Great games of legend tend to have finishes that are, well, legendary. Last-minute heroics have a way of doing that.
But there can’t be heroes without some peril to overcome. Sometimes that peril is created in exciting fashion, too. We just don’t remember it as well.
Sunday’s Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl 2026 is a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX 11 years ago — a game remembered for the Seahawks deciding not to give the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch at the goal line, needing a touchdown in the waning seconds. What people forget is, before Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception that squashed Seattle’s title hopes, Jermaine Kearse made a circus grab to put the Seahawks in position to potentially win the game.
It was an absolutely amazing grab. The live broadcast immediately showed a replay of David Tyree’s legendary Helmet Catch of Super Bowl lore. For older fans, it brought back memories of Antonio Freeman’s similar juggling/falling grab that gave the Packers a Monday night overtime win over the Vikings to the beat of Al Michaels’ now legendary “He did what?!” broadcast call in November 2000.
