Malcolm Butler of the Patriots makes the game-winning interception with under 30 seconds left in New England’s 28-24 win over Seattle in Super Bowl 49. (Getty)
Final Score
Seahawks 0-14-10-0 — 24
Patriots 0-14-0-14 — 28
Unbelievable.
Game MVP Tom Brady threw 4 touchdown passes and Malcolm Butler intercepted a Russell Wilson pass at the goal line with under 30 seconds to play and the New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl in 10 years with a dramatic, come-from-behind 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday night.
Brady hit Julian Edelman with a 4-yard strike with just over 2 minutes remaining to put the Patriots ahead. The Seahawks got one last shot, but Butler, an undrafted rookie, came up with the biggest play of his short career.
New England rallied from a 24-14 4th quarter deficit to win its first Super Bowl since beating the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2005 game.
The Patriots had been to the Big Game twice since their last win, but lost to the New York Giants both times. This was Brady and Bill Belichick’s 4th title.
The Seahawks were looking to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champs since the Pats did it in 2004 and ’05.
Get the complete stats and boxscore here.
Jeremy Lane Intercepted Tom Brady at The Seahawks’ Goal Line to End a Patriots Drive
Jeremy Lane intercepted Brady at the goal line on a 3rd and 6 play from the Seattle 10.
New England’s second drive began at its own 32 and the Pats used a 13-play, 7:41 drive to go down the field. But Brady threw a shaky pass under some pressure and Lane picked it off, returning it to the 14-yard line. Lane injured his left wrist on the return and his return was doubtful. He was taken to the locker room for x-rays. Tharold Simon replaced Lane as the nickel back.
Brady was 6-for-6 for 39 yards on the drive before the INT.
The first quarter ended with no score. New England had 75 total yards and Seattle just 13.
Tom Brady Threw a Touchdown Pass to Brandon LaFell For a 7-0 Lead
Brady hit Brandon LaFell for an 11-yard touchdown to give New England a 7-0 lead with just under 10 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
LaFell beat Simon, who came into the game replace Lane, who hurt his wrist while returning his interception of Brady in the 1st quarter.
Brady connected with Julian Edelman for 23 yards on a 3rd and 9 play to get into the Seahawks’ red zone and keep the drive alive.
The drive covered 65 yards in 9 plays and 4:10. Brady completed 5 of 7 passes for 63 yards.
Marshawn Lynch Ran For a Touchdown to Tie The Game 7-7
Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch scored on a 3-yard touchdown run tie the game 7-7 with a little over 2 minutes left in the half.
Chris Matthews made a twisting 44-yard catch on a Russell Wilson pass to set up the score. It was Matthews’ first catch of the season.
The drive covered 70 yards in 4:51.
The Seahawks had 3 possessions and had to punt 3 times before the score.
Wilson didn’t complete his first pass until there was 5:36 left in the 2nd quarter.
Rob Gronkowski Caught a Touchdown to Give The Patriots The 14-7 Lead
Rob Gronkowski caught a 22-yard touchdown from Brady to give New England a 14-7 lead with 31 seconds left in the half.
Gronk beat linebacker K.J. Wright down the right sideline.
The 9-play, 80 yard drive covered 1:45. Brady was 5-for-6 for 59 yards.
He finished the half 20-for-27 with 177 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
On the play, Brady tied Joe Montana for the most career TD passes in Super Bowl history with 11.
Chris Matthews Caught a TD Just Before The Half to Tie The Game
Wilson threw a back shoulder touchdown pass to Matthews for an 11-yard score and Seattle tied the game at 14 with 2 seconds left in the half.
The 6-foot-5 Matthews made his second big catch of the night after not making a single grab in his career. The first was a 44-yarder to set up the Seahawks’ first TD.
The 80-yard drive took just 5 plays and 29 seconds. Wilson had a 17 rush then hit Ricardo Lockette on a 21-yard pass. On that play, Kyle Arrington was called for a face mask, giving Seattle the ball at the New England 11 with 6 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Pete Carroll gambled and bypassed the field goal to get one more play in. It worked.
After not completing a pass until a little over 5 minutes left in the half, Wilson finished 4 of 7 for 84 yards and the score.
Steven Hauschka’s Field Goal Gave Seattle Its First Lead
Steven Hauschka’s 27 yard field goal gave the Seahawks a 17-14 lead 4 minutes into the 3rd quarter.
Matthews made another huge catch, a 45-yard reception down the left sideline on a pass from Wilson.
Marshawn Lynch ran for 25 yards on 4 carries on the 72-yard drive.
Bobby Wagner Intercepted Tom Brady After Seattle Took The Lead
After taking the lead, Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner intercepted Brady on the Patriots’ ensuing possession.
It was Brady’s second INT of the game. Wagner jumped in front of Gronkowski over the middle of the field for the pick.
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was called for a penalty on the return. Seattle took over at midfield.
Russell Wilson Threw a Touchdown to Doug Baldwin For a 24-14 Seattle Lead
After Wagner’s interception of Brady, Wilson found Doug Baldwin all alone in the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown and a 24-14 Seattle lead with just under 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
The 50-yard drive was highlighted by a 15-yard Wilson scramble and a 14-yard Lynch rumble.
The Seahawks were flagged for an excessive celebration penalty on the TD.
Here’s another look at the TD. It looks like Baldwin used a referee to set a pick on Darrelle Revis.
Danny Amendola Caught a Touchdown Pass From Tom Brady to Cut Seattle’s Lead
Brady connected with Danny Amendola on a 4-yard scoring pass to cut Seattle’s lead to 24-21 with 8 minutes left in the game.
Brady hit Julian Edelman twice on the drive for 21 yards on 3rd down plays. The first was on a 3rd and 14 play and the second time Edelman got to the Seattle 4-yard line on a 3rd and 8.
Brady’s 3rd TD pass of the game gave him 12 in his Super Bowl career, 1 more than Joe Montana for most all-time.
The Patriots’ defense then forced a 3 and out on the Seahawks’ next possession.
Tom Brady’s 4th Touchdown Pass Gave The Patriots a 28-24 Lead Late in The Game
Edelman caught Brady’s 4th touchdown pass, a 3-yarder, to give New England a 28-24 lead with 2:06 left in the game.
Brady was 8-for-8 for 65 yards on the drive.
Malcolm Butler Intercepted Russell Wilson at The Goal Line With 20 Seconds Left
Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson at the goal line with 20 seconds remaining in the game to seal the 28-24 victory for New England.
Down 28-24, Seattle had another shot with just over 2 minutes remaining. Wilson completed a 31-yard pass to Lynch to get the Seahawks to midfield.
Then a few plays later it appeared Seattle was on its way to another magical ending, just like in the NFC Championship victory over Green Bay.
Jermaine Kearse made an amazing grab on his back to get the ball inside the New England 10. Then a Lynch run got the ball to the New England 1. But then Butler stepped in front of Wilson’s pass for the biggest play of his life.
MVP Tom Brady Threw For 4 TDs & 328 Yards
(Getty)
Brady threw for 4 touchdowns and 328 yards on 37 of 50 passing. He also threw 2 interceptions. The 37 completions set a Super Bowl record and his 3rd MVP honor is tied with Joe Montana for most all-time. Brady joined Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with 4 Super Bowl wins.
Edelman caught 9 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, Gronkowski had 6 grabs for 68 yards and a score and Shane Vereen made 11 receptions.
Wilson completed just 12 of 21 passes for 247 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.
Matthews led the way with 4 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown and Lynch ran for 102 yards and a score on 24 carries.
Preview: The Seahawks & Patriots Are Set to Clash in Super Bowl 49
The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots have been in this situation before.
The Patriots are making their 6th Super Bowl appearance in the Tom Brady–Bill Belichick Era.
Pete Carroll‘s Seahawks crushed Denver 43-8 in last year’s Big Game and back-to-back championships would get the “dynasty” talk started.
We’ll find out who the best is when Super Bowl XLIX kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Sunday. The game will be televised by NBC.
The Seahawks bring the NFL’s No. 1 defense into the game. And with perennial MVP candidate Brady under center for New England, we don’t need to tell how potent the Pats’ offense is.
You can’t ask for much more than that.
Click here to check out all of Heavy’s Super Bowl coverage.
