The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks aren’t strangers to matching up in the Super Bowl. It’s been 11 years, but many fans remember this game like it was yesterday. Delivering one of the most memorable Super Bowl endings in NFL history, these two teams didn’t disappoint in 2015. Ahead of tonight’s clash, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane back to the legendary Super Bowl 49.
What Happened During Super Bowl 49?
Instant classic is the only way to describe this one. The moment that sticks out is the Malcolm Butler interception on the goal line to seal the game with under a minute to go. The decision to pass remains one of the more puzzling play calls in Super Bowl history, but the Patriots won’t care. But there were plenty of ridiculous moments beyond the jaw-dropping interception.
First Half
It was a quiet start to the game as the Patriots and Seahawks remained deadlocked at zero after the first quarter. The Patriots threatened, but Seahawks corner Jeremy Lane popped up with a huge interception on Tom Brady in the red zone to keep New England off the board.
In the second quarter, the pace picked up, and it took off. The Patriots got the scoring going with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brady to WR Brandon LaFell. Then, the defenses stepped up, until they didn’t.
To close the half, the Seahawks and Patriots went back-and-forth with three touchdown drives. Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch pounded his way into the end zone to tie the score. You could probably guess who scored for the Patriots. It was Rob Gronkowski and Brady combining for a score. An 11-yard pass from Russell Wilson found WR Chris Matthews with two seconds in the half to even it back up at 14 entering halftime.
Matthews had a huge game for the Seahawks. He led the team with 4 catches, 109 receiving yards, and a touchdown.
Second Half
Halftime is longer in the Super Bowl with the halftime show. Teams entering the half on a roll won’t want a long halftime break, as they could lose momentum. But Seattle wasn’t affected. The Seahawks began the second half how they finished the first. A quick field goal, Brady’s second interception, and a Doug Baldwin 3-yard touchdown catch put the Seahawks up 24-14.
The fourth quarter belongs to Brady. If you need a fourth-quarter score, call upon Brady. That’s what New England did. He led a nine-play, 68-yard scoring drive capped off by a Danny Amendola 4-yard touchdown catch to bring it to 24-21 in Seattle’s favor. The Seahawks defense was the best in the league, but one of the best to ever do it had their number in crunch time.
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The Patriots got a stop and gave the ball to Brady with about seven minutes to go. He went to work, going to his go-to guys, Gronk and Julian Edelman. Edelman had nine catches for 109 yards. With just over two minutes to go, Brady added his fourth touchdown pass of the game with a 3-yard pass to Edelman as the Patriots took a 28-24 lead.
It was now or never for Seattle. Taking a page out of New England’s book, they put the ball in the hands of their stars. Marshawn Lynch kicked off the drive with a 31-yard reception to put Seattle into New England territory.
On first down, on the Patriots’ 38-yard line, Russell Wilson threw a ball down the right sideline to WR Jermaine Kearse. The pass was battled by Butler, but before it hit the ground, Kearse juggled it to himself to complete one of the craziest catches in Super Bowl history. Patriots CB Duron Harmon was alert and made sure to push Kearse out of bounds, which proved to be a massive play.
With five yards to go, it seemed like destiny that Seattle would find the end zone to win the Super Bowl. But the Patriots defense held strong. Lynch was tackled one yard short on 1st-and-goal. Then, the rest is history. What seemed like a simple call, give Beast Mode the ball, became an infamous interception.
Wilson took the snap and fired the ball over the middle to WR Ricardo Lockette. Butler jumped the route to seal the game with the interception. The Patriots’ sideline erupted as Brady went ballistic as New England was going to win another Super Bowl after pulling itself out of the jaws of defeat.
Fans will be hoping that Super Bowl 60 will be a classic, quite like Super Bowl 49. Who will be this year’s Malcolm Butler? No one knows yet, as only time will tell for New England and Seattle.
