In a Super Bowl that saw a team come from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit, it stands to reason that there would be many heroes involved in the action. At the end of the night, the New England Patriots finished off the then defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks by a 28-24 score.
Players on both sides stepped up when it mattered the most. From Malcolm Butler’s stunning game-ending interception to Chris Matthews’ career game, here are five players who put up the best performances of Super Bowl XLIX.
1. Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots
Brady may have thrown two interceptions in this game, but his ability to lead New England back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit against one of the best defenses in league history could be a career-defining moment in a career full of them.
Brady actually completed 13-of-15 passes against a banged-up Legion of Boom on his team’s two final drives—both resulting in touchdowns. It’s that type of performance that clearly enables us to include Tom Brady in the conversation of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. Some quarterbacks are made for these times. Others completely wilt under the pressure. As it relates to Brady, there’s no question he’s in the category of those signal callers who want the ball in their hands when the game is on the line. Sunday night proved that to a T.
2. Malcolm Butler, Cornerback, New England Patriots
Butler played 17 snaps. He allowed a ridiculous 33-yard reception to Jermaine Kearse in a play that looked like it would help Seattle earn a second consecutive Lombardi. Heck, Butler played a total of 187 snaps during the regular season and just 15 in the two playoff games prior to the Super Bowl.
Leave it to Bill Belichick to pull an un-drafted free agent rookie from West Alabama out of his backside. It’s this type of strategy (luck) that has made the Patriots’ coach among the best in the history of the game. Just a couple plays after yielding that insane catch to Kearse, Butler made on of the best—if not the best—play in the history of the Super Bowl.
It’s nearly impossible to blame Russell Wilson for making this throw. What he saw prior to releasing the ball, 99 percent of the quarterbacks in the NFL would have made it. Outside of it being a terrible play-call, Butler’s closing speed and ability to react to where Wilson was going with the ball will stand the test of time as one of the greatest big-game plays in league history.
Overall, Butler allowed just two completions on six targets. Considering he played in only 17 snaps, it’s obvious Seattle was looking to pick on the rookie. However, it was Butler who had the last laugh.
3. Jamie Collins, Linebacker, New England Patriots
Collins is one of the best young defensive players in the NFL, and he showed exactly why on Sunday night. The former second-round pick from Southern Mississippi—only in his second NFL season—was dominating throughout the evening. While he did allow a 31-yard reception to Marshawn Lynch on a wheel route in Seattle’s final possession, it was Collins’ ability to close off the edges and make himself a part of a ton of plays that stood out when watching tape of the game again.
He has a nose for the ball (eight tackles, six solo). But more than that, Collins finds a way to put himself in a good position throughout the duration of the game. This was out there in full force as he helped New England earn its fourth Lombardi Trophy. Moving forward, we can expect multiple Pro Bowl nods for this underrated linebacker.
4. Chris Matthews, Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks
I really struggled with this one. The need to put at least one Seahawks’ player on this list wasn’t the hard decision. Rather, the performance of one Bobby Wagner—Tony Dungy’s vote for league MVP—made it hard to pass up on the Pro Bowler.
In lieu of going with the obvious pick, Matthews needed to get some recognition. After all, he’s a player that was working at Foot Locker this time last year and saw just 19 snaps during the regular season. Heck, Matthews’ 44-yard reception late in the second quarter to set up Seattle’s initial score of the game was the first of his NFL career. The un-drafted free agent from Kentucky finished the evening with four receptions for 109 yards and a score on five targets. Talk about upping your game when the stakes were the highest.
5. Julian Edelman, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots
This was a toss-up between Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. Both played exceptional football in New England’s 28-24 win over Seattle, but Edelman has the distinction of catching the game-winning touchdown in a Super Bowl. There are only a couple handful of players in league history that can say this.
More than that, Edelman was consistently great throughout the night. Going up against the Legion of Boom, he came down with nine receptions for 109 yards and a score on 12 targets. It’s that type of overall production that helped New England pull off the comeback victory.
Photo: USA Today