It was a play that will be talked about and ridiculed for years, and perhaps even centuries. Down four with just under 30 seconds, the Seattle Seahawks were knocking on the door to go up three. After an unbelievable catch from Jermaine Kearse and a Marshawn Lynch run, the Seahawks were just a yard and a half away from going up three.
I can’t say this enough, but the New England Patriots basically had no chance of winning this game if they didn’t create a turnover.
A few years ago, the Patriots purposely let Ahmad Bradshaw score so they would get the ball back. Instead of doing that, the Patriots played out this series and, as we all know, it turned out to be a smart decision. Even though the Seahawks averaged around 170 yards on the ground in 2014, instead of handing the ball off to Lynch and giving him the opportunity to gain just two yards, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell dialed up the worst play call in the history of professional coaching.
On a slant pattern, stud quarterback Russell Wilson decided to throw to a career special teams player in Ricardo Lockette. However, undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler out of West Alabama jumped the route and picked off a questionable throw from Wilson.
In just a matter of seconds, Seattle’s win probability went from probably around 90 percent to 1 percent. On the opposite side of the ball, the Patriots’ win probability went from 1 percent to 90 percent. It’s crazy to think Bevell, the man who decided to call this atrocity of a call, was getting some recognition to become a head coach. It will be 2030 and I will still not understand why the Seahawks didn’t hand the ball off to arguably the league’s best running back in Lynch.
Instead of winning their second-straight Super Bowl, the Seahawks will go back to Seattle as losers in the absolute worst way.
Ryan Ratty is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL or add him to your network on Google.
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