Brady leads fourth-quarter comeback in Super Bowl XLIX, wins fourth ring
Feb. 1, 2015: With the Deflategate saga in its swelling infancy, the Patriots remained focused on the task at hand: winning a Super Bowl for the first time in a decade. Going from dynasty to an era of domination.
What would unfold was one of the most gritty, dramatic Super Bowls in history. The Patriots and Seahawks traded touchdowns in the first half, entering the third quarter tied 14–14. Brady and the Patriots offense were stymied by the vaunted Seahawks defense in the third, while a Doug Baldwin touchdown and Steven Hauschka field goal catapulted the Seahawks to a 24–14 lead entering the game’s final quarter.
Momentum seemed light years away for New England, the taste of a lost season became more prevalent. Then Tom Brady grabbed his superhero cape. After a nearly perfect 68-yard touchdown drive cut the lead to three points, Brady orchestrated an actual perfect drive to give the Patriots a 28–24 lead with 2:02 left. Brady was 8–8 on the drive, hitting four different New England receivers. It was his 13th Super Bowl touchdown, eclipsing the record held by Brady’s childhood hero, Joe Montana. Then Malcolm Butler sealed the game by intercepting Russell Wilson in the end zone, and quarterback history would be changed forever. Brady, hoisting his fourth Super Bowl and third Super Bowl MVP trophies, went from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time to the greatest ever in many eyes.
