Wow. What a night. Some 20 hours later, I am still in total shock on exactly what happened last night in Super Bowl XLIX.
The build up to the game was something in itself. Deflategate. Dynasties. Brady-Sherman. The two best teams in each conference. No clear favorite. The game had the billing of perhaps the most epic Super Bowl ever. Additionally on a personal level, the fact that the opponent was Seattle of all places, the town I simply could not acclimate myself to and left promptly after living there for two months, made the game feel even more meaningful to me. I really wanted the Pats to win this one.
I invited some friends from college over to my house for the game. As I quickly realized, after the Patriots' first touchdown, that I was by myself for this one, the only Patriots fan in the room. Most of my friends were indifferent. A couple of people wanted Seattle to win in spite of the Patriots and/or me.
The first half was, from a Patriots fan's point of view, rather underwhelming. Although the score was tied 14-14, it felt like we should have been up by at least a field goal, but even more likely 7 or 10 points. Brady pissed away three likely points with a pretty horrible interception in the first quarter, and the Pats inexplicably let Seattle direct a last minute touchdown drive to close the first half. With the Seahawks receiving the second half kickoff and being notoriously known for being a very strong second half team, I was very cautious about the Patriots' chances in winning the game.
So, following a few meaningless one dollar halftime show prop bets and a solid performance by my dreamgirl Katy Perry, Missy Elliot, and those dancing sharks, when the second half began and Seattle quickly turned a 14-14 game into a 24-14 lead, in large part thanks to another interception thrown by Tom, things didn't look very good. The odds were stacked against us.
But the Patriots kept grinding. As the final frame commenced, the Pats started their comeback. A long drive cut the deficit to 24-21, and after a three-and-out by Seattle, Tom led another touchdown drive to put us up 28-24, with a couple of minutes left in the game.
Then, this happened:
(you'll have to click it again to watch it on youtube)
That sinking feeling, and I feel as if I speak for all Patriots fans, all felt too familiar. It happened when David Tyree pinned that football to his helmet, ruining the 19-0 season. Having victory in our grasp, only to have it taken away in the most gut-wrenching fashion possible. With first and goal to go, the best running game in the league, and only a minute left, a Seattle victory seemed inevitable. The Patriots were cooked.
Meanwhile, I was beginning to digest another cruel ending to another promising Patriots' season. My guests moved their attention to my reactions, as I was the only person with a vested interest in the room. I was in utter shock and was noticeably deflated--hand on my forehand, mouth agape, eyes wide open--and having trouble processing what I had just witnessed. My friends sitting directly next to me both tried to console me as I recall receiving a hug, a pat on the head, and the classic "It's okay, Josh." Some of my other closer buddies, who felt schadenfreude in my displeasure and my team's failures, mocked me in my own home, even snapping pictures of my sadness so they could capture the moment and share it with mutual friends. I was so distressed I could only manage a weak attempt at shielding my face from the flashes of their phone cameras. I recall putting my Patriots beanie over my face as NBC put the Tyree catch flashback on air, right after the Kearse catch happened. How did this happen AGAIN? I had accepted defeat.
Marshawn Lynch ran the ball five yards to set up 2nd and goal, only one yard away from the Patriots' inevitable defeat. But then:
(you'll have to click it again to watch it on youtube)
Oh my god. What the fuck just happened? Is this real life?
That Malcolm Butler--an undrafted free agent out of West Alabama, a guy who was in (and got kicked out of) community college just a few years earlier, a guy who was working at Popeye's a few years ago, a guy who only received one invitation to try out for an NFL team, a guy who didn't even enter the game until the 3rd quarter--made the play the game, the year, (the history of the NFL?) is truly incredible.
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| I wasn't the only one celebrating. |
While I've had incredible sports spectating moments before, as far as emotional change is concerned, this one has truly been the most dramatic and sensational, if you believe emotions are all relative and about reality vs. expectation. The difference of being convinced my team would lose and then discovering that my team actually just won the championship of the biggest sporting event in the U.S. just a few seconds later has got to be the best feeling that I, as a sports spectator, will ever experience.
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| The win probability of Super Bowl XLIX. Greatest play, in terms of championship winning probability, in the history of sports? |
What an incredible Super Bowl, what an incredible game. This is why I watch sports, regardless of how silly it makes me look. Thank God I am a Patriots fan. Thank you Malcolm Butler.
-JTF
P.S. I give Katy's Performance an 8 out of 10 and my favorite commercials were the Liam Neeson Clash of Clans Commercial, The First Draft Ever, and the Weather Tech Commercial.
