Wow, now THAT was a Super Bowl!
Feb 2, 2015, 7:42 AM | Updated: 8:46 am
As I sit here with the clock shy of midnight, a gaggle of thoughts continues to run through my head.
Because though Super Bowl XLIX has been over for hours, it is still difficult to make sense of what transpired.
The Patriots looked good early, only to struggle, fall behind and then come back to take the lead. Then, after a miraculous reception seemed to put the Seahawks in position to win the game late, a curious play call led to a game-saving interception for New England. Then a fight happened, and the Patriots won the game.
Oh, and in between it all, pop star Katy Perry rode around on a mechanical lion and then flew around the stadium on a giant “The More You Know” star.
Got all that?
When the confetti had settled at University of Phoenix Stadium, the Seahawks were left trying to explain how they let a chance at back-to-back titles slip away, while the Patriots were enjoying all the spoils that come with winning a championship.
And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
The good news is, unlike some other Super Bowls, this one had everything you could ask for. Plenty of records were either tied or set. Arguably the most important was that New England rallied from the largest second-half deficit (10) in Super Bowl history to win.*
*Note the Cardinals would have had the record themselves, having erased a 13-point second-half deficit in Super Bowl XLIII, but, you know, Santonio Holmes and all.
But where the Cardinals failed six years ago, the Patriots succeeded — barely. When they absolutely needed a stop, they came up with one. It’s what champions do. It’s what they have to do.
“We didn’t call a timeout and the clock was winding down and we realized, you know, this is basically it if we stopped them,” Patriots QB Tom Brady said of being able to process the emotional swing in the final minutes. “I saw the interception and couldn’t believe it. It was just an incredible play. You know, what a play. A championship play. My guys made them. A lot of guys just did some great stuff out there. Took everybody. We knew it was going to take everybody. It was a 60-minute game. Just proud of how everybody played.”
Then, of course, there’s the other side of the coin.
“Boy this is a hard thing to take, and I know that there are so many people on the outside, the 12s, our fans and the people that love us so much and the people that follow us so closely,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “I hope they can only imagine how it hurts our players that have worked and done so much and put so much forth to be champions today.”
You could make a case that either team should have won the game; both had their chances to put their opponent away. But as it stands, chances are you won’t see too many fans in Arizona upset with what ultimately transpired.
The beauty of it all is that even now that the game is over, the discussion over it has only just begun, and the fallout from what we just witnessed could have some big-time implications. Are the Patriots, who have now won four Super Bowls since 2002, a dynasty? Will the Seahawks be able to rebound from this crushing defeat?
Is Brady, who now has four rings to go along with a handful of Super Bowl records, the greatest QB of all time? And was that fateful play call, the decision to throw a pass while facing a 2nd-and-goal from the one yard line and Marshawn Lynch on your team, the worst in NFL history?
Truth is, I cannot and will not answer those questions. Games like this — at least, the great ones — often lead to hyperbolic statements like those, especially while in the moment. But what I do know for certain is that this was a hell of a Super Bowl, one none of us will forget anytime soon.