we committed more penalties in that game than in any other that year.

The fantastic season the Seahawks had is something that is frequently overlooked. They won 11 games in a row until the regular season finale, rested their starters in the middle of the game, and cruised to a 13-3 regular season record. With few weaknesses in their squad, Seattle had the top ten defense and the best offensive in the league at the end of the season. As the sixth-seeded team in the AFC, Pittsburgh Barley made it to the playoffs and heated up just in time for their historic postseason run.

But the Seahawks fell apart in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh used big plays to score in chunks. Alexander referenced Hines Ward’s touchdown off WR Antwaan Randle El’s pass and RB Willie Parker’s record-setting run, a 75-yard gallop up the middle to begin the second half.

QB Matt Hasselbeck was picked by CB Ike Taylor as the Seahawks advanced into the red zone with a 14-10 deficit, despite Seattle winning the turnover battle 2-1. After that play, Randle El struck Ward a few plays later, turning the tide and setting up the final score of 21–10. In addition, Seattle had seven expensive penalties as opposed to Pittsburgh’s three. The Seahawks had to settle for a field goal after two penalties erased a touchdown to wide receiver Darrell Jackson and a third down gain, respectively.

Seattle fans have questioned calls made by the officials that day but Alexander isn’t using the refs as the primary excused. He’s pointing the finger at his own team.

“You want to be like, ‘Aw, come on refs,’ on the one hand. However, we didn’t bring it home since we played through the referees and still had a chance. That was the game’s misery. Even after fifteen years, you may still recall it.

Although Alexander accepts responsibility, he doesn’t give Pittsburgh much credit. The Seahawks were sure they would defeat the Steelers, who were ranked lower, going into the game. Rather, Pittsburgh has demonstrated that it’s not only about having a fantastic season but also about heating up just in time. The Steelers discovered huge plays, improved their defense, and developed their running game—all ingredients for a thumbs-up victory.

Perhaps Alexander is correct. Had Seattle won the remaining 99, perhaps. However, the game that is played is the only one that counts, and Pittsburgh raised the trophy when the timer went off.