Tom Brady throwing during the first half of Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Brady won his fourth Super Bowl.”
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The seconds ticked off late in the fourth quarter Sunday, and how familiar it must have all seemed to Bill Belichick, to Tom Brady, to the New England Patriots and their fans wondering why, oh why, was this happening again.
In their last two Super Bowls, the Patriots had lost in improbable fashion, last-minute defeats fueled by ridiculous passes and absurd catches, and now came the Seattle Seahawks, driving to the New England 1-yard line.
In a frantic finish, and after a dose of karmic payback, the Patriots survived. It was New England that became a team for the ages, not Seattle, winning its fourth Super Bowl title, 28-24, when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass in the end zone with 26 seconds remaining.
“We’ve had some great teams that haven’t won it and I think you’ve got to just enjoy the moment,” Brady said. “We’ve been on the other end of this twice now.”
Butler’s catch had the same nauseating effect on the Seahawks and their supporters as David Tyree’s helmet catch here seven years ago or Mario Manningham’s sideline grab three years ago did on the Patriots, who lost those Super Bowls to the Giants by a total of 7 points.
The Seattle Seahawks coach spoke about the interception that cost his team the game.
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The play was designed, Carroll said, for Kearse to shield his defender, allowing the trailing receiver, Lockette, to pop open.
“When they made the call, I didn’t question it,” said Wilson, who finished 12 of 21 for 247 yards. He added: “We thought we had them. I thought it was going to be a touchdown when I threw it. When I let it go, I thought it was going to be game over.”
It was — just not as Wilson expected.
“It’s going to kill me,” Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin said. “I think I’m about to just go lock myself in my room for about two weeks. This one hurt because we had it. We had it.”
The Seahawks will recover. They are too young, too resilient and too talented. But they also lost in perhaps the cruelest way possible, to a team that once specialized in crushing defeats but no more.
The Patriots are winners again. The Patriots are Super Bowl champions.
A version of this article appears in print on February 2, 2015, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: One Yard From Crushing Loss, Patriots Seize Their 4th Title. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
