Ten years removed from their last Super Bowl win, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick wasn’t letting this one get away.
In the final minute of Super Bowl XLIX The New England Patriots (15-4) escaped Seattle Seahawks (14-5) 28-24 during Seattle’s last drive when Jermaine Kearse hauled in an acrobatic catch that brought Seattle within yards of winning their second consecutive Super Bowl.
Undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler intercepted a Russell Wilson pass intended for Ricardo Lockette and completed one of the craziest plays in Super Bowl history. Butler’s interception brought Brady and Belichick their fourth Super Bowl win in the Brady-Belichick era.
“It wasn’t the way we drew it up,“ Brady told ESPN, who won his third Super Bowl MVP award. “It was a lot of mental toughness. Our team has had it all year. We never doubted each other, so that’s what it took. Malcolm, what a play, I mean, for a rookie to make a play like that in a Super Bowl and win us the game, it was unbelievable.”
Brady surpassed Joe Montana’s mark of 11 Super Bowl touchdown passes with a 4-yarder to Danny Admendola to bring the Patriots within three points.
Brady has equaled Montana with four Lombardi Trophies and three Super Bowls MVPs. He stands alone with 13 Super Bowl touchdown passes. He was 37 for 50 for 328 yards against the NFL’s top ranked defense.
“He’s Tom Brady,” Julian Edelman told ESPN, “He’s the greatest quarterback on the planet.”
Seattle, who sought to become the first repeat NFL champion since New England a decade ago, was outplayed for the first half, yet tied at 14. The Seahawks scored the only 10 points of the third period, but the NFL’s leading defense couldn’t slow the brilliant Brady when it counted most.
Before halftime Seattle offense turned dangerous in a span of 29 seconds, covering 80 yards in five plays, including a late gamble. Lockette caught a 23-yard pass and Kyle Arrington was flagged for a face mask, putting Seattle at the 10 with :06 remaining. Pete Carroll went for it and the Seahawks star, Chris Matthews, grabbed Wilson’s pass in the left corner of the end zone to tie game at 14.
Seattle stormed to a 24-14 lead in the third quarter on Steven Haushika’s 27-yard field goal and Doug Baldwin’s 3-yard TD reception. New England was stumbling until Brady once again stepped up to get the win.