On February 1st, 2015, during Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, there was one play that changed NFL history forever. Let’s dive into that moment.
The Play
Late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 49, the Seahawks were trailing the Patriots 28-24. Seattle had driven to New England’s one-yard line. They got there with the aid of a 31-yard completion to running back Marshawn Lynch. Also a third-down completion to Ricardo Lockette then a 33-yard completion to Jermaine Kearse followed by a four-yard run by Lynch.
At this point Seattle ran the clock down to 26 seconds remaining. They still had a timeout themselves in which to use. It was second down. One yard to win their second consecutive Super Bowl.
It was here at this point where Russell Wilson attempted a slant route pass to Lockette. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler read this play perfectly and jumped the route to intercept the pass and seal the victory for New England. This was the one play that changed NFL history forever.
Writer’s Take
As a Seahawks fan, this one hurt. A chance to make NFL history with two straight Super Bowl wins, and (at the time) offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell makes that boneheaded call. For the record, I personally didn’t mind the pass call. I really didn’t. What a lot of people fail to realize or remember is Seahawks wide receiver, Chris Matthews.
Matthews was an undrafted rookie who played college ball at Kentucky. He caught zero balls in the regular season. Also, he had zero catches in the postseason up to this point. He’s also 6’5″. He did recover the onside kick in the NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers. Fast forward to the big game where he had four catches for 109 yards.
He was having the breakout game of his life on the game’s biggest stage. At 6’5″, why not throw him a fade route. On a second down, worst-case scenario, the pass falls incomplete, and you still have third and fourth down from the 1-yard line and a timeout in which to run Lynch. Russell Wilson also could’ve called an audible at the line. Either he agreed with the call, or he didn’t have the balls to go against coaches Carroll and or Bevell.
Five plus years later, why they threw into the middle of a crowded field still irritates me. Anyhow…. follow me on twitter @tonysutcliffe6. Also be sure to check out our other great articles here at Belly Up Sports. Enjoy !!
