BY DEBORAH GLICK | Although, I predicted that the Super Bowl would be a barn burner, no one could have foreseen that it would be a five-alarmer.
Yes, I thought it would be a close game — the Patriots have had nothing but close Super Bowls — and this game didn’t disappoint. After the Patriots jumped out to an early lead, the Seahawks managed to hang around, which is the hallmark of any good team.
Just before the half, the score was tied by the Seahawks by a gutsy call to throw for a touchdown with six seconds to go, instead of the safe 3-point field goal. The Patriots went into halftime shaking their heads. They should have been winning, yet somehow the score was tied. The Seahawks would not back down.
Although the score was tied at halftime, the Patriots had a slight advantage. The Patriots’ coach, Bill Belichick, is known for his half-time “adjustments,” which means that any surprises in the other team’s defensive plan or offensive schemes are taken into account as the plan for the second half is prepared.
Yet these adjustments were for nought, as the Seahawks came out of the gate to start the second half firing on all cylinders and took control of the third quarter. The Patriots seemed flustered.
With eight minutes left to go in the game, the Seahawks were sitting on a 10-point lead, and in possession of the best defense in the sport, seemingly poised to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. But the Patriots did not relent.
After scoring consecutive touchdowns, the Patriots found themselves ahead in the final quarter, 28-24, with two minutes left in the game. Then the Seahawks offense, which had stalled, kicked into gear as they moved down the field seemingly at will, knowing they needed a touchdown to win. And with one play, they were on the verge of yet another miraculous comeback.
An incredible circus catch by Jermaine Kearse put the Seahawks on the Patriot’s five-yard line. The stage was set for the Seahawks to triumph and the Patriots to suffer yet another devastating Super Bowl defeat.
And then two plays later, a mere 36 inches from the end zone, with victory in sight, the Seahawks made a play call that will be questioned and debated for years. Instead of trusting their sturdy running back Marshawn Lynch, who had already run for more than 100 yards and had scored an earlier touchdown, they inexplicably tried a tight pass over the middle.
A rookie safety from New England’s defense, Malcolm Butler, intercepted the Seahawks pass and cemented the win for the Patriots, who hadn’t won a Super Bowl for 10 years. No one who watched could be disappointed in the game, except of course for Seahawk fans, who experienced a playoff journey that they will not soon forget.
