The final Sunday of the NFL season is the greatest Sunday -- Super Bowl Sunday.
Super Bowl XLIX -- that's 49 in Roman numerals -- pitted the New England Patriots against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. It was hyped up for all the reasons, both right and wrong, and surprisingly, it exceeded the hype.
A back-and-forth game had Seattle ahead by 10 in the fourth quarter before New England mounted the beginning of a comeback. Two touchdowns later, the Patriots appeared to be in control. But one play, made by one previously unknown player, was still needed to secure a title.
The game was in Arizona, meaning both teams were technically on the road, alibeit a neutral site. This makes all participants eligible, both in winning and losing efforts. Here are your greatest on the road from Super Bowl Sunday.
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Greatest on the Road ...
Malcolm Butler, New England Patriots
Remember that one player needed to make a play late in the game? Meet Malcolm Butler.
New England trotted Butler out onto the field in a replacement situation for benched corner Kyle Arrington earlier in the game, and didn't take the field on that pivotal down until Seattle sent out three receivers. It was a moment captured by NFL Films -- New England's defensive coaches shouting for Butler to enter the game -- and seconds later, that same sideline screaming and jumping for joy after Butler fell to the ground with the ball.
Butler's interception was obviously the hallmark play of the Super Bowl, but it wasn't his only good play -- he covered consistently throughout the third and fourth quarters as New England's defense stood strong to limit Seattle's offense when the Patriots needed stops.
Butler wasn't the Super Bowl MVP; that went to quarterback Tom Brady. But Butler made the play that saved Brady and coach Bill Belichick from yet another heartbreak on the game's biggest stage.
Also considered ...
Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
Edelman tallied nine catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner that was eerily close to the one shown in the Madden simulation of the game. I'm still creeped out by that.
The former Kent State quarterback-turned-receiver was all over the field as the Patriots' Swiss army knife, fielding punts, catching passes from Brady and making multiple Seattle defenders miss as he played with a high level of energy all evening. Edelman's whip route on the goal line -- yes, he pushed off, but within five yards of the line of scrimmage -- left Tharold Simon in the dust and put New England in the end zone for the decisive touchdown.
I personally think his performance was MVP-worthy, but the glory goes to quarterbacks, with Brady being on the winning end, and equally as deserving.
Chris Matthews, Seattle Seahawks
Matthews was largely unknown before the Super Bowl. He was another Canadian football crossover who had done little to make his name notable in NFL circles. Then came the Super Bowl, and his multiple deep catches had fans both stunned and using Google to find out who No. 13 was for Seattle.
Despite the loss, Seattle targeted Matthews multiple times, and he proved to be worthy of the targets. The wideout caught four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown that tied the game up heading into halftime.
His play wasn't quite enough to win a second-straight Lombardi Trophy for Seattle, but it was enough to lift his name from the abyss of obscurity.
