It is Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz., and Jermaine Kearse has just made one of the great catches in Super Bowl history, bobbling a deep ball while falling down before finally securing the catch while lying on his back. It sparks an immediate callback and replay of the David Tyree Helmet Catch at the same stadium in the Super Bowl seven years prior. That is how incredible the Kearse catch is.
The Seahawks, having surrendered the Super Bowl XLIX lead to the Tom Brady Patriots less than one minute earlier on the game clock, are now just 5 yards away from retaking the advantage. But down 28-24, they need a touchdown. And with the play clock winding down, they take the second of their two timeouts with 1:06 to play.
One minute and 6 seconds, that is how long it will take the vast majority of the world to forget all about that incredible Kearse catch, because the Seahawks are on the cusp of perhaps the single most-maligned play call in NFL history.
Two plays later, from the 1, Seattle QB Russell Wilson is going to throw a slant across the middle, and Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler is going to jump in front of receiver Ricardo Lockette for a game-sealing interception at the goal line. Coach Pete Carroll and Co. will get ripped immediately — and for years to come, still to this day — because they did not instead give the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch.
