GLENDALE, Ariz. — Despite trailing for a fair portion of the second half, and almost losing the game in the final minute of the game, the Patriots defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to win Super Bowl 49. 

It was the eighth overall Super Bowl appearance for the New England Patriots and the second straight for the Seattle Seahawks. 

With about a minute to go in the game, the Seahawks’ Jermaine Kearse had a remarkable catch, but it was not enough for Seattle as the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass from Russell Wilson to seal the victory for New England.

But, the game didn’t end there. 

Bruce Irvin of the Seahawks started a shoving match, which turned into a brawl among the on-field players when the Patriots took a knee to officially end the game. After order was restored, Irvin was ejected and the Patriots took a knee one more time to run the clock out. 

Coming into the game, the Seahawks were 1-1 in Super Bowl appearances, while the Patriots sported a 3-4 record. 

Patriot quarterback Tom Brady set two records in the contest, the first being player with the most touchdown passes in Super Bowl games. Brady broke Joe Montana’s previous record 11 when he scored his 12th Super Bowl touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The second record was for most complete passes in a Super Bowl game with 37.

Brady, who was the game’s Most Valuable Player, finished the night by completing 37 passes out of 50 attempts, 328 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. LeGarrette Blount finished the night with 14 carries for 40 yards and Shane Vereen ended with four carries and 13 rushing yards and 11 receptions for 64 yards. Julian Edelman finished with nine receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown, while Rob Gronkowski ended with six receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. 

On the Seattle side of the ball, Wilson completed 12 of 21 pass attempts for 247 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Marshawn Lynch rushed 24 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. Chris Matthews had four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.

According to a CNBC report, each player on this year’s Super Bowl championship team will receive a bonus of $97,000, while each player on the losing team will get a bonus of $49,000. That money is in addition to the $44,000 each player already made for winning their respective conference championships two weeks ago and another $24,000 for winning respective divisional playoff contests. 

In the first quarter of Sunday’s game, neither team was able to get on the board despite Jeremy Lane of the Seahawks intercepting a Brady pass towards the end of the quarter. 

With 9:47 to go in the second, Brandon LaFell caught an 11 yard touchdown pass from Brady and Stephen Gostkowski hit the extra point to put the Patriots up 7-0. 

Then, with 2:16 to go, Marshawn Lynch had a three yard touchdown run, followed by a Steven Hauschka extra point kick to tie the game at seven. 

With 31 seconds until the half, Rob Gronkowski caught a 22 yard touchdown pass from Brady and a Gostkowsi extra point put the New England boys up 14-7. 

But, with two seconds remaining, Chris Matthews of the Seahawks caught an 11 yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson, followed by a Hauschka extra point to tie the game at 14 heading into the halftime break. 

In the third quarter, the Seahawks took a 17-14 lead at 11:09 on a Hauschka 27 yard field goal and then a 24-14 lead at 4:54 on a Doug Baldwin three yard touchdown catch from Wilson, followed by a Hauschka kick. 

In the fourth, the Patriots cut the lead to 24-21 at 7:55 when Danny Amendola caught a four yard pass from Brady, followed by a Gostkowski extra point.

At 2:02, the Patriots scored again when Julian Edelman caught a three yard pass from Brady to take a 28-24 advantage, followed by a Gostkowski kick. 

In the week prior to the big event, national media outlets were quick to talk about not only the approaching game, but also topics such as the Patriots’ ball deflating scandal and Marshawn Lynch’s refusal to answer questions Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which really is something everyone should be used to by now. (And, no, I didn't just write this article to avoid a fine.)

Click here to view all of the Super Bowl commercials. 

SUPER BOWL XLIX FAST FACTS

Who: Seattle Seahawks (NFC Champion) versus New England Patriots (AFC Champion)

What: 49th Edition of the Super Bowl

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Why: To crown the best team of the 2014-15 NFL season

Commentators: Al Michaels (Play-by-Play), Chris Collinsworth (Analyst), Michele Tafoya (Sidelines)

National Anthem Performer: Idina Menzel (Yes, the “Let it Go” singer from Disney’s “Frozen”)

America the Beautiful Performer: John Legend

Halftime Performance: Katy Perry featuring Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott. 

Other Host Cities Considered: Kansas City, Missouri (initially awarded the contest but had too many hurdles), Tampa, Florida (other option if the NFL passed over Glendale), and Miami

Cost of a 30 second commercial: $4.5 million

Seattle in the Super Bowl: The Seahawks appeared in its third Super Bowl, including its second straight. They previously appeared in Super Bowls 40 and 48.

New England in the Super Bowl: The Patriots appeared in its eighth Super Bowl, which ties for the most appearances with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. They previously appeared in Super Bowls 20, 31, 36, 38, 39, 42 and 46. 

Related Story:

Patriots dominate Colts, advance to Super Bowl; Seahawks shock Packers in OT

Reach George Harvey and the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.