Super Bowl Quarter Score 2015: Patriots vs. Seahawks 3rd Quarter Update, Recap

After ending the first half of Super Bowl XLIX with a bang, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks started the second by extending their lead over the New England Patriots en route to a 24-14 advantage.

Thank emerging star Chris Matthews for that.

After the first catch of his career set up a touchdown and his second was a touchdown, the 2011 undrafted free agent caught a bomb from Wilson, which set up a field goal to give the Seahawks a 17-14 lead.

The catch, as those that came before it, is of the eyebrow-raising variety:

Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram suggested the Patriots hit the panic button to contain Matthews:

The Patriots needed to hit the panic button in a number of ways.

On the very next drive, Tom Brady threw his second pick of the game, this time as he simply did not see Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner in the middle of the field.

For Wagner, call it a dash of vindication for those who laughed about his lone MVP vote at the NFL Honors the day prior. Pro Football on ESPN poked fun at the situation:

As one should expect of a defending champion, the Seahawks took full advantage of the extra possession.

Lynch bullied his way for extra yards more than once on the ensuing drive before New England sold out to stop the rush—which helped Wilson to find an uncovered Doug Baldwin in the end zone.

As Troy Renck of The Denver Post points out, Baldwin's route selection falls under the "creative" category:

Things coasted to the end of the quarter from there, as both defenses seemed to settle after initial halftime adjustments by the offenses.

The Seattle-dominated third quarter sets up one of two scenarios. Either the Patriots will pull off an epic comeback befit of a champion, or Wilson and the Seahawks will ride this one out in the same manner they did one year ago. 

It all comes down to execution.

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