Seattle Seahawks’ Chris Matthews Makes Name For Himself In Super Bowl XLIX
By Michael Compton
@MWCompton
Andrew Weber-USA Today Sports
Foot Locker’s loss is the Seattle Seahawks’ gain. Wide receiver Chris Matthews, who worked at a Foot Locker prior to trying out for the Seahawks, held a coming out party against the New England Patriots. His clutch play in Super Bowl XLIX was the talk of the first half.
Matthews, a Long Beach, Calif. native, began his professional career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. Only those that follow the league closely would have been aware of Matthews’ talent prior to Sunday night. The 6-foot-5, 218-pound NFL rookie touched the ball for the first time all season when he recovered a key onside kick against the Green Bay Packers late in the NFC championship game that helped send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
The unheralded Matthews stepped up again in the Super Bowl, making a clutch 44-yard catch in the second quarter that set up a Marshawn Lynch touchdown. With time running out in the first half, Matthews caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to tie the game at 14. It’s difficult to imagine the first two catches of an NFL career coming at a more opportune time.
Matthews also hauled in a high-arched 45-yard pass in the third quarter that led to a Seahawks field goal.
If you didn’t know who Matthews was before the Super Bowl, you’re weren’t alone. While Matthews will start the 2015 season without an NFL regular season catch to his credit, his play in the Super Bowl has all but guaranteed one thing: the sure-handed wide receiver isn’t likely to return to work at Foot Locker anytime soon.
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