Many people may have forgotten after last year’s Seattle blowout of Denver that most Super Bowls are close contests.

In fact, five of the last six games have been decided by less than a touchdown.

The hype leading up to Super Bowl XLIX between the defending champion Seahawks and the New England Patriots was huge.

Thankfully, Sunday night in the desert, the game lived up to the hype.

In fact, it was a great game that featured plenty of twists and turns.

With the Patriots victory, Tom Brady is cemented in NFL history as one of the all-time greats.

Unfortunately for him and the Pats, there will also be “deflategate” handing over their heads regardless of the outcome of the NFL investigation.

But for a few magical hours in Phoenix, we were allowed to forget the controversy and enjoy a great football game.

I honestly thought Seattle was going to be the first team to win back-to-back championships since New England in 2004-05.

But a questionable play call by the Seahawks’ coaching staff turned an unknown free agent cornerback Malcom Butler into an instant star.

That has always been one of the great things about the Super Bowl.

Someone you may not have heard of steps up in the NFL’s biggest game to make a great play.

That’s what makes it super.

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.