Patriots slip by Seahawks
Interception in closing seconds seals Super Bowl victory. —
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tom Brady and the Patriots made this Super Bowl all about football, not footballs.
Clutch football, spiced by a fourth-quarter rally from a 10-point deficit and a goalline, game-saving interception.
Brady threw for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder to Julian Edelman with 2:02 remaining Sunday night as New England rallied then held on to win its fourth Super Bowl in the Brady-Bill Belichick era, 28-24 over Seattle.
But the Patriots (15-4) had to survive a last-ditch drive by the Seahawks (14-5), who got to the 1, helped by a juggling catch by Jermaine Kearse, who managed to control the ball while on his back.
Rookie Malcolm Butler stepped in front of Ricardo Lockette and intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass to complete one of the Super Bowl’s most exciting finishes.
Brady leaped for joy on the Patriots sideline after Butler’s interception.
“It wasn’t the way we drew it up,” said Brady, who won his third Super Bowl MVP award.
Brady surpassed Joe Montana’s mark of 11 Super Bowl touchdown passes with a 5-yarder to Danny Amendola to bring the Patriots within three points.
Seattle, seeking to become the first repeat NFL champion since New England a decade ago, was outplayed for the first half, yet tied at 14-14. The Seahawks went up 24-14 in the third quarter, but the NFL-leading defense couldn’t slow Brady when it counted most.
But Seattle didn’t quit after New England regained the lead at the 2-minute mark, and Kearse’s 33-yard catch with 1:06 remaining got it to the 5. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 4 yards, then backup cornerback Butler, who guarding Kearse on his highlight-reel reception, made the biggest play of his first NFL season with 20 seconds remaining.
“I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true,” said Butler, an undrafted rookie from West Alabama. “I’m just blessed. I can’t explain it right now. It’s crazy.”
Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin was ejected in the final seconds for instigating a near-brawl, delaying the celebration for the Patriots.
Soon they were mobbing one another on the same field where their 2007 unbeaten season was ruined by the Giants. They also fell to the Giants for the 2011 title.
But thanks to Brady, the superstar, and Butler, a virtual unknown, they are champions again.
Brady has equaled Montana with four Lombardi Trophies and three Super Bowl MVPs. He had 13 Super Bowl touchdown passes, the most of any quarterback He was 37 for 50 for 328 yards against the NFL’s top-ranked defense.
He also was intercepted twice, the same number of times as he had been in his previous five Super Bowls.
Yet, he picked apart the Seahawks on drives of 68 and 64 yards, solidifying his reputation as one of the greats of the game.
His feats offset those of Chris Matthews, one of Seattle’s least-used players before the postseason. Matthews recovered the onside kick that helped the Seahawks beat Green Bay in overtime for the NFC crown, and had a breakout performance Sunday.
Having never caught a pass in the NFL, Matthews grabbed four for 109 yards and a touchdown. Lynch ran for 102 yards, but didn’t get the ball at the 1 on the decisive play — a decision the Seahawks will regret.