Super Bowl hot reads: Snap reactions to the Patriots' win over the Seahawks
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Snap reactions from the New England Patriots' 28-24 triumph over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX:
— Let's ease the hyperbole on what some are dubbing the dumbest play call in Super Bowl history. No doubt, spreading out and throwing on the 1-yard line with Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch on your roster is a strange move. An indefensible one in hindsight, which coach Pete Carroll says is on him. But the onus is still on QB Russell Wilson to make the right decision with the football, WR Ricardo Lockette to finish his route and undrafted Patriots rookie CB Malcolm Butler to make one hell of an interception. It was the perfect storm and a disastrous result for the Seahawks, who – not unlike the Packers in the NFC title game two weeks earlier in Seattle – needed just about everything to go wrong in the closing minutes to blow a two-score lead.
— Don't overlook the impact of injuries to CB Jeremy Lane (arm) early and DE Cliff Avril (concussion) late on the Seahawks' loss. Without Lane, Seattle had to play CB Tharold Simon, who was exposed repeatedly and gave up two touchdowns. Without Avril, the Seahawks' pass rush lacked some juice as Patriots QB Tom Brady recorded the last 10 in a row of his Super Bowl-record 37 completions. The patience of that offense to keep throwing short was remarkable, almost to a fault. On 50 pass attempts, Brady averaged 6.56 yards and won. Wilson averaged 11.76 yards on 21 attempts and lost.
— It's dangerous territory to praise a player's toughness anymore for staying in the game after a big hit. If Patriots WR Julian Edelman had a concussion after getting smacked in the fourth quarter by Seahawks SS Kam Chancellor – and there's no question Edelman looked a little woozy for a few plays – he should've been off the field, period. But if protocol was followed and Edelman was cleared, he deserves credit for the way he finished capping the comeback with a 3-yard TD against Simon. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a master at playing to matchups, and it's surely no coincidence the Patriots did so much damage inside or on one-step routes that mitigated opportunities for Seattle's cornerbacks to interfere. Edelman's ability to make people miss after the catch was big.
— Long before Butler's interception, it was quite a day for surprise heroics. Not only was Seahawks WR Chris Matthews out of the NFL from the time the Browns cut him in September 2011 until the Seahawks gave him a $10,000 bonus in February — after a turn in the CFL — he was out of work for the better part of three months after Seattle cut him at the end of camp. A couple stints on the practice squad later, Matthews finally made his regular-season NFL debut Dec. 7 but didn't have a catch until Sunday, when he jumpstarted Seattle's passing game with four for 109 yards and a TD. It seems obvious now why he kept getting chances. Matthews has a huge frame (6-5, 218 pounds) and a natural knack for high-pointing the football. He picked a pretty good time to show it.
— A lot of mistakes went into the Patriots allowing a tying touchdown drive that shifted momentum in the closing seconds of the first half, but CB Logan Ryan's coverage on Matthews' 11-yard TD catch was egregiously bad. There were six seconds left in the half, meaning Wilson had no more than three to throw and not lose the shot at a field goal. So why did Ryan — playing inside leverage — keep backing up beyond the goal line like he was expecting a cross or throw to the corner? The only chance Wilson had to get the ball to Matthews quickly was to bullet the back shoulder. It was way, way too easy.
— The brawl that broke out on a kneeldown play was fairly predictable once the Seahawks' loss became imminent. That defense thrives on intimidation, and it's not used to losing games that matter. This is also the same team that had Lynch fined on multiple occasions for grabbing his crotch and WR Doug Baldwin penalized for pretending to defecate on the field as part of a TD celebration Sunday. The Seahawks are a different breed. And when things are going right, it all feeds into their slightly unhinged identity. When things are going wrong … well, they're not going to hold back then either.
— Only so much can made of what a game like Sunday's proves. The Seahawks were one play (perhaps with a better call) away from wrapping up a second straight championship. The Patriots were just that close to having their title drought reach a decade. This much is certain: Seattle will have chances to get back here. New England probably will, too, but they're running short, largely because of Brady's age. As much as it would've meant to the Seahawks to become a rare repeat champion, the stage Belichick and Brady are at in their careers means this one will mean even more.
PHOTOS: Best of Super Bowl XLIX