The New England Patriots beat the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX for their 4th Super Bowl title. The Patriots overcame a 10-point deficit, which is surprisingly the largest deficit a team has ever come back from in any of the 49 Super Bowls.
New England quarterback Tom Brady won his 3rd Super Bowl MVP in his 4 championships. Brady broke the record for most touchdown passes in Super Bowls with 13, breaking Joe Montana’s record of 11, which he did in 4 games, with no interceptions, this was Brady’s 7th Super Bowl. Brady had 4 touchdown passes in the game, to go along with 2 interceptions. He also set a Super Bowl record with 37 completions on his 50 attempts, for 328 yards.
While the Patriot offense scoring 28 points against the best defense in the NFL was impressive, it wouldn’t have meant anything, if not for a late play made by a free agent rookie. Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass thrown by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson in the final minute, which ended the last chance for the Seahawks.
From the Patriot 1-yard line, the Seahawks attempted a slant to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, but Butler stepped in front of him, to make the final big play of the game. New England then ran out the clock to win Super Bowl XLIX. This play occurred after another miracle catch against the Patriots, by Jermaine Kearse, that put the ball at the 5-yard line.
On first down the Seahawks handed the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch, and he gained 4 yards. The interception happened on 2nd down, which immediately started the second guessing of the play call. Why wouldn’t you hand it off to Lynch again, with a time out left?
It’s a legitimate question, considering Lynch spent much of the game pushing New England defenders back for yards after contact while rushing for 102 yards. Wilson could have audibled out of the pass, but with the luck the Seahawks had in the NFC Championship Game, why would he think the play wouldn’t work for the winning touchdown?
Early in the game, Seattle was stuck in the mud, until another unlikely player, made a big play. Wide Receiver Chris Matthews, who had no catches in the regular season, hauled in a 44-yard pass from Wilson, that set-up their first touchdown, tying the game at 7. Matthews finished the game with 109 yards on only 4 catches, and a touchdown reception.
The Seahawks have already been installed as the favorite to win Super Bowl 50 next year at 5-1 odds. Notice the NFL has decided to use standard numerals rather than the Roman numerals for the first time. I guess they didn’t like the sound of Super Bowl L. Seattle is still a young team, but Wilson, Lynch and others’ are due for big raises, with their contracts expiring, and the success of the team in the last few years. It’s unclear at this time how many of their top players they will be able to keep.
Now starts the long off season before the next NFL season. It’s a sad time indeed. 6 months from now, the preseason starts. How many more Super Bowls can Brady and head coach Bill Belichick win? They will try to be the first team to repeat as champions next year, since they did it 10 years ago. Don’t bet on it though.
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