Chris Matthews vs. Patriots: Highlights, Twitter Reaction from 2015 Super Bowl

The Seattle Seahawks have a group of wide receivers that don't feel respected. Even for that underrated unit, Chris Matthews was a relative unknown before his Super Bowl XLIX breakout performance against the New England Patriots.

Not to be confused with the MSNBC political analyst, Matthews brought Seattle's stagnant passing game to life with a 44-yard reception to set up its first touchdown. Then he caught in a key TD pass from Russell Wilson to knot the score at 14 just two seconds before halftime.

Matthews accrued four receptions for 109 yards and the score in the Seahawks' 28-24 loss. His 45-yard grab on Seattle's first second-half possession set up a go-ahead field goal, too.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News brought up just how much Matthews stepped up on the Super Bowl stage:

The Washington Post's Sally Jenkins tweeted another fact in that vein:

"

Chris Mathews was a practice squad player for the Seahawks until Dec. 6. #SuperBowl

— Sally Jenkins (@sallyjenx) February 2, 2015"

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports also detailed Matthews' road to the Seahawks:

SportsCenter added more context:

ESPN's Adam Schefter brought up Matthews' strong NFL pedigree:

Smart Football's Chris B. Brown noted how Matthews was overlooked during his college career at Kentucky:

Matthews was praised by his previous employer before the Seahawks, Foot Locker, on Twitter:

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade gave the former Foot Locker employee a shout out: 

Prior to that, Matthews' NFL experience was limited to a few stops, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News:

Jacson Bevens of Fieldgulls.com highlighted how much of an impact Matthews has had in his limited, high-profile action:

Robert Klemko of The MMQB nailed his pre-game photo:

After the game Matthews admitted he didn't even expect to play on offense via Darrin Beene of heraldnet.com: “I wasn't even expecting to get a ball. I was expecting to go down there and do special teams and make plays as a special teams' player.”

Matthews fits the profile of this Seattle team's makeup. The former undrafted free agent spent time in the CFL for the two prior years before getting his shot with the Seahawks this year.

This is what Seattle coach Pete Carroll does. He puts the utmost faith in the players he has in the locker room, allows them to be themselves and it leads to them maximizing their potential and shining.

Credit goes to Matthews for rising to the occasion, though. He is evidently unafraid of the massive Super Bowl stakes and making the most of his opportunities.

The perception that the Seahawks lack playmakers may diminish to a degree in light of how well Matthews is playing.

An offseason priority figures to be supplying Wilson with better weapons. However, Matthews' emergence may change that paradigm to a degree, and his 6'5" frame makes him a friendly target for Wilson and a matchup problem for smaller cornerbacks.