Super Bowl 2015 Score: Initial Observations from Super Bowl 2015

It is far too easy to overreact to developments at the end of sporting events, especially ones as monumentally important as Sunday's Super Bowl clash between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots won the game 28-24, but the final score only begins to tell the tale of the title game.

You would be hard-pressed to have an overreaction too strong at the end of Sunday’s showdown, given the play call from the Seahawks at the goal line on the final meaningful snap of the game.

All Seattle had to do was run the ball in from the 1-yard line, but the offense chose to throw the ball instead. Rookie Malcolm Butler picked off Russell Wilson’s pass at the goal line, and the rest was history.

Here is a closer look at that play as one of the initial observations from the game.

End of Game

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

It is so easy to second-guess coaches and players from the comfort of Super Bowl parties and couches, but everyone in America was thinking the same thing when the Seahawks had the ball at the 1-yard line down four points with less than a minute left—time for Beast Mode.

Marshawn Lynch is built to pick up short yardage in between the tackles, and he had just bullied his way for four difficult yards on the play before to get the ball to the 1.

Instead of pounding it up the middle with Lynch and riding the NFL’s top-rated rushing attack to the victory, the Seahawks threw the ball in an effort to catch the Patriots off guard. They certainly didn’t do that as Butler tallied the interception of a lifetime, and it left the door open for second-guessing from everyone watching the game.

Butler commented on the championship-clinching play, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com: "I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play, and it came true. I'm just blessed. I can't explain it right now. It's crazy." 

While Butler will revel in the outcome forever, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders said what many were thinking in the aftermath:

Interestingly, it wasn’t just the fans who were questioning the play call. Freddie Coleman of ESPN passed along an update from Terence Moore of Moore Sports Inc. from the inside of the Seattle locker room, and it didn’t appear to be a pretty picture:

Alas, Seahawks fans will have nightmares about that play for as long as they live, while the Patriots supporters will likely replay it over and over with joy. Such is the life of a diehard NFL fan at the end of a nail-biting game.

Underneath Passes

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

While all the focus in the aftermath of the game will be on the play-calling at the end for the Seahawks and the interception, the New England Patriots passing attack deserves plenty of credit for Sunday’s performance.

Quarterback Tom Brady, who won an incredible fourth Super Bowl ring Sunday, threw for 328 yards and four touchdowns (along with two interceptions) and carved the vaunted Legion of Boom Seattle secondary apart during the second half.

Julian Edelman tallied 109 receiving yards and a touchdown. Rob Gronkowski had 68 receiving yards and a score. Shane Vereen had 11 receptions for 64 yards, and both Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell had touchdown catches. All of it came against the league’s No. 1-ranked pass defense, which made the outcome and yardage totals even more impressive.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

It wasn’t just the raw totals that jumped out Sunday but the way the Patriots moved the ball down the field.

Rather than challenge guys like Richard Sherman on deeper routes, Brady threw short passes underneath for the majority of the game and was more than happy to gradually move the chains. That set the stage for longer touchdown drives, and the Seahawks looked gassed by New England’s final drive. 

Interestingly, Brady picked on injury replacement Tharold Simon after Seattle defensive back Jeremy Lane went down with an injury after an early interception. Grantland’s Robert Mays noted the strategy:

New England won the game after the final interception by Butler, but Brady set the stage for the victory with his efficient underneath passes, especially in the second half.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

One has to wonder moving forward if he provided something of a blueprint for Seattle opponents to copy next season and beyond. The Seahawks are lethal down the field when guys like Sherman and Kam Chancellor have the opportunity to make a play on the ball, but the linebackers and underneath corners had trouble keeping up with the short passes.

It is easier said than done against the Seahawks defense, but avoiding plays where superstars like Sherman could change the game seems like a sound strategy. 

Of course, having someone like Brady isn’t a bad blueprint either.

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