New England Patriots: Top Five Performers From Super Bowl XLIX
By Stephen Ur
The New England Patriots are no stranger to win Super Bowls. Who were the top five performers from their Super Bowl win against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX?
The New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years and the ninth time in franchise history. They will face the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The game will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Feb. 5.
The last time New England was in a Super Bowl, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. A lot of Patriots players contributed to that win. Here are the top five.
New England Patriots: Top Five Performers From Super Bowl XLIX
5. Patriots Offensive Line
The offensive line hasn’t been the best in the league the last two years. In the 2016 AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos, Tom Brady was hit 33 times. He was hit so many times because he didn’t get any protection in that game.
In Super Bowl XLIX, however, the offensive line stepped up for Brady. He was only sacked once in the entire game.
4. Shane Vereen
The running back was let go the offseason after the Pats won this game. However, he did play a key part in their victory. He didn’t do too well rushing, but he did help out in the receiving game.
Vereen caught 11 passes for 64 yards. Most of these passes came from Brady’s left or right. He made a few quick moves, stopping the Legion of Boom and helping the Patriots move down the field to a score.
3. Julian Edelman
Edelman was the Patriots’ leading receiver in this game. He caught nine passes for 109 yards. His ninth and final catch proved to be the icing on the cake in this game.
He caught the game-winning touchdown with 2:02 left in the game. The pass was a three-yard pass from the man that gets #2 on this list.
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2. Tom Brady
Brady is the greatest player to ever put on an NFL jersey. He showed that with his performance in Super Bowl XLIX. He also showed how clutch he is with the performance.
Brady threw for 328 yards and four touchdowns. Each of those four touchdown passes went to four different receivers. Also, an impressive thing about it was he threw two of those touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
While Brady had a very impressive performance for a quarterback, the Patriots wouldn’t have won the game without the #1 guy.
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1. Malcolm Butler
Just a few plays prior to his interception, Butler had gotten beat by Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. A pass thrown deep by Russell Wilson was tipped by Butler, but Kearse was still able to catch the ball on his leg and complete the catch by bringing the hall into his chest.
With little time left and the Seahawks in Patriots territory, the Patriots were in danger of losing their third straight Super Bowl. Then came Butler.
On second and goal from the one, a Wilson pass was intercepted by Butler at the goal line. That clinched the 28-24 victory for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.