GLENDALE, Ariz. - The ads were depressing and the halftime show was bizarre.
But, oh, what a game. And, oh, what sweet redemption for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in their 28-24 Super Bowl XLIX win over the defending champion Seattle Seahawks.
The show on the field was the most entertaining part by far of this Super Bowl – no small thing in the annual spectacle that is part sport and many more parts circus. The second quarter alone will have folks talking for years – and certainly made up for that awful Nationwide commercial.
(Whoever created that has less job security than Tharold Simon, by the way.)
The big names delivered on their advance billing. Marshawn Lynch went Beast Mode with a first-quarter rushing touchdown. Rob Gronkowski gave all of Twitter a case of the giggles when he spiked the ball so hard after his 22-yard TD catch it left a divot in the end zone. Cue your own Deflategate joke here.
Russell Wilson showed why he might be the finest young quarterback in the game, shaking off what have become his trademark early struggles to set up two quick scores in the second half.
Aside from the folks in Boston and Seattle, or wherever the two Super Bowl teams are from, most of us watch the Super Bowl simply hoping for a good, competitive game. Well, that and an ad or two with puppies.
While five of the previous seven Super Bowls were decided by less than a touchdown, how many memorable plays can you remember? David Tyree's catch, of course. Maybe those three, painful incompletions by Colin Kaepernick.
Most of the time, however, the game passes in a blur of queso dip and meatballs.
Not this one. Make up a list all of the "Did you see that?" plays, and you'll still be writing when the NFL Draft rolls around in May.
There was Jeremy Lane's goal-line interception – not that the Seahawks could do anything about it. There was Julian Edelman's 23-yard catch right in front of Simon. There was Chris Matthews' gorgeous 44-yard catch that set up Seattle's first touchdown.
That would be the same Chris Matthews, by the way, who came into the game withzero career catches. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Anyway, back to the list. There was Gronk being Gronk. Wilson's rainbow of a pass to Ricardo Lockette for a 24-yard gain that set up Seattle's second TD – by Chris Matthews, of course.
There was Marshawn Lynch breaking not one, not two, not three but four tackles on a 14-yard rumble up the middle that set up the score that gave Seattle what seemed like an insurmountable 24-14 lead.
And then there was Brady, who really deserves his own list.
Brady is, without question, one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game, a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer. But his integrity, to say nothing of his legacy, has been called into question by Deflategate, with most assuming that he played a role in the footballs that mysteriously lost air pressure in the AFC Championship game.
Brady denied it, and admitted that he was hurt by the accusations. But he saved his best answer for the fourth quarter, directing two long scoring drives that not only gave the Patriots the championship, but gave Brady the title as most prolific Super Bowl quarterback.
His 12 TD passes in the Super Bowl broke the previous record held by Joe Montana. He's now tied with Montana and Terry Bradshaw with four Super Bowl rings, too.
Those are records that won't soon be forgotten. Fitting for a game that won't be, either.
