Super Bowl 49
was one for the ages, and it was a game that no Patriots fan will ever forget.
The final two minutes of the Pats’ 28-24 win over the Seahawks put every
football fan in the country on the edge of their seat, and if you were a fan of
either of the two teams playing, then you were probably experiencing a high
amount of anxiety.
For the
Patriots, this win has to feel as sweet as can be. That team went through a lot
in the 2014-15 NFL season and they deserved to win that game for one reason:
they are the best team in the NFL, regardless of what the air pressure in the
footballs they are playing with is. The 2014-15 Pats won’t go down as the team
that lost to Kansas City in week 4, or the team who cheated in the AFC
Championship game, but instead they will be remembered as the world champions,
which is as it should be.
For the
Seahawks, this is a very tough loss to live with. Seattle head coach Pete Caroll
will be haunted by this game for the rest of his life, and particularly his catastrophic
decision on the final play of the game.
If you didn’t
see the game, here’s how it ended: Seattle had the ball on the half yard line
with 26 seconds left, needing to score a touchdown to win it. Every football
fan, coach, and player who is in his or her right mind gives the ball to
running back Marshawn Lynch on that play. When Lynch goes into Beast Mode, he
is unstoppable on pass rushes.
Carroll
decided to try and outsmart the Patriots. The coach said that he was planning
to throw the ball on second down, and then if the pass was incomplete, run it
on the third and fourth downs. Carroll didn’t take something into
consideration: the Patriots could intercept the ball, ending the game. And that’s
just what happened. Pats cornerback Malcom Butler jumped in front of Russell Wilson’s
pass to Ricardo Lockette and gave the Patriots possession with 20 seconds to
go.
Watching
helplessly as everything unraveled was Marshawn Lynch, who led the league in
touchdowns.
Super Bowl
49 turned out to be especially memorable for Patriots QB Tom Brady. I think
it’s fair to say that Brady is now in a league of his own, and the California
native who grew up rooting for Joe Montana, now has the same amount of rings as
his childhood hero. Brady brought his team back and led them through the biggest
fourth-quarter comeback in Super Bowl history, etching his name in the history
books. The fourth quarter was classic Tom Brady, and if there’s one game that
really sums up what his career has been all about, it’s this one. He never gave
up, he stayed calm, and he got the job done.
The other
guy in that game who played incredibly all night long was Pats wide receiver
Julian Edelman. However, there’s some question as to whether or not Edelman
should have even been on the field at the end of the game. After receiving a
pass across the middle late in the fourth quarter, Edelman took a huge
helmet-to-helmet hit from Hawks defender Kam Chancellor. There was no penalty
called on the play, which was disturbing to many, but it was pretty clear that
Edleman was hurt, and probably concussed. The rule is that if you are diagnosed
with a concussion, you can’t come back onto the field at all, which would mean
that Edelman, who has contributed so much to this team, would have had to miss
a Super Bowl celebration. He wasn’t even taken of the field though, which is
concerning. I like what the NFL has done with their concussion policies, but it
is very disturbing to see Edelman stay out there for the remainder of a game
without even being tested after the hit that Chancellor put on him.
I’m not
sure if any Super Bowl will really be able to top that one for me, but I look
forward to the many that lie ahead. It was an amazing season for the Patriots
and despite any allegations of cheating in the AFC championship, this team is
the best in the NFL, and they deserved to be crowned Super Bowl champions.
No comments:
Post a Comment