Super Bowl 2015: Score and Twitter Reaction from Patriots vs. Seahawks

For the last two weeks, Tom Brady's had to deal with media members and fans alike questioning his character by accusing him, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots franchise of being serial cheaters who constantly skirt the NFL rulebook to gain an advantage.

On Sunday, Brady connected for four touchdown passes to take the air out of the Seattle Seahawks secondary and win his fourth Super Bowl. Brady threw for 328 yards, Julian Edelman made nine receptions and the New England defense held on late en route to a 28-24 victory.

Seemingly down and out at multiple points following two bad interceptions, the true-to-form Brady kept a level head and mounted a comeback for the ages. He hit Danny Amendola and Edelman for his final two touchdown passes, both coming with less than eight minutes remaining to lead New England back from a 24-14 hole.

His three-yard score to Edelman with 2:02 remaining proved to be the game-winner, as a captivating last-gasp attempt from the Seahawks fell just short. 

With the victory, the Patriots completed the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Super Bowl history, via NFL on CBS:

For just a moment, it appeared Brady and Co. had been David Tyree'd and Antonio Freeman'd all in one fell swoop. An ill-advised Russell Wilson throw inside the New England 10-yard line was tipped up for grabs into the air and came down into the grasp of a falling Jermaine Kearse, who tipped the ball again and corralled it in what could have gone down as one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history.

Instead, it'll wind up as a footnote in a crushing Seattle loss.

Two plays later, after Marshawn Lynch ran the ball to the Patriots 1-yard line, Wilson threw a second ill-advised pass. This one landed in the arms of Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler, who returned the ball out of harm's way to clinch a New England victory. An ugly fracas broke out as the Patriots were attempting to sit on the ball to close it out, but that will long be forgotten as fans reminisce on one of the most competitive championships in recent memory. 

Lynch spoke about not getting the ball following the game, via Jim Trotter of ESPN:

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll also discussed the decision-making process on that final offensive play, via Dan Graziano of ESPN and Conor Orr of NFL.com:

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times weighed in on Butler's rise to stardom on the big stage while the player himself discussed his experience with the New England franchise, via Phil Perry of CSNNE.com:

Consistently picking apart the Seahawks secondary with quick underneath passes, Brady set the record for the most completions in the first half of a Super Bowl (20) and passed Joe Montana's all-time record for the most touchdown passes in the sport's biggest game with 13. He was 37-of-50 passing overall and perhaps cemented his legacy as the best quarterback in NFL history.

“It doesn’t. Truthfully, it has never been a motivating thing,” Brady told reporters of being considered an all-time great. “I never envisioned I’d have a chance to play in a sixth Super Bowl. I wasn’t born for this. I just tried to work hard to put myself in position, and I’ve been on a great team with a lot of great players over the years, with great coaching."

For his troubles, Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time, tying Montana's all-time record. He and Belichick are the second quarterback-head coach pairing to ever win four Super Bowls together. Individually, only Brady, Montana and Terry Bradshaw have four titles among quarterbacks. Belichick and Chuck Noll are the only ones with four in the coaching ranks.

Not only that, but as Field Yates of ESPN noted, the window is still very much open for the Patriots:

Patriots owner Robert Kraft discussed his team's achievement and touched on the Deflategate scandal, via Mike and Graziano:

Sam Lynch of Eagles Almanac charted the wild ride the game took the players and fans on:

On the other sideline, heartbreak comes despite an otherwise sterling all-around performance from the defending champs.

Down 14-7 with 31 seconds remaining in the first half, Seattle went on a 17-point run that nearly led to a repeat. Wilson pushed the Seahawks 80 yards down the field to close the first half, connecting with Chris Matthews on an 11-yard pass to tie the game following a gutsy call from Carroll to run a play with six seconds remaining. Steven Hauschka added a field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter, and then Wilson hit Doug Baldwin for his second score of the game after Brady's second interception.

Wilson, who did not complete a pass for the game's first 25 minutes, finished with 247 yards through the air on 12-of-21 passing. The former third-round pick also added 39 of Seattle's 162 yards on the ground.

Wilson commented on the loss, via his Twitter account: 

Lynch, who spent all week making headlines by attempting not to make them, was again sensational as Seattle's workhorse. He went over the 100-yard mark for the second-straight game and was consistently able to keep New England's offense off the field. The Seahawks ran the ball 29 times against only 21 throws, choosing a grind-it-out approach over challenging the Darrelle Revis-led Patriots secondary.

When Wilson did air it out, though, it was often the unheralded Matthews on the receiving end. The special teams hero from the NFC Championship Game—it was Matthews who brought down Seattle's miracle onside kick to help force overtime against the Packers—had a breakout game with four receptions for 109 yards. Held without a reception in his NFL career before Sunday night, the 25-year-old rookie came down with jaw-dropping catch after jaw-dropping catch.

Cut from his CFL team and working at a Foot Locker when the Seahawks called him, Matthews was on the active roster for less than two months before Sunday. 

"The first time he participated in special teams he really showed he was a factor," Carroll told reporters last month. "He could really be unique—he is so big for a receiver, he crossed over in some areas that made him more valuable to us."

The Patriots also got a ton of production from their diamonds in the rough. Edelman, a former seventh-round pick, tied Matthews for a game-high 109 yards on his nine receptions. Shane Vereen, whose role has changed more times over the past couple of seasons than perhaps any other Patriot, led all players with 11 receptions as Brady's safety valve underneath.

Each of Brady's four touchdown passes went to a different receiver. While largely held in check, Rob Gronkowski had a second-quarter score and finished with 68 yards.

But more than anything, Super Bowl XLIX was a perfect microcosm of the Brady-Belichick era. At this time a week ago, discussion revolved around an obviously perturbed Belichick giving an odd press conference about ball-pressure fluctuations in cold climates at a time when he should have been preparing for the Super Bowl. Some wondered if Deflategate would join Spygate as another controversy marring the legacy of Brady and Belichick's time with the Patriots.

On Sunday, the pair did as they have for more than a decade: shut out the noise and get the job done.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter