Super Bowl XLIX: Five things we learnt as the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks 24 New England Patriots 28

(Getty Images)

The champions have been crowned and the season is over. Zander Swinburne evaluates just what we learnt from this years Super Bowl.

1) The Seahawks have no one else to blame but themselves

What a strange play call. Camped on the Patriots goal line, Russell Wilson’s three-yard pass was picked off by Malcolm Butler to seal the game 28-24. The Seahawks and their coaching staff have no one else to blame but themselves for this. The biggest question raised is why wasn't the ball given to Marshawn Lynch.

So many questions surrounded Tom Brady going into this season. Was he too old? Had he played his best years? Evidently not. Tom Brady showed on Sunday that he continues to play at a top level in the NFL and now has four Super Bowl rings to prove he really can be considered the best quarterback to play the game.

He now has the same number of championships as the great Joe Montana. Brady finished the game with over 300 yards passing and four touchdown passes which gifted him the MVP of the game. Any doubters regarding Brady’s status as one of the great quarterbacks of the NFL will find their numbers fewer after this game.

3) Patriot fans enjoy a never ending fountain of success

It is hard to find any other fan base that has enjoyed as much success as those who support the New England Patriots. After New England’s 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Patriots fans can now enjoy a fourth Super Bowl championship in just over a decade.

Although this is New England’s first championship in 10 years, they have experienced unparalleled success in the meantime. In every year but one since the last time they lifted the Lombardi trophy, the Patriots have won the AFC East and in that time they have also made the AFC Championship game six times. The Patriots remain the ultimate dynasty, a team who have remained the cream of the crop since the turn of the century. With this said, no other fan base has ever had it so good.

4) The Patriots' wide receivers were the real stars of the show

Once the confetti settles, much of the hype surrounding the conclusion of Super Bowl XLIX will undoubtedly be focused around Tom Brady. Of course, in many ways it should be as Brady staged a masterful fourth quarter comeback to win the game.

However, the true stars of the show were the Patriots wide receivers. Brady did well to spread the ball around the field, but it was his receiving corps that made the yards. Julien Edelmen all but erased a distant memory that Wes Welker was once on the Patriots team, as his scampering runs saw him end the game with over 100 yards receiving. Rob Gronkowski was also powerful at tight end once again.

The best TE in the game was on terrific form and he complimented Brady’s game when his quarterback needed him most. Brady will get the spotlight, but his supporting act should get the best review.

5) Chris Matthews is a good football player

Chris who? This is a question that was no doubt asked by many individuals on Super Bowl Sunday. Chris Matthews, the Seahawks wide receiver who lies fourth on the depth chart and was only signed to the team in December, came out of nowhere to produce a brilliant performance. Although his play will be overshadowed by Seattle’s loss, Matthews turned in a stat sheet that speaks wonders.

For a player that was working in footlocker barely a year ago, it has been quite a turnaround for this former Canadian Football League player. Matthews finished the day with over 100 yards receiving and one touchdown, all from a man who had never caught a ball in a Seahawks uniform.

Whether he is simply a flash in the pan player (much like David Tyree was after Super Bowl XLII) remains to be seen. Nonetheless, Chris Matthews represented the everyman on Super Bowl Sunday, in many ways showing that the unlikeliest of characters can achieve great things on the world’s greatest stage.