Malcolm Butler (21) intercepts pass intended for Ricardo Lockette (83).
It wasn’t because Pete Carroll called a pass play at the goal line
Editor’s Note: Apologies for the rare, off-topic article.
As the Patriots and Seahawks get ready to square off in Super Bowl LX, football lovers will surely flash back to February of 2015, when the Patriots defeated the Seahawks with a dramatic, goal line interception. Fans, sports writers, and talking heads will once again debate why Seahawk’s coach Pete Carroll put the ball in the air at the one yard line rather than handing it off to Marshawn ‘Beast Mode’ Lynch.
Everyone was wrong then about why the Seahawks lost, and everyone is wrong now. It wasn’t because Carroll called a pass play. It was because of poor timeout management.
Let’s set the stage. With 1:06 remaining, the Seahawks are 1st and goal from the 5 yard line, down 28-24. Everyone knows what’s coming.
Seahawks fans feverishly chant “Beast Mode! Beast Mode!” Quarterback Russell Wilson hands the ball off to Lynch, who is tackled at the half yard line by Dont’a Hightower, in a championship-preserving play for the Patriots. It’s marked at the one.
It’s now 2nd and goal from the one yard line, and the clock is ticking. Announcer Al Michaels wonders aloud if Patriots coach Bill Belichick might call a timeout to give the team time on the clock, assuming the Seahawks get the go-ahead score. Instead, Belichick – sensing confusion on the Seahawks sideline – lets the clock run.
Seahawks fail to get play off at 1:50 mark after an incomplete pass, call timeout.
Now, at 2nd and goal, the Seahawks should still have as many as three shots, if they need it, to get into the end zone and win the championship. Three straight runs from Lynch would seem to be in order.
But here’s the problem. The Seahawks can’t run the ball three straight times. The clock is now down near 30 seconds, and they only have one timeout left.
Why do the Seahawks only have one timeout? Let’s back up.
At the 1:50 mark, after an incomplete pass to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, the Seahawks are unable to get a play off before the play clock is about to expire. Wilson calls timeout to avoid a penalty.
This is an egregious waste of a timeout in this situation, but no big deal, right? The Seahawks still have two timeouts. Actually, this timeout will haunt them.
Seahawks forced to call second timeout after Kearse catch.
Several plays later, Kearse makes a circus catch close to the Patriots’ goal line. Malcolm Butler prevents a touchdown by pushing him out of bounds, in another championship-preserving play for the Patriots.
The Seahawks’ offense is downfield quickly. However, with the confusion surrounding the last play, they are unable to get a play in on time. The Seahawks are forced to take their second timeout. Now they are in serious trouble.
With 1:06 left, as noted above, Lynch comes up short on 1st and goal. As the clock continues to run, the Seahawks can’t call timeout. It would be their last.
If the Seahawks do call timeout and don’t score on the next play and it’s a run, time would likely expire. Even worse, they can’t call time out to talk over what they want to do because they only have one timeout.
Do the Seahawks run the same pass play that they did if they have even two timeouts left? I highly doubt it.
More likely they would have run the ball three straight times, or as many as it took to score. Run. Timeout. Run. Timeout. Run.
However, with only one timeout, the Seahawks need to either score on 2nd down or stop the clock. Anything else and they’re down to their last play after they call their last timeout. The team put itself in this position by burning two timeouts.
Seahawks fans won’t want to hear it, but there’s an argument that coach Carroll made a good call given the situation and Malcolm Butler simply made a better play. By throwing on second down, the Seahawks gave themselves as many as three bites at the apple, instead of two. If they don’t score on the pass, they stop the clock. They run the ball on third down, call a time out, and then run the ball on fourth down if they haven’t already scored.
Fatefully, of course, the Seahawks go with the pass play. Unfortunately for them, it’s a play that the team has run multiple times over the course of the season. The Patriots’ defense practiced against this exact play multiple times during the week and is prepared.
After the snap, the Patriots’ Brandon Browner jams Kearse. Butler intercepts the pass intended for Ricardo Lockette and makes history.
Make no mistake though. None of that would have ever happened if Seattle had even two timeouts remaining instead of one. The Seahawks lost Super Bowl XLIX because of poor timeout management. Period.
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Love your passion for football as I do, Sean! Very much appreciate the article (as all the others you post). GO HAWKS!
Yes, good analysis Sean. Let’s make it right on Sunday. Go Seahawks!
No offense, but this is a ridiculous analysis. Sure, better time out management would have helped preserve timeouts, as would many other things that affect the outcome. But the bottom line is really straight forward. A hand off to Lynch from the one wins the game almost certainly, throwing a goal line interception loses it. The play that lost the game was the decision to pass a slant pattern into tight coverage where there was no possibility of throwing the ball away. Stupidest play call in NFL playoff history.
Steve, my point, they don’t make the same call if have two timeouts. The reason they called that play is they had one.
Everyone looks at that specific play call in isolation. No on looks at what led up to it, which is the reason they called that play.