Super Bowl 2015: NBC Reveals Record-Setting Ratings for Patriots vs. Seahawks

Super Bowl 49, which saw the New England Patriots edge the Seattle Seahawks in a 28-24 thriller Sunday night, registered the highest television rating in the big game's history.

NBC Sports PR announced the matchup had a 49.7 rating overall and peaked at 52.9 just after 10 p.m. ET as the game entered the final minutes:

It also included some further information on the sky-high numbers:

John Ourand of the SportsBusiness Journal passed along the top local markets:

ESPN's Darren Rovell and Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch provided additional viewership numbers:  

The contest certainly lived up to the hype. Twitter and Facebook also announced key statistics:

New England trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter before mounting a memorable comeback. Tom Brady found Danny Amendola with under eight minutes left to get back within three. Then he connected with Julian Edelman just before the two-minute warning to grab the lead.

Russell Wilson drove the Seahawks back down the field. Jermaine Kearse made a remarkable grab to set them up with a golden opportunity to steal the win late. But the decision to throw on second down from the 1-yard line didn't pay off as Malcolm Butler intercepted the pass to seal the victory.

"I knew what was going to happen. I don't know how I knew. I just knew. I just beat him to the point and caught the ball," Butler said following the game, courtesy of Dan Hanzus of NFL.com.

An amazing finish like that deserved the highest rating in Super Bowl history. Next year's Super Bowl certainly has a tough act to follow given Sunday night's drama and controversy.