Super Bowl Ending For The Ages

Floral Park students, and the rest of the country, witness one of the most exciting endings in Super Bowl history

Super Bowl Ending For The Ages

Bobby Shinde, Sports Writer

Should they have run the ball? Was it pass interference? Did Seahawks coach Pete Carroll want Russell Wilson to win the MVP? These are just some of the questions that have been posed since one of the most exciting endings to a Super Bowl in history.

On February 1, 2015, families and friends gathered to watch the two best teams in the NFL compete for the Vince Lombardi trophy. This year’s representatives were the NFC’s Seattle Seahawks and AFC’s New England Patriots. Led by second-year pro Russell Wilson, the Seahawks were up against one of the most successful coach-QB duos in Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. With three previous Super Bowl victories, the Patriots were a tremendous challenge for Wilson and the Seahawks. However, last year’s 43-8 romp over the high-powered Denver Broncos not only gave the Seahawks confidence, it was also in the back of the minds of the Patriots.

Super Bowl XLIX definitely lived up to the pre-game hype. Trailing by ten points in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady and the Patriots rallied to take a 28-24 lead. But the stage was set for a classic comeback for the defending champs. After a miraculous catch by Jermaine Kearse, the Seahawks reached the five-yard line with just over a minute remaining. A four-yard run by Marshawn Lynch set up the play that will be forever talked about. The Seahawks did not hand the ball off again to their superstar running back “Beast Mode” Lynch. Instead, Wilson went for a slant pass on the inside of the end zone, which was intercepted by Patriots’ cornerback Malcolm Butler. This clutch interception resulted in the Patriots gaining possession with 24 seconds left in the game.

Drawing an encroachment call, the Patriots were able to move the ball up five yards, where they kneeled the ball to secure the victory. However, before the victory was sealed, a fight broke out after the first knee. Multiple flags were thrown and Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin was ejected. After the scrum was separated and the player was ejected, the Patriots kneeled it for a final time, ending Superbowl XLIX and giving Brady and Belichick their fourth Super Bowl championship.

In the game, Brady was also able to pass football legend Joe Montana’s record for Super Bowl touchdown passes. While his record-setting 13th touchdown pass to Julian Edelman was the final score of the game, it will be the controversial decision by coach Pete Carroll that people will talk about for years to come.