A lot was different in sports the last time that the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks met in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1, 2015.
The San Francisco Giants had just won their third World Series in five years (2010, 2012 and 2014); Ohio State defeated 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks in the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship the month prior; projected lottery picks Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow were leading Duke on what became a National Championship season; the Golden State Warriors were ascending into an NBA powerhouse under first-year head coach Steve Kerr and went on to win the franchise’s first championship in 40 years.
But, sticking with the NFL, here’s what was happening with all 32 teams when Patriots rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line to ultimately seal the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl triumph in franchise history:
AFC East
The Jets fired Rex Ryan after six seasons in the wake of a 4-12 campaign. Remember Michael Vick in the Hess look? He started three games and appeared in 10 games altogether for the Jets in 2014.
The 2014 season was the coming-out party for running back Lamar Miller, who rushed for a career-high 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry. He also tallied 275 receiving yards.
While they missed the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season, 2014 marked the first time since 2004 that the Bills finished with a winning record (9-7). A glaring bright spot for Buffalo was its pass rush, as the Bills led the NFL with 54.0 sacks. Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus each earned All-Pro honors, while the two defensive linemen and Jerry Hughes all totaled double-digit sacks.
The Patriots were seeking their first Super Bowl victory in a decade and doing so against the backdrop of controversy. While New England won their AFC Championship Game matchup against the Colts with ease, 45-7, the latter reported to the NFL that the game balls the Patriots were using were underinflated, which led to “Deflategate.”
AFC North
The 2014 season was a chaotic one that saw the Browns in the hunt for a playoff spot. Granted, they came up short. What was part of that chaos? Rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy Award winner, made two starts for Cleveland.
The Steelers’ offense was a well-oiled machine. Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL with 4,952 passing yards; Le’Veon Bell rushed for 1,361 yards and eight touchdowns, while also totaling 83 receptions for 854 yards; Antonio Brown led the NFL in receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,698), while reaching the end zone 13 times.
Two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler Steve Smith Jr. had his debut season with the Ravens, with the veteran wide receiver racking up 79 receptions for 1,065 yards and six touchdowns.
Steve Smith had an impressive first season with the Ravens. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
The Bengals were consistently a reputable team under head coach Marvin Lewis. With that said, the 2014 season was more of the same for Cincinnati in the playoffs, as the Bengals lost in the wild-card round for a fourth consecutive year and fell to 0-6 in the postseason under Lewis.
AFC South
Andrew Luck led the NFL with 40 passing touchdowns and led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game, which included beating Peyton Manning and the Broncos on the road in the divisional round.
Defensive lineman J.J. Watt was imposing his will on the NFL, totaling 20.5 sacks and winning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2014 for the second time in three seasons and earning All-Pro honors for a third consecutive season.
J.J. Watt had one of the most dominant defensive seasons of all-time in 2014. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Former UCF quarterback Blake Bortles wrapped up his first season in the NFL, who selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft; the Jaguars finished 3-13 in what was their second season under head coach Gus Bradley.
The Titans went 2-14 in a season that saw three quarterbacks start at least five games: Zach Mettenberger, Charlie Whitehurst and Jake Locker. Three months later, they drafted Mariota with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
AFC West
In what was the team’s second season under Andy Reid, the Chiefs missed the playoffs. They would go on to make the playoffs in each of the next 10 seasons.
Oakland fired head coach Dennis Allen after an 0-4 start, with Tony Sparano taking over on an interim basis. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr started all 16 games for the Raiders, totaling 3,270 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 76.6 passer rating, while completing 58.1% of his passes.
Broncos wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for 212 receptions for 3,023 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2014, with each logging triple-digit receptions.
Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas formed one of the NFL’s top wide receiver duos in 2014. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Safety Eric Weddle earned his second-career All-Pro honor, totaling one interception, two forced fumbles, eight passes defended and 114 combined tackles.
NFC East
Odell Beckham Jr. had a historic rookie season with the Giants, racking up 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 regular-season games. Of course, Beckham reeled in a three-fingered touchdown catch in a Week 12, prime-time matchup.
Dallas lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional round. The lasting image? Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant appeared to have a fourth-down reception at the Packers’ 1-yard line, but the play was overturned to an incompletion, as it was ruled that Bryant didn’t maintain control of the ball all the way through the ground.
Did Dez Bryant make the catch against the Packers in the 2014 divisional round? (Photo by David E. Klutho /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Washington wrapped up its first season under head coach Jay Gruden, which was a 4-12 campaign that saw three quarterbacks make at least four starts: Robert Griffin III (seven), Kirk Cousins (five) and Colt McCoy (four).
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin logged 85 receptions for a career-high 1,318 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Meanwhile, linebacker Connor Barwin had arguably the best season of his NFL career in 2014 with the Eagles, totaling a career-high in sacks (14.5), forced fumbles (two) and combined tackles (64); Barwin earned a Pro Bowl nod.
NFC North
The 2014 season saw quarterback Aaron Rodgers win NFL MVP honors, but it ended in heartbreak for the Packers, as they blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship and went on to lose in overtime.
Aaron Rodgers won his second MVP in 2014. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Sticking with the playoff theme, the Lions led the Cowboys in the fourth quarter of their wild-card round matchup when a flag was thrown on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens on a third-and-1 with 8:18 remaining in the fourth quarter that would’ve given Detroit a first down in opponent territory. However, the officials picked up the flag, Detroit punted and Dallas took the lead for good on the next possession.
The 2014 season was the first NFL campaign for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who made 12 starts. Across the 13 combined games that he appeared in, Bridgewater totaled 2,919 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 85.2 passer rating, while completing 64.4% of his passes. He also rushed for 209 yards and one touchdown.
The Bears fired head coach Marc Trestman after two seasons and a 5-11 record in 2014; they went a combined 13-19 from 2013-14.
NFC South
The Panthers won the NFC South with a losing record (7-8-1), but they then defeated the Cardinals in the Wild Card Round. In the regular season, Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen each totaled 1,008 receiving yards, while linebacker Lou Kuechly led the NFL with 153 combined tackles.
Atlanta, which had missed the playoffs and posted losing records in back-to-back seasons from 2013-14, was on the verge of hiring Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator of the Seahawks, as its new head coach after firing seven-year head coach Mike Smith.
The Saints missed the playoffs in 2014 in what would be the first of three seasons where they missed the postseason (2014-16). In the 2014 regular season, Saints quarterback Drew Brees led the NFL with 4,952 passing yards, while it would end up being tight end and then-three Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham’s last season in New Orleans.
Drew Brees had one of the best seasons of his career in 2014, but the Saints didn’t make the playoffs. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Wide receiver Mike Evans totaled 68 receptions for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns in his 2014 rookie campaign with the Buccaneers. The significance? Evans would go on to total 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of the first 11 seasons of his NFL career.
NFC West
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch led the NFL in rushing yards for a second consecutive season in 2014 (13). Lynch also delivered the “I’m here so I won’t get fined” line to questions that he was asked at Super Bowl week. Seattle entered Super Bowl XLIX as the defending Super Bowl champions.
Marshawn Lynch had a strong season in 2014. (Photo by Evan Habeeb/Getty Images)
The 2014 NFL season was Jim Harbaugh’s last as the head coach of the 49ers, with him going on to be the head coach at his alma mater Michigan. Over Harbaugh’s four seasons in the Bay Area (2011-14), the 49ers went a combined 44-19-1 in the regular season and 5-3 in the postseason, highlighted by reaching Super Bowl XLVII.
The Cardinals were in their second season under head coach Bruce Arians, winning double-digit games in both seasons and making the playoffs in 2014.
Defensive end Robert Quinn led the NFL with five forced fumbles in 2014, while also logging 10.5 sacks, six passes defended and 46 combined tackles.
