Super Bowl XLIX was filled with turning points and breathtaking moments, and it was a fitting end to the 2014 NFL season.
The season featured numerous jaw-dropping plays, controversial calls, sage words and harrowing off-field incidents. And for your reading pleasure, we took a look back at the 10 most memorable moments that are now permanently etched in the minds of football fans everywhere.
10) Rams’ trick punt return touchdown
The Seahawks didn’t look like they were getting anywhere near Super Bowl XLIX after losing 28-26 at St. Louis in mid-October. It was their second consecutive loss and the team looked beatable at the time.
But it was a special day on special teams for St. Louis. Leading 14-3 in the second quarter, the Rams pulled a fast one on the Seahawks.
Tavon Austin pretended to field a punt—faking out the cameraman and the entire Seahawks punt coverage unit in the process. Meanwhile, Stedman Bailey caught Jon Ryan’s punt over his shoulder on the opposite side of the field and raced 90 yards for the touchdown—giving the Rams a 21-3 lead.
The Seahawks rallied, but the Rams foiled the defending champs again on special teams later in the game.
Faced with a fourth down from inside their own 20-yard line, Johnny Hekker faked a punt and completed an 18-yard pass to Benny Cunningham for a first down with less than three minutes remaining to help seal the Rams’ third win over the Seahawks since 2005.
And it wasn’t the only time the Seahawks were on the wrong end of one of the most memorable moments during the season.
9) Ray Rice elevator video is released to public
The video of Ray Rice dragging his unconscious fiancee out of an elevator at an Atlantic City casino was hard to stomach.
Even worse was the slap-on-the-wrist punishment he initially received—a two-game suspension. This came after he had been charged with third-degree aggravated assault.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was dead wrong if he thought that the action from the first week of the regular season would push the ugly incident into the background.
On Sept. 8, the fun of recapping Week 1’s games was put on hold when the world found out what happened inside the elevator. This moment was historic, and not in a good way. A lot of people will remember where they were and what they were doing when they saw the video that TMZ released that day.
The Ravens promptly released Rice, and the NFL suspended him indefinitely. No recap of the 2014 season is complete without mentioning the NFL’s personal conduct problem, particularly as it relates to domestic violence.
8) Marshawn Lynch’s 79-yard touchdown run
Marshawn Lynch stonewalled Cardinals defenders like he stonewalls reporters during a Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 16.
The Seahawks led 21-6 when Lynch took a handoff from Russell Wilson, broke a few tackles and galloped into the open field. Cornerback Patrick Peterson got his arms around Lynch and tried to wrap him up near midfield, but failed.
The Seahawks running back then ran over safety Rashad Johnson—nearly trampling him—and still kept his feet in bounds. Linebacker Alex Okafor was the only one with a chance to catch Lynch. His diving attempt at a tackle was futile, and Lynch completed a 79-yard touchdown run.
Lynch finished with 113 yards on just 10 carries (two touchdowns) to lead the Seahawks to a dominant 35-6 win. It was the Cardinals’ only home loss of the season, and the Seahawks established themselves as the clear favorite to again represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
7) Aaron Rodgers to Packers fans: “R-E-L-A-X”
When Aaron Rodgers speaks, Packers fans listen.
The Packers fell to 1-2 after losing 19-7 to the Lions in Week 3. It was just their third loss to the Lions in the previous 18 matchups between the two teams, and Rodgers threw for a meager 162 yards.
With cheeseheads everywhere panicking, Rodgers channeled Aretha Franklin and spelled out “R-E-L-A-X” on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show.
There really was nothing for Packers fans to worry about. The Packers went on to finish the season with a 12-4 record, and Rodgers earned MVP honors with 38 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.
Rodgers almost led the Packers to the Super Bowl despite playing with a calf injury. If Brandon Bostick would’ve let Jordy Nelson field the onside kick in the NFC Championship game, it would have likely been the Packers—not the Seahawks—playing the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
It was a bitter end to the Packers’ season, but it turned out a lot better than many envisioned after the team’s 1-2 start.
6) The flag that wasn’t
One of the most bizarre moments of the season took place when the Lions led the Cowboys in the fourth quarter of an entertaining wild-card matchup, 20-17. They were faced with a key third-and-1 situation at the Cowboys’ 46-yard line with 8:25 left in the game.
Matthew Stafford threw a pass downfield to tight end Brandon Pettigrew, but Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens was on him like a cheap suit and made no attempt to play the ball. Out came the flag for pass interference.
It looked like the Lions were going to have a first down near the Cowboys’ 30-yard line, but then a strange thing happened. The flag was picked up. Head linesman Jerry Bergman thought that Hitchens was merely face guarding Pettigrew, which is legal in the NFL. But it would have been nice if Bergman had spoke up before referee Peter Morelli announced the penalty.
Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant also skated by after running onto the field with his helmet off to argue the initial call.
Instead of a first down in field-goal range, the Lions had to punt. Sam Martin shanked it, and the Cowboys drove down the field for the eventual game-winning touchdown.
The odd sequence of events helped the Cowboys win their first playoff game since 2009. The Lions, meanwhile, are still searching for their first postseason win since 1991.
5) Dez Bryant’s overturned catch
The officials gave the Cowboys a favorable call to help spark their comeback win over the Lions. But another set of officials appeared to take one away from them the following week.
With his team trailing by five points in a divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field, quarterback Tony Romo appeared to complete a 31-yard pass to Dez Bryant on fourth-and-2. It would have put the Cowboys on the Packers’ one-yard line with 4:42 left in the game.
The Packers challenged the call, and Bryant’s catch was overturned. It was determined that he had control of the ball until he hit the ground, although it appeared as if he stretched for the end zone. And that could certainly qualify as a “football move.”
The overturned catch ended up being a big turning point in the game. The Packers held on for a 26-21 win, and Cowboys fans found out how Lions fans felt the week before.
A week later, Packers fans would feel worse than both Lions and Cowboys fans.
4) Bill Belichick after Monday Night Football loss: “We’re on to Cincinnati.”
Like Rodgers, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick uttered one line that defined his team’s season. And it also marked the key turning point in the Patriots’ 2014 campaign.
The Patriots fell to 2-2 after a 41-14 Monday Night Football loss at Arrowhead Stadium. Tom Brady was pulled in the fourth quarter and replaced by rookie Jimmy Garoppolo.
Two days later, when asked about the loss, Belichick calmly responded with “We’re on to Cincinnati.” He was then asked about Brady’s age—twice. Belichick answered both questions with that same response. But the second time, he added, “It’s nothing about the past, nothing about the future, right now we’re preparing for Cincinnati.”
That preparation paid off. The Patriots beat the Bengals 43-17 that week, and the team rattled off the first of seven straight wins. While trying to say as little as possible, Belichick actually said plenty.
The Patriots weren’t going to dwell on their loss, as ugly as it was. They were looking ahead, not behind. That philosophy helped them win their fourth title since 2001.
3) Jermaine Kearse’s game-winning touchdown catch in NFC Championship game
The NFC Championship game was so memorable, it could’ve commanded its own top 10 list to highlight the best moments before, during and after the epic matchup. Even the sight of Michael Bennett riding a bicycle is unforgettable.
But the game wasn’t won until Russell Wilson tossed a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse in overtime to give the Seahawks a 28-22 walk-off victory and cap off a comeback from 12 points down with less than three minutes left.
A case can also be made for Wilson’s blind heave to Luke Willson on a successful two-point conversion after somehow avoiding being sacked. Or the recovered onside kick that sent everyone to the Internet to find out that the guy wearing No. 13 was Chris Matthews. Or the fake punt touchdown that got the Seahawks on the board.
But the game-winning touchdown now has its own chapter in NFL history. It was a moment of redemption for Kearse, who didn’t catch any of the five previous passes thrown his way—even letting two clank off his hands for interceptions.
Every turning point in this game will be remembered in the Pacific Northwest. But Kearse’s game-winning touchdown is the moment that will live on in America’s memory.
2) Odell Beckham’s one-handed catch
Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t start a regular season game in the NFL until October. But in November, he made a catch that just might be the greatest ever.
After brushing off interference from Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr, Beckham hauled in Eli Manning’s 43-yard pass with one outstretched hand while falling backward.
He certainly didn’t look like a rookie, judging by the concentration and body control he exhibited in making this seemingly-impossible catch.
The Cowboys won this Week 12 game, 31-28. But Beckham was the real winner. This game will be remembered more for Beckham’s catch than the Cowboys’ victory.
Beckham, who the Giants drafted with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft, missed the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury. But in the 12 games that followed, he caught 91 passes—12 of which went for touchdowns. One of them was a cut above the rest.
1) Malcolm Butler’s game-sealing interception in Super Bowl XLIX
Beckham made the season’s greatest play with his unbelievable catch. You had to see it to believe it. But considering where Malcolm Butler came from, his moment was even harder to fathom. And it sure was timely, which is why it was the most memorable.
The Seahawks trailed the Patriots, 28-24, with under a minute remaining in Super Bowl XLIX when Lynch took a handoff and ran for four yards. The go-ahead touchdown was just one yard away.
Yet for some reason, the Seahawks decided not to give the ball to Lynch, who has 71 career rushing touchdowns. Instead, they dialed up a slant to Ricardo Lockette, who has caught only 18 career passes.
Butler, an undrafted rookie from Division II West Alabama who once worked at Popeyes, made the Seahawks pay for their silly play selection. He made perhaps the most famous interception in NFL history with 20 seconds remaining in the game.
Not only did Butler save the Patriots from another heartbreaking Super Bowl loss, but he also made one other moment that otherwise would have been talked about for years to come a mere footnote.
Before Lynch got the ball to the one-yard line, Wilson threw a 33-yard pass to Kearse that looked incomplete. But Kearse had Al Michaels and the rest of America fooled. The ball never touched the ground, and the Seahawks had a first-and-goal at the five-yard line after his amazing juggling catch.
That catch was likely going to trump David Tyree’s which came against the Patriots which took place on the same field seven years ago, but Butler made that all disappear when he stepped in front of Lockette and made the pick.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has accepted the majority of the blame for the call. For Carroll, it’s a stain that history won’t wash away anytime soon, if ever.
Butler, on the other hand, is now a hero in the New England area.