Super Bowl Quarter Score 2015: Patriots vs. Seahawks 1st Quarter Update, Recap

The first quarter of Super Bowl XLIX, while not as entertaining as last year's eventful opening frame, served as a feeling-out process for both the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

New England came out with one thing in mind—beat the Seahawks at their own game.

As one can expect from a secondary led by Richard Sherman, though, the Seahawks ensured a lengthy Patriots drive ended in no points.

Seattle deferred after winning the toss, although coach Pete Carroll and Co. were not fortunate enough to receive an opening-snap turnover this time around after Peyton Manning and Denver did so one year ago, as Mark Maske of The Washington Post jokes:

New England's opening-drive approach did much to reveal coach Bill Belichick's thought process, though—convert quick-hitting plays to Rob Gronkowski and others in order to neutralize Seattle's strong pass rush.

Alas, Tom Brady and the Patriots failed to score a touchdown on their opening drive for the ninth straight game.

As ESPN's Trey Wingo points out, most should have seen a punt coming:

It is only fitting that the very first drive of the Super Bowl—after the wild ride to get to this point—caused plenty of controversy, as the Seahawks ran into the Patriots punter, which Eugene Frenette of Jacksonville.com illustrates:

The next New England drive was much more successful after a brief Seattle appearance and punt.

The Patriots, led by LeGarrette Blount's power running, essentially controlled the rest of the frame. Savvy calls by the staff, such as this one described by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, certainly helped: 

Then Brady met Jeremy Lane, he who told the media about Gronkowski in the week leading up to the game that "I actually don’t think he’s that good,” per Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk.

The pick halted a 19-3 play advantage in favor of New England and put Brady under fire by many, including Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com:

The opening quarter in Arizona flew by, with New England dominating everywhere except the box score.

Now, though, the time for cautionary chess is over.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.