Tom Brady Once Credited Malcolm Butler for Making the Greatest Defensive Play in the History of the NFL

The New England Patriots’ dynasty remained alive in 2015 after pulling off one of the most dramatic wins in Super Bowl history against the Seattle Seahawks. Most remember the pivotal moment when Malcolm Butler intercepted the pass at the goal line in the final minute that basically sealed the win for the Patriots. Well, Tom Brady considers it one of the best defensive plays he has ever seen, and he scoffs at those who reduce it to Seattle’s incompetence.

Let’s rewind the clock to that wild Super Bowl XLIX at State Farm Stadium. For a while, we thought the Seahawks were on their way to back-to-back Lombardis, as they held a 24-14 lead going into the fourth quarter. But Brady put together a signature comeback and claimed a 28-24 lead with two minutes left in the game.

The Russell Wilson-led team then drove back down the field, looking for an answer. Many forget that a crazy 33-yard pass to Jermaine Kearse that he caught while lying down set up one of the most legendary moments in that game.

Then it happened. Rather than handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch, Pete Carroll opted for a quick strike throw from Wilson to Ricardo Lockette. Lynch had led the NFL in rushing TDs that season, while Lockette was the team’s third receiving option.

Then, in a heart-stopping moment, Pats DB Malcolm Butler stepped in and intercepted the pass. Brady spoke highly of the moment while looking back on it.

“That was one of the greatest defensive plays in the history of the NFL,” Brady stated on the Dan Patrick Show before continuing,

“Malcolm Butler had that ability to make that play. There are very few cornerbacks in the NFL that have the twitchiness and the reaction to get to that football. People say, ‘Oh, they should’ve handed the ball off.’ We put a defense in that day that didn’t allow you to hand the ball off. We forced them to throw the ball.”

Brady went on to say that he wishes people viewed the craziness of Butler’s play in the same light as Carroll’s decision not to hand it to Lynch. That is important to note. Butler would go on to play for six more seasons and win a second Super Bowl with the Pats in the 2016 season.

But while Butler’s play deserves recognition, the game will always be remembered for Carroll’s puzzling decision. Brady claims that the Pats had a defense that wouldn’t allow the Seahawks to run that day, though they did. Lynch ran for 102 yards on 24 carries and scored on a three-yard run earlier in the game. It was a confounding choice by Carroll — one that ultimately cost him a dynasty.

New England would go on to make three more Super Bowl trips with Brady and Bill Belichick. They won two in three years and extended their dynasty to a near-two-decade stretch.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, never made it back to the NFC Championship Game with Russ and Carroll. Lynch only played in seven games the following season, then briefly retired. 

It’s wild to imagine that the Patriots and Brady were so close to their story being so different. If Seattle wins that game, Russ and Carroll would’ve gone down as a legendary duo. And Lynch may have been motivated to finish out his career with the team. Instead, it’s a bunch of “what-ifs” and a timeline where Brady and Belichick remain supreme.