Football Reigns Supreme

     This has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for the NFL. In a complete PR nightmare, the league’s integrity was questioned in multiple allegations involving covering up numerous domestic violence scandals, poor handling of criminal players, and reports of commissioner Robert Goodell’s extreme tyranny. This all culminated with Deflategate, the ongoing investigation into the New England Patriots organization’s handling of the footballs used in the AFC Championship Game- specifically, accusations that the Patriots intentionally deflated balls per someone in the organization’s request. Some of the biggest stars in the game (see: Peterson, Adrian) were handled recklessly and ended up not playing, more light was shed on the long-term effects of playing football, and the league was criticized, sued, blamed, accused, berated, condemned, and denounced practically every hour. Despite all of this turmoil and controversy, the NFL remained the most watched, most talked about, most successful American sports league. Football remained unprecedentedly successful in terms of revenue, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that even in the NFL’s worst year imaginable, it’s still America’s absolute favorite pastime. Why? On the field, football was at its absolute best. An amazingly exciting season culminated in one of the most riveting Super Bowls in recent memory. On the biggest stage imaginable, the game served as a reminder that in America, football remains supreme.

            Super Bowl XLIX featured the New England Patriots taking on 2013’s champion, the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams finished first in their respective conferences, despite early season struggles. Many sports journalists wrote off the Patriots after a 2-2 start, saying that the magic of Tom Terrific had finally worn off. In response, the Patriots finished the season 12-4, effectively quieting their critics. The Seahawks were also written off by some after starting 3-3, especially after a loss to the NFC West cellar-dweller St. Louis Rams, in a game where Seattle was out-tricked by a multitude of special teams stunts. Like New England, the Seahawks recovered their season to finish 12-4, led by bruising running back Marshawn Lynch, and a hard-hitting defense highlighted by the ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary.

            During the playoffs, the Patriots won a nail-biter against the Baltimore Ravens that was close until the final minutes, and then dismantled the Indianapolis Colts to advance to the Super Bowl. Conversely, the Seahawks cruised to an easy win against the Panthers, before coming back from a 16-point deficit in a game in which Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw four interceptions- a game that will certainly be talked about for years to come. Going into the game, odds makers were fairly split on whom to favor. Many storylines followed the game: could the Patriots finally win again after being 10 years removed from winning? Would the Seahawks be the first repeat champions since, ironically, the Patriots? The showdown promised to be intense, but no one could have predicted the amazing game that ensued.

            The game started off as a defensive struggle until the Patriots broke through in the second quarter, with a long drive capped off by an 11-yard pass from Brady to receiver Brandon LaFell. The Seahawks evened the score soon after, with a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run, following an amazing catch by Chris Matthews, a receiver who was working at Foot Locker, thinking his football dreams were over, before joining the Seahawks. Both teams scored touchdowns again later in the corner, to send the game into halftime tied up at 14-14.

The Patriots utilized an effective short pass game plan, relying on a lightning-thunder combination of speedy receivers and a certain Polish tight end to pick up first-downs on yards after catch. This well-designed Josh McDaniels scheme allowed Brady enough time to make accurate throws and receivers to draw the secondary far enough away from the line of scrimmage to help other receivers and Gronk to get mismatched man coverage against linebackers, but not so much time that the shaky offensive line could collapse. Edelman, LaFell, and Danny Amendola, as a unit, were able to draw the secondary from the play, while leaving one open as a hot read or short pass. Mismatches were also a vital part of the Seahawks’ offensive game plan, but they used size to create advantages. Matching up tall, athletic receivers on the deep ball allowed Wilson some breathing room on his throws, which was a good combination, especially with Chris Matthews working against Kyle Arrington and at the end, Malcolm Butler. With the constant threat of a handoff to Marshawn Lynch, the ‘Hawks were able to keep the Patriots defense guessing, so the deep balls were particularly effective.

Combining the power running of Lynch with surprising pass plays worked especially well for the Seahawks in the 3^rd quarter, in addition to a pick of Brady, where they were able to establish a ten-point advantage. The true turning point of the game came late in the third quarter, with the Seahawks driving again, stationed at the Patriots 47-yard line. Wilson fired a near perfect pass to usual drop culprit Jermaine Kearse, who dropped the ball deep despite having a half-step on Malcolm Butler. Had the Seahawks scored at this point, the result would have been obvious: game over. Instead, Seattle was forced to punt, and ended up never scoring again.

The Patriots’ Rob Ninkovich got a sweet burst on a Seahawks 3^rd down in the beginning of the quarter, sacking Wilson and giving New England some life. With some clutch third-down antics by Julian Edelman, the Patriots were able to score, bring them within 3. After scoring again later, the Pats nursed a four-point lead as the Seahawks got the ball at the twenty with 2:02 left. After a nice Lynch rumble, the Seahawks appeared to be stuck at the Patriots 49 after some great broken up passes by Butler and Brandon Browner. They got the first down with a quick pass eventually.

There are moments that every Patriots fan remembers with as much ire as Gregg Poppovich when someone misses a layup. The David Tyree helmet catch. The Mario Manningham sideline catch. And with 1:14 left in the game, it appeared that it was happening again. Wilson threw a high pass to Jermaine Kearse, when Malcolm Butler made an amazingly athletic play to break up the pass. A safety than jumped over the falling Kearse, where the ball hit off one leg, two legs, and fell in slow motion onto Kearse’s leg. The ball, moving in slow motion, ricocheted back into the air, as everyone helplessly watched it fall perfectly into Kearse’s hands. It appeared that it had happened again, that God and Jermaine Kearse had conspired to royally screw over the New England Patriots for the third time in the last seven years. As Marshawn Lynch went up the middle and was brought down at the 1-yard line on first down, you could almost hear the exasperated screams of Patriots fan everywhere, letting their decade-long pent-up frustration go with the thought that once again, at the last minute, their dreams would be deferred for another year.

I like to refer to the next 25 seconds as ‘The Greatest Non-Timeout in the History of Non-Timeouts”. It seemed like an obvious call for the Pats to use a timeout to stop the clock and preserve time, as there was an incredibly high chance that the Seahawks were going to score, and the Patriots were going to need all the time they could get to mount a comeback drive. Belichek, however, was a step ahead. He knew that with a timeout, the Seahawks would have time to run, which was a much higher-percentage goal line play than a pass. Facing a ticking clock, he gambled (correctly) that Pete Carroll would pass it, so that if they completed the pass they likely won the game, and if they didn’t, the clock would stop and they could get the run play they wanted without rushing, and even get a chance at fourth down. Belichek’s gamble ended up winning the game.

On second down, Wilson saw his tight end Lockette moving towards the goal line uncovered. Simultaneously, undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler is standing in the exact same spot: just behind two players and in the end zone. Expertly, Butler read Wilson’s throwing motion, and timed his run absolutely perfectly, intercepting the ball at the goal line! Butler, a little known, seldom used cornerback, had just landed himself a spot as a Boston, NFL, and sports hero.

The Super Bowl, the NFL’s biggest stage, could not have been more entertaining. Last minute comeback? Check. Amazing athleticism? Check. Little known guy from a tough background makes a huge play to win the game? Check. The NFL could not have possibly created a better game, though not for lack of conspiracy theorists saying they did. The bottom line is that even in a year totally marred by controversy, there’s an obvious reason why the NFL is the king: the product remains as captivating as ever.