CLEVELAND, Ohio -- And so it has come to this.

A ball tumbles off Jermaine Kearse's crotch, and Seattle is going to have one of the greatest last-minute drives to win a Super Bowl ever, and Pete Carroll and the Seahawks' coaching staff forgets about Marshawn Lynch and a mind-numbing interception by Malcolm Brown instead gives Bill Belichick and Tom Brady their fourth championship ring -- 28-24 in Phoenix.

It's the Pats who were the clear black hats entering today's Super Bowl, which some think might set a record for most viewers and highest share of TVs. So who says scandal doesn't sell?

Of course, we had to have a megablog for an event like this. So we had all the big plays from Phoenix on America's unofficial national holiday.

10:57 p.m.: Thanks for taking part everyone. There's a lot in the story below. Enjoy reliving it -- unless you're a Seahawks fan.

10:53 p.m.: A final tour around Twitter:

Good news is this was a wonderful, compelling game. Bad news is the NFL does not have any more games to distract from league scrutiny. — Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) February 2, 2015

Seahawks players are ripping the hell out of that last call. Openly. — mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) February 2, 2015

4-under through 6 RT @sportswatch: Final scoring margins in Patriots' last six Super Bowls: 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4 — Individual WUM (@AndyGlockner) February 2, 2015

Isn't tonight the way you always pictured the Browns losing the Super Bowl? — Cleveland Sports Talk (@CLEsportsTalk) February 2, 2015

International response to SEA play call to pass rather than run Lynch appears to be unanimous: https://t.co/lfatBAiGu9 — Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 2, 2015

10:45 p.m.: How to summarize?

Tom Brady dinked and dunked and the Seahawks never really stopped him. Picked him off a couple times, but never stopped him. For excellence over the length of a career -- isn't he Unitas and Montana rolled into one?

Russell Wilson to Chris Matthews was the most improbable Super Bowl connection of all time. Yet it was THAT CLOSE to a title-winning connection.

Marshawn Lynch has to talk sometime this off-season, doesn't he?

Jermaine Kearse had a catch only slightly behind David Tyree in improbability.

Malcolm Butler never has to buy a drink or a meal in New England for the rest of his life.

#Patriots LB Collins, asked if he was surprised Lynch did not get the ball at the goal line: "Why wouldn't you give it to Beast Mode?" — Jack Magruder (@JackMagruder) February 2, 2015

Gronk being Gronk as he wins his 1st career Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/YH8o9oCcY3 — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2015

10:35 p.m.: Carroll said the Seahawks didn't want to run against the Patriots' goal-line defense. Which will go down in history as perhaps the least faith in a great running back ever. Ever. Ever.

Then again, who would have thought this?

Marshawn Lynch had 5 previous runs from the 1 this season and had scored only one touchdown. — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 2, 2015

10:32 p.m.: Get the latest review of the Super Bowl commercials here.

10:26 p.m.: Tom Brady named MVP of the Super Bowl. He looks a little dazed by a victory that seemed totally lost 20 minutes ago. "I couldn't believe it," he said of Kearse's catch. "I was getting ready to go out for another series."

@Clinkingbeard @bobwojnowski Montana had Rice and Taylor, Bradshaw had Swann and Stallworth. Brady has done it with open casting. — Devin Scillian (@DevinScillian) February 2, 2015

10:23 p.m.: There's no missing those boos for Roger Goodell.

Roger Goodell now getting the same crowd reaction Vince McMahon gets when he takes the mic. — Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 2, 2015

Each Patriot made $97,000 for this game. Each Seahawk made $49,000. #SB49 — Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) February 2, 2015

10:21 p.m.: Is Kurt Warner delivering the Lombardi Trophy, or getting ready to be coronated?

10:18 p.m.: Robert Kraft still gets a deflated football question as the award stand is prepared -- don't think they're taking this title away, regardless of what is found.

What a night for Tom Brady:

• Wins 4th Super Bowl

• Wins 3rd Super Bowl MVP

• Sets SB record for TD passes

• 9th career postseason GW drive — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2015

But still ...

“@IUJGray: @YahooForde This has to be up there with Vandevelde, Merkel's Boner, Red Sox 86, etc. on history's most brutal losses list.” Yes — Pat Forde (@YahooForde) February 2, 2015

1 yard and Marshawn Lynch and you throw? Straight stupidity. — Jim Rome (@jimrome) February 2, 2015

10:09 p.m.: Malcolm Butler said he had "a vision" to make a big play. And he certainly did.

Pete Carroll is the head coach and it's a bottom line game, but offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is being excoriated by the nation's football writers.

Darrell Bevell’s never going to get a head-coaching interview again. — Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 2, 2015

Man the Hoodie was going to get roasted by the media tomorrow about not calling a timeout and Seattle bails him out. — Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) February 2, 2015

That will be the most second-guessed play call in NFL history. — Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 2, 2015

That was the worst play call I've seen in the history of football.😞 — Emmitt Smith (@EmmittSmith22) February 2, 2015

Final: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24

10:07 p.m.: Just 49 yards to go for Seattle.

Wilson incomplete to Kearse, nice coverage by Butler at the 30. On second-and-10, Seattle has all three timeouts. Wilson takes timeout to avoid delay of game.

Game hero Chris Matthews back in the game. Lynch in backfield, Wilson goes deep for Matthews, but Brandon Browner in good position and knocks it away in the end zone. On third-and-10, Wilson to Lockette for 11 yards at the 38. Clock running under 1:20.

Wilson to Kearse, ball tipped by Butler, bounces off Kearse's leg, caught at the 5.

Watch it once.

Watch it 10 times.

Watch it 1,000.



How Jermaine Kearse caught this ball... it doesn't make sense. http://t.co/hg7ijx4eCB — NFL (@NFL) February 2, 2015

Obligatory replays of David Tyree and Mario Manningham here.

Seattle calls second timeout with play clock nearly expired. 1:06 left.

Beast Mode stopped inside the 1. Does New England call timeout? No, but why not? Bad move by Belichick.

Wilson intercepted at goal line by Malcolm Butler -- and Lynch doesn't get the ball because???? Butler steps in front of Lockette. Celebration penalty puts ball on 1 with 20 seconds left.

"I cannot believe the call," says Cris Collinsworth. Neither can anyone else.

OMG x2 — Individual WUM (@AndyGlockner) February 2, 2015

Dumb loses more than smart wins. #superbowl and btw pats should've used the time out — Rece Davis (@ESPN_ReceDavis) February 2, 2015

Worst call by a Carroll team since 4th 2 vs Texas at USC without Bush on field at least as a decoy. — Bill Livingston (@Livy70) February 2, 2015

Total meltdown in the last 30 seconds by the Seahawks. — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 2, 2015

Patriots need to get the ball out of the end zone. Timeout #2 taken to talk it over.

Seattle's Michael Bennett jumps offside, and Patriots can kneel down and win. Kneel down is taken, but both teams start throwing punches -- Bennett and Gronkowski are the main event. Bruce Irvin is ejected.

Final kneeldown and it's over.

Patriots 28, Seahawks 24, 1:55 left in fourth quarter

9:51 p.m.: Touchback gives Seattle a play before two-minute warning. Wilson in empty backfield hits Lynch down left sideline for 31 yards to the New England 49.

When will Tom Brady ever learn to not score so quickly? — Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) February 2, 2015

People will talk about Tom Brady for the next 50 years so differently based on what the Pats D does here. — Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) February 2, 2015

Patriots 28, Seahawks 24, 2:02 left in fourth quarter

9:48 p.m.: First and goal at the 6, Blount up the middle for three and Patriots might be working the clock as much as anything -- whether they get a TD or field goal. On second down at the 3, Brady to Edelman in the left corner for the touchdown -- picking on Simon again.

Brady right on cue. What a great Super Bowl. — Bob Wojnowski (@bobwojnowski) February 2, 2015

Quite a drive. Over to you, Russell. — Pat Forde (@YahooForde) February 2, 2015

9:45 p.m.: On first down, nice one-handed grab by Vereen of dumpoff by Brady for eight yards. On second-and-2, another Vereen grab for five yards and a first down at the New England 48.

Brady to Edelman, who makes two Seahawks miss for nine. Great night for the Golden Flash from Kent State. On second down, swing pass to Vereen good for six yards and a first down, but Edelman called for offensive pass interference. Penalty actually on Danny Amendola, not Edelman. On second-and-11 with clock at 4:47, Brady hits Gronkowski for 20 yards to the 32. Chancellor was two yards behind him.

On first down, Brady to Vereen for no gain, nice quick tackle by Sherman. On second-and-10, Brady to Gronkowski for 12 against LB K.J. Wright. Just pitch and catch.

On first down, Vereen up the middle for seven. On second-and-3 at the 12, Brady on quick out to LaFell for a first down at the 6 with 2:52 left.

Patriots go tackle eligible, but Brady calls timeout with one second on play clock, 2:52 left on game clock.

Brady has another Super Bowl record: 36 completions in one game. — Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) February 2, 2015

9:36 p.m.: After touchback, ball on Seattle 20.

Play action with Lynch, Wilson incomplete for Lockette. Could have been interference on DB Malcolm Butler. On second-and-10, Lynch gets four. On third-and-6, Wilson overthrows Lynch down right sideline -- he was open.

Momentum has switched and Ryan's punt fair caught by Edelman at New England 36 with 6:52 left.

Seahawks getting tight on offense. — Ken Carman (@KenCarman) February 2, 2015

Ok, strength vs. strength in money time.... — Steve Wyche (@wyche89) February 2, 2015

Seahawks 24, Patriots 21, 7:55 left in fourth quarter

9:28 p.m.: It's getting late in Phoenix, and Brady needs to get some points.

On first down, he's sacked by DE/LB Bruce Irvin, loss of eight. On second-and-18, flip to LaFell on right sideline good for four. On third-and-14, Brady steps up and drills Edelman at midfield. He keeps running, but was down at the Patriots 49. First down.

Screen to Vereen good for nine, and flag thrown for late hit by Seattle's Earl Thomas, ball moved to Seattle 27.

Brady goes deep for LaFell, but he's closely covered by Tharold Simon and ball in incomplete. On second down, Vereen gets two at right end. On third-and-8, Brady steps up and hits Edelman at the 14, takes a big hit but runs to the 4 for a first down.

Am I the only one who thinks Edelman is concussed? One tough dude. — Bruce Hooley (@BHOOLZ) February 2, 2015

First and goal. Clock nearing eight minutes. Brady throws behind Edelman at the left goal line. Ball was just too hot. On second down, Brady hits Amendola in back of end zone against zone coverage by Earl Thomas.

Here we go. This game is still a game. Heck of a drive by NE. Julian Edelman is so damn tough. Some nice throws by 12 too — Steve Wyche (@wyche89) February 2, 2015

9:17 p.m.: Lynch squeezes through the left side for three yards on first down. On second-and-7, DT Alan Branch stops Lynch for no gain. On third-and-7, Wilson in empty backfield sacked by Ninkovich on five-man rush. It's a coverage sack.

Edelman grabs punt at the 18, returns 14 yards to the 32 with 12:10 left.

Patriots need Gronk to go Gronk — J.A. Adande (@jadande) February 2, 2015

9:15 p.m.: On third-and-1, Blount loses a yard. Patriots ... won't go for it.

Low punt returned to Seattle 35.

Seahawks 24, Patriots 14, end of third quarter

9:10 p.m.: Vereen for three on first down on a very important drive. On second-and-7, Brady to FB James Devlin for six as quarter ends.

Seahawks are 18-0 when leading by at least 10 points at the end of the 3rd quarter over the last 3 seasons — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 2, 2015

9:09 p.m.: Wilson on play action hits Lockette for 25 on first down and the Patriots are reeling. Ball on 45. On first down, Lynch for two yards as clock moves under 2:30 in third quarter. On second-and-8, Wilson to Kearse on the right sideline for six. On third-and-2 at the Patriots' 47, Kearse drops a well-thrown ball at the 25.

Jon Ryan handles low snap and punts OB at the New England 15.

9:03 p.m.: Kickoff pushed to 20, Edelman returns 20 yards to the New England 35.

Brady facing biggest Super Bowl deficit. Play action to Edelman good for 22, but holding on center Bryan Stork against Michael Bennett negates it. On first-and-20, Brady too long for LaFell against Simon. On second down, Brady to Edelman for 11. On third-and-9, pass to Amendola is incomplete with Bobby Wagner closing hard.

Michael Bennett is the MVP of this game — Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 2, 2015

Seattle starting to get real close to Brady. He already was knocked around a little bit on the last drive. — Dave Richard (@daverichard) February 2, 2015

Ryan Allen's punt bounces into end zone for touchback. Seattle can get within reach of a second title with a scoring drive now.

Seahawks 24, Patriots 14, 4:54 left in third quarter

8:54 p.m.: Wilson to Matthews for his fourth career catch on first down, good for nine. On second-and-1, Lynch for four and a first down at the Patriots 37.

Chris Matthews plays three games, then makes key play in NFC Championship Game, then this. Dude thinks he's Cardale Jones. — Eric Adelson (@eric_adelson) February 2, 2015

Wilson scrambles for 16 after Patriot DE Chandler Jones whiffs on potential sack. Holding on New England secondary added to play. Ball on 19.

Beast Mode gets to 4 after 15 yards. On first and goal, Lynch gets a yard. Seattle moving toward fourth-straight score in four possessions. On second-and-goal at the 3, play action opens Doug Baldwin wide open on right side of end zone.

Baldwin flagged for celebration. Enforced on kickoff.

Matthews, Michael Bennett, Lynch. Seattle winning almost every physical battle all of a sudden. — Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) February 2, 2015

8:48 p.m.: After touchback puts ball on 20, Brady starts series with flip to Edelman for three. On second-and-7, Blount gets a foot or two over left guard with Seattle beginning to get some penetration. On third-and-6, Seahawks blitz three, but Brady gets ball away to Gronkowski for seven yards and the first down at the 31.

On first down, Blount for one, and Seahawks are pressing the line of scrimmage on what they perceive to be running downs -- only 47 rushing yards for New England. On second-and-9, Brady pressured by Bennett and throws ball away. No grounding. On third-and-9, Brady looks over middle of field for Gronkowski and is intercepted by MLB Bobby Wagner. Seattle called for illegal block on Richard Sherman, ball moved back to the 50 with 8:07 left in quarter.

Here's Tom Brady's 2nd interception of the night...he had never thrown multiple interceptions in Super Bowl before: https://t.co/5DRyhoIVRt — BuzzFeed Sports (@BuzzFeedSports) February 2, 2015

Bobby Wagner, earning that MVP vote — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2015

Seahawks 17, Patriots 14, 11:09 left in third quarter

8:37 p.m.: Lynch on first down for three. He has 48 yards in 13 carries. On second-and-7, Lynch breaks through the middle for 15.

Wilson on play action and Chris Matthews is continuing his MVP night with a grab over Kyle Arrington to the 17 for 45 yards. He got away with a bit of a push.

Lynch for eight on first down and Beast Mode is appearing. On second-and-2, Wilson hands to Turbin for a yard. On third-and-1, Lynch returns and is pulled down by LB Rob Ninkovich. Great play to force a field goal.

Steven Hauschka good from 27 yards. Seattle has first lead of the night.

8:32 p.m.: Seattle starts at 20 after touchback.

8:28 p.m.: For a complete review of the halftime entertainment, just check with cleveland.com's Troy Smith.

8:24 p.m.: How many of you just thought: "Hey, isn't that the old "The More You Know" logo that Katy is flying on?

Omg yes! Was saying this too. Amazing. RT @WorldofIsaac: OMG KATY PERRY JUST DID "THE MORE YOU KNOW" pic.twitter.com/ajPUjeAdtF — Heather Brittany (@HeatherBrit) February 2, 2015

Katy Perry is a living The More You Know PSA — mgoblog (@mgoblog) February 2, 2015

When did Nickelodeon take over halftime? — Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) February 2, 2015

C'mon, that was really good. — Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus) February 2, 2015

8:22 p.m.: Oh, there's always haters.

Can't help thinking ISIS is gonna use clips of this halftime show for a recruitment video. #SuperBowl — Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 2, 2015

So far this show is like a parable about the various stages of drug use. #SuperBowl — Carolina A. Miranda (@cmonstah) February 2, 2015

You're really going to be going nuts when Black Rob comes running out. — Ken Carman (@KenCarman) February 2, 2015

We've been sucked into a time warp and come out in 2003. Does this mean my gray hairs will regain their color? — Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) February 2, 2015

8:17 p.m.: This has nothing to do with being an old fogey, but couldn't NBC have actually gotten Perry's microphone to -- you know -- actually work on TV, instead of hearing the echo of her voice on the stadium loudspeakers?

Is this the Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsored by LSD? — Rush the Court (@rushthecourt) February 2, 2015

8:14 p.m.: OK, a Trojan Tiger starts off the halftime show. I absolutely called that.

8:11 p.m.: Now HERE's a trivia question that will stump the guy or gal next to you:

Marshawn Lynch is 1st player to score touchdowns in back 2 back Super Bowls since Mike Vrabel (SB38, SB39) — Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) February 2, 2015

8:07 p.m.: Curious what made the NFL select Katy Perry for halftime? Wouldn't have anything to do with this, right?

Katy Perry has more Twitter followers than any other person on planet with 64.3 million. — Kurt Badenhausen (@kbadenhausen) February 2, 2015

Patriots 14, Seahawks 14, halftime

7:59 p.m.: Another touchback, and Seattle has three timeouts and 80 yards to cover.

Wilson on fist down gives to Robert Turbin for 19 yards and Seattle calls timeout #1 with 24 seonds left. Wilson zone keep left for 16 yards to the Patriots 45 with 17 seconds left. On first down, Wilson goes deep right, no one there with 11 seconds left. On second down, Wilson to WR Ricardo Lockette for 22 yards, with Patriots DB Kyle Arrington called for facemask, ball to the 11. With six seconds, Seahawks will run a play, but the Patriots call their second timeout on defense.

Wilson hits WR Chris Matthews against Logan Ryan for a touchdown at the goal line. Two seconds left. Ryan was playing way too far off.

Russell Wilson to Chris Matthews for late 1st half touchdown, game tied at 14-14. #SB49 http://t.co/dfQzAy3hJp http://t.co/SKunm55uPj — BuzzFeed Sports (@BuzzFeedSports) February 2, 2015

First two catches of Chris Matthews' career - not bad. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2015

Squib kick by Seattle runs out the clock.

Tremendous drive for Seattle, which gets the ball first in the second half. A real energy zapper for Patriots.

And that's why you go for it there. Worth the risk. It's the Super Bowl. — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 2, 2015

Patriots 14, Seahawks 7, 0:31 left in second quarter

7:50 p.m.: After quick out to Amendola gets a quick first down at the 31, Patriots have all three timeouts and Blount gets nine yards and two feet on first down. Brady to Vereen for a first down at the 45.

No timeouts yet. Brady patient and overthrows Amendola at the Seattle 36. Clock stops at 54 seconds. On second down, Edelman jet sweep left gets seven yards. On third-and-3 and 49 seconds, Brady gets an easy first down on offside by Seattle DE Cliff Avril. Ball to the Seattle 43.

On first down, Brady to Vereen on circle route in the middle of the field for 17 yards to the 23. Patriots timeout #1 with 40 seconds left.

On first down, Brady to Vereen on right sideline for four with 36 seconds left. On second-and-6, Brady finds Gronkowski isolated on LB K.J. Wright and it's a mismatch for a 19-yard score.

I absolutely can't Believe I Just saw a LINEBACKER split out on Gronk!WITH NO DEEP HELP — Bernie Kosar (@BernieKosarQB) February 2, 2015

Brady ties Montana, 11 Super Bowl TD passes. — Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) February 2, 2015

Seahawks 7, Patriots 7, 2:16 left in second quarter

7:34 p.m.:

Russell Wilson's first completion of the game comes with 5:30 to go in the first half. On third down and 6, he hits Jermaine Kearse right at the marker. Wilson goes deep on the next play and finds Matthews for 44 yards to the Patriots' 11. Lynch runs it into the end zone on third down from the three and we have a ball game.

"About that touchdown, Marshawn?"

"Thanks for asking." — Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) February 2, 2015

7:25 p.m.: Seahawks force the Patriots into their first three and out of the game and Russell Wilson & Co. take over at their own 30-yard line.

7:21 p.m.: Another quick three-and-out for Seattle, with Logan Ryan knocking away a third-down pass at midfield. Wilson still hasn't completed a pass.

Patriots start at their 26.

7:17 p.m.: Seahawks start at 20 after touchback. Seattle has one first down so far, Patriots 9.

Tom Brady extends his own record for most career postseason TD passes pic.twitter.com/vao5OI76xU — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 2, 2015

Brady now has 10 Super Bowl TD passes. One behind Joe Montana, who holds the record. — Michael Whitmer (@MichaelTWhitmer) February 2, 2015

Patriots 7, Seahawks 0, 9:47 left in second quarter

7:12 p.m.: Love hearing Al Michaels promoting Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz. I'm sure he's such a fan.

Patriots open with quick WR screen left to Amendola that is blocked beautifully for 17 yards to the Seattle 49. On first down, Brady incomplete to Brandon LaFell. On second-and-10, Brady to LaFell for seven. With the exception of the interception, Brady is getting time. On third-and-3, Brady to Vereen in the right flat for six and the first down.

Play action deep to Gronkowski incomplete, he pushed off Kam Chancellor a bit but no catch or flag. On second down, Vereen up the middle for a yard. On third-and-9, Brady hits Edelman on a dig route over the middle perfectly for 23 yards against Lane's replacement, Tharold Simon.

First down at the 12, Blount gets a yard on first down. Patriots went unbalanced with a tackle eligible on the blocking. On second-and-9, Brady on a post route to Brandon LaFell for the touchdown against Simon and Earl Thomas collides with Simon after LaFell scores and causes some arm injury.

Tom Brady to Brandon LaFell for 11-yard TD, @Patriots lead 7-0 in the 2nd. #SB49 http://t.co/AOknc8uxsJ — BuzzFeed Sports (@BuzzFeedSports) February 2, 2015

Great Coaching!TD Pass Post Injury/Play Directed against replacement Simon — Bernie Kosar (@BernieKosarQB) February 2, 2015

Seattle better get Tharold Simon some help. Stat. — Jim Rome (@jimrome) February 2, 2015

7:04 p.m.: On second-and-12, Lynch over left tackle for three. On third-and-9, Wilson scrambles again with no one open, retreating to the 10 before throwing too long for Bryan Walters.

Great work by NE secondary. Easy to lose focus on these long scrambles. — Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 2, 2015

Patriots have to be fired up about 20 total yards for the Seahawks. Plan is working so far. — Marc Sessler (@MarcSesslerNFL) February 2, 2015

Edelman's two-yard return on the punt gives Patriots ball at their 36.

Patriots 0, Seahawks 0, end of first quarter

7 p.m.: From the 14, Wilson's first pass is a scramble run instead for seven yards. On second-and-3, Lynch overpowers the line of scrimmage for five yards and a first down at the 25.

Empty backfield, and Wilson has forever before he runs left and is tackled for a two-yard loss by Darrelle Revis as the quarter ends.

Three men spying Wilson on the final play of the first quarter. — Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 1, 2015

All of you with 0-0 in your Super Bowl square can now celebrate.

Weird stat. Brady threw 11 passes in 1Q. Wilson threw none. — Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) February 2, 2015

6:53 p.m.: Vereen for three on first down, then Brady hits Edelman for a first down in front of Maxwell on the left sideline at the Pats 46.

Blount for five on first down to the Seattle 49, and New England is the first team to dent the other team's territory. On second-and-5, Blount gets one and seems a bit uncertain about Brady's audible -- he was getting the play from the fullback. On third-and-4, quick slant to Gronkowski for the first down at the 43.

Swing pass to Vereen for three on first down. Brady likely waiting for the Seattle safeties to climb close to the box to set up something deeper. On second-and-7, Blount for six right up the middle. On third-and-1, Seattle has nine in the box but Patriots seal off the line around the right side and Blount bounces wide for a first down to the Seattle 26.

Blount for two up the middle. Brady to a wide-open Amendola on the left side for a first down at the 13.

Brady to TE Michael Hoomanawanui for four. Blount stuffed for no gain by DT Michael Bennett. On third-and-6, Brady is rushed into an interception at the goal line by nickelback Jeremy Lane, returned to the 15 and apparently injured on the tackle by Edelman as TV goes to commercial.

Yikes, what a bad mistake by Brady there. — Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) February 1, 2015

Mr Perfect tosses a pick in red zone. Gadzooks. — Bill Livingston (@Livy70) February 1, 2015

I was just about to tweet that pressuring Brady won't matter if he only holds the ball for 2 seconds... then 1 standard dropback & boom — J.A. Adande (@jadande) February 1, 2015

Jeremy Lane being carted to lockerroom with left arm injury after interception. — John Clayton (@JohnClaytonNFL) February 1, 2015

6:43 p.m.: Perhaps "Game of War" is getting a little overexposed. But Kate Upton hasn't used up her 15 minutes quite yet.

Just one man's humble opinion.

6:42 p.m.: Lynch for four on first down around right end. On second-and-6, Lynch for four more on what looked to be an early snap to Russell Wilson. On third-and-2, Vince Woolfork and Jamie Collins penetrate to stuff Lynch for a loss of one.

Julian Edelman grabs the punt at the 33 and Patriots don't lose a slight field advantage.

6:38 p.m.: Brady to Gronkowski for two on first down -- the TE was split wide right to create a one-on-one matchup. On second-and-8, Amendola breaks a tackle by Richard Sherman and gains six on a quick out on the left side. On third-and-2, Brady to Shane Vereen for six and a first down.

At the 31, LaGarrette Blount for two up the middle. On second-and-8, Patriots fake jet sweep and Blount gets two up the middle. On third-and-6, Brady throws low to Vereen, broken up by Byron Maxwell.

Patriots punter Byron Allen run into by Jeron Johnson, but it's just a five-yard call and not a personal foul, and New England declines the penalty. Seattle ball on its 16.

How does the Browns punter feel about that one?

Should be auto First Down. Gotta protect the punter. #EndangeredSpecies — Spencer Lanning (@LanningSpencer) February 1, 2015

6:31 p.m.: Danny Amendola returns to the 18, and we're underway.

6:28 p.m.: Marc Bona is providing real-time comments on tonight's commercials. Check it out here.

6:26 p.m.: Patriots call heads, lose the toss. Seattle starts on defense.

6:21 p.m.: The over/under (before it was taken off the board) for today's national anthem by Idina Menzel was 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Done a cappella, it ran 2:04.48 by unofficial count.

Vegas knew something!

Those of us who have been at SI for a bit know Dr. Z famously timed every Super Bowl national anthem. Shoutout to him.... — Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) February 1, 2015

6:17 p.m.: Oh well. Beast Mode won't include gold today.

Marshawn Lynch lost the gold cleats in the locker room somewhere I guess. He's uniform-complaint now. NFL can breathe easy — Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 1, 2015

6:09 p.m.: Maybe the graphics are impressive, but I miss the individual introductions over the loudspeaker. Seemed more impactful to see each player react to the moment.

Hey, at least the long snappers are getting some love.

6 p.m.: With Carrie Underwood in full voice as NBC's "game broadcast" begins, there's a showdown outside the stadium for the last available tickets.

Capitalism involves risk and white knuckles. Made this country great. StubHub shows 60 SBowl tix for sale, none under $10K. Who blinks? — Bob Ley (@BobLeyESPN) February 1, 2015

Saw 2 NE fans buy 2 upper tix for $17,800 CASH. One guy proudly said he makes 32K a year and can't take it with him. He's 32 — John Kincade (@JohnKincade) February 1, 2015

5:55 p.m.: Seattle safety Kam Chancellor is limping during warmups, according to NBC's Rodney Harrison, who says Chancellor will struggle to deal with Rob Gronkowski.

5:52 p.m.: Remember the NFL leaning on Marshawn Lynch in the NFC Championship and forcing him to ditch the gold cleats?

OH MY GOD GAME PLEASE START. RT @ESPNNFL: Marshawn Lynch wearing GOLD CLEATS during warmups #BeastSwag pic.twitter.com/iSVYKytfEw — Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus) February 1, 2015

Oh, the institutional chaos!

5:50 p.m.: C'mon national football media, there's a REAL scandal brewing and barely a word written until right now.

YES!!!! RT @RJinVegas: Multiple MAX bets on OVER 122.5 secs (length of Anthem). Insider info suspected. Betting suspended by sportsbook.ag — Ray Ratto (@RattoIndy) February 1, 2015

5:47 p.m.: There's apparently pretty clear indication which is the real "home team" tonight, regardless of who's wearing what jersey (Seattle is in its dark outfits).

Last Super Bowl was about 4-1 Seahawks fans. Based on a quick walkaround, it's going to be at least twice that. — Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 1, 2015

There are like 11 Patriots fans here. Good job guys. — Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus) February 1, 2015

5:43 p.m.: Not sure whether "Insurgent" will be any good as a movie. But for 60 seconds of graphic design on TV, it's not bad.

5:37 p.m.: Here's how silly the football issue has gotten, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth are trying to decipher different Tom Brady answers about the whole situation to Dan Patrick during the pregame show to more assertive denials in pre-game meetings.

Again, no talk about whether deflated footballs -- apparently now only one well below the 12.5 pounds per square inch requirement compared nearly a dozen just a "tick" below -- actually make a difference. Just the appearances.

5:30 p.m.: So, a few final words about deflated footballs. We won't even go into why an obvious cheater of overinflated footballs can be named NFL MVP and everybody applauds.

First of all, a confession. This debate -- which falls far short of a "gate" and instead reflects on the laziness of reporters to give such a story a good title -- doesn't move me all that much. Probably because I saw this Sports Science video on ESPN within 48 hours after the original allegations and agreed with the report's conclusion -- the topic is pretty bogus.

More interesting, perhaps, is how ESPN decided to remove the video from its website shortly after it was posted -- perhaps because adding facts to the argument might make Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless explode. The last two weeks have revealed The Worldwide Leader to be a lot more intrigued with talking heads than legit sports journalism.

And then there's this -- an interesting compilation of the various "scientific" reports over the last fortnight by Slate science writer Daniel Engber. He found that researchers intrigued by the subject worked themselves into a pigskin frenzy analyzing each other's work. Just as the sports media announced the latest "news" on how lower air pressure helps prevent fumbling, others -- getting far less national attention -- offered newer analysis that said "eh, not really."

His conclusion? That giving scientists a debate framed by pro football is actually kinda ... fun.

"This week's controversy shows what happens when you let someone fire off a quick analysis: Other people get to shoot it down or do it better. Maybe things should get a little ugly in the lab, a little gladiator, a little NFL.

"That's the lesson of #deflategate and the egghead-meathead nexus it revealed. Football-talk could use a bit more science. But science-talk could use a bit more football.