Bettors Will Forever Lament the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl Interception
As kids, Super Bowl XLIX would have been an instant classic. In fact, it was an incredible on-the-field contest between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The game was filled with drama, excitement, controversy, and unforgettable images. Unfortunately, as we get older, Super Bowl Sunday becomes a gut-wrenching quarter by a quarter act of torture. Why, because of the high stakes of Super Bowl squares. For Rich, one of the OGs of our fantasy football league, he was millimeters away from winning the biggest pot of the night. But then the Malcolm Butler interception happened. Rich was left dumbfounded. Currently, we aren’t millionaires, so he couldn’t make it rain at the strip club with the winnings, but it was enough to buy a lot of lunches.
NBC Sports Boston wrote, “With 26 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLIX and the Seahawks threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown, Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler jumped a slant route to intercept Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line and clinch an improbable 28-24 win for New England.”
The Stakes of the Bet
Rich chose 1 and 8 for his final score in our Super Bowl squares drawing. If the Seahawks had handed the ball off to running back Marshawn Lynch for the game-winning touchdown, Rich would have won the pool with a final score of 31-28. Instead, all he could do was lick his wounds and ask himself ‘what the hell did I just see?’ The sound you hear is the league Commissioner bragging he won the pot (4,8) instead of Rich, because of the interception.
Carroll Under Fire
Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll is catching a lot of heat for choosing to pass the ball into the end zone. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was leading a brilliant two-minute drive to win the Super Bowl. There was even a miracle reception just like the New York Giants‘ victories against the Patriots in their Super Bowl wins. Almost foreshadowing what would happen a few minutes later, Malcolm Butler nearly intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. But Butler tipped the pass and Kearse caught the ball between his legs while laying on the ground.
Seattle was on the threshold of their go-ahead touchdown on New England’s five-yard line. Lynch nearly scored on first and goal but was tackled on the half-yard line with less than a minute left. One simple decision for the Seahawks remained. Call one more running play and allow Lynch to finish off the New England Patriots. But instead, Carroll called a slant into the end zone. The Patriots were ready for the play and boom, the Malcolm Butler interception ended the drive. WTF just happened?
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman‘s sideline reaction will go down in Super Bowl history. Rich, we are speechless. All we can say is better luck next time.
