Patriots rookie Malcolm Butler made his name a global #trendingtopic thanks to his game-saving interception in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. The Super Bowl saw the Seahawks opting to throw the ball after an improbable, juggling miracle-catch by Jermaine Kearse.
But with the Butler interception, the Patriots sealed their 28-24 victory over the Seahawks in Glendale, Arizona.
“I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true,” said Butler, 24.
MVP honours went to Pats QB Tom Brady, who said after the victory: “This has been a long journey. I’ve been at it for 15 years. This one came down to the end and this time, we made the plays.”
The Pats won the Super Bowl in 2005 and 2004 and 2002, but lost in Super Bowl battles versus the Giants in 2008 and 2012.
As we learned from CBS, 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.
The Patriots set the offensive tone with an aggressive pass-heavy strategy that quickly overcame the Seahawks for the majority of the game. But when Wilson started going deep to receivers for yards-gobbling catches, the Seahawks came back to tie the Super Bowl at 14-14 at the half.
Thanks to a strong drive, the Seahawks made it to the goal-line in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. And so they decided to pass at the one-yard line. But don’t they have one of the top RBs in the NFL? And why wouldn’t Marshawn Lynch get the ball to try to punch it in? If Lynch doesn’t cross the goal-line, then opt for a pass. Choosing a pass play proved disastrous for the Seahawks…as Butler snagged the throw in a hard slant Wilson thought would be an easy TD.
The SF Gate writes: the Seahawks blew it with what will go down as one of the worst calls in history.
It was a terrible call, no matter how you look at it. OK, the Pats were expecting a run so Wilson throwing would throw off the D, right? Sure, but the Pats D is too sharp on interceptions and deflections, do you really want to risk it? Lynch is too strong of a RB to ignore. He’s been breaking tackles all season, all Super Bowl, so why neglect your MVP during such a clutch moment?
The Seahawks had the Super Bowl in their crosshairs. But a misguided decision by the Seattle’s offensive coordinators gave the Patriots the gift of a Super Bowl. No matter which squad you support, at least we got one heckuva Super Bowl we’ll remember long after the confetti storm.
