The Patriots certainly know how to make things interesting. The Pats have been to six Superbowls since 2000, and never has the game been decided by more than four points. This year was not unusual for the Patriots as they completed the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Superbowl history to take the 28-24 victory over the Seahawks.
The game opened with the teams cautiously feeling the aura of the game, with the first quarter yielding no scoring from either side. The Pats had threatened in the first quarter, only to be intercepted by Jeremy Lane on the goal line, who then suffered a gruesome wrist injury on the interception return. Tom Brady and the Patriots opened up the scoring with a passing touchdown to Brandon Lafell in the beginning of the second quarter.
The Hawks were able to answer with their own long drive – capitalized by a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run, exciting Whitman campus with an audible roar. Chris Matthews, who was working at Footlocker only three weeks ago, was able to answer the Pats second touchdown with a back-shoulder fade as the first half ended in a 14-14 draw.
The third quarter was all Hawks as Russell Wilson found Doug Baldwin for a touchdown, followed by a Steven Haushka field goal giving the Hawks a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Patriots looked to be on their heels against the Seahawks’ onslaught, but the fourth quarter would prove to be the deciding segment.
After regaining control of the ball, Tom Brady found Danny Amendola for a touchdown with about eight minutes left. Brady would finish the game off with another score to Julian Edelman just before the two-minute warning.
The path looked daunting for the Seahawks until an incredible bobbling catch by Jermain Kearse let the Hawks down to the New England seven. The catch looked to be the most recent chapter of Patriots being beaten by an iconic catch on the final drive of a Superbowl.
The Seahawks then drove down to the goal line with 30 seconds in the game. Instead of running with Marshawn again, the Hawks tried a slant route to Ricardo Lockette, which was intercepted and returned to the two yard line. A personal foul on Bruce Irvin after a kneel down brought the ball out to the seventeen and the game to an end.
The play call has been the subject of much scrutiny in the short time since the game, but with one timeout and second and goal, along with Wilson playing a relatively conservative game up to that point, the call made sense. Several parts of the execution were off; the ball was too high, the pick too short and the read done before the snap not comprehensive enough. However, it has to be said that the play by Malcolm Butler was one of the best of the game.
Tom Brady was awarded the Superbowl MVP award and his fourth Superbowl. He also set numerous career Superbowl records during the game. Bill Belicheck and Tom Brady now go down as the most victorious Coach/QB duo in the history of the NFL.
