There are slew of games to pick from when making a list of the greatest Super Bowls of all-time. Will Brinson, a senior writer for CBS Sports, ultimately picked Super Bowl XLIX as the greatest Super Bowl ever While there have been several great ones over the years, it's hard argue with Brinson's pick. Simply put, Super Bowl XLIX had it all. On one side, you had the trying to become the first team since the 2003-04 to win back-to-back Super Bowls. On the other side, you had the Patriots, led by and Bill Belichick, looking to reclaim their spot atop pro football's landscape after a decade-long hiatus. The result was a back-and-forth, roller-coaster affair that was not settled until with 20 seconds remaining.The Patriots prevailed 28-24, and would go onto win two of the next four Super Bowls while cementing their place in NFL lore. Seattle, on the other hand, is still waiting for a return trip to the Super Bowl, a wait that could po sibly come to an end this season. The Seahawks, fresh off of their impre sive Week 1 win over Atlanta, will look to defeat and the Patriots at home this Sunday night.Before the two teams meet on Sunday, here's a look at some of the heroes from their epic Super Bowl showdown, and where their careers have taken them in the years after that game.Malcolm Butler, cornerbackSuper Bowl XLIX stats: 3 tackles, 3 pa ses defensed, 1 interceptionButler was only on the field for 34% of the Patriots' defensive snaps, but he made the biggest play of the game when he stepped in front of pa s to seal the Patriots' fourth Super Bowl win. An undrafted rookie in 2014, Butler earned his lone Pro Bowl selection in 2015 while becoming a full-time starter on the Patriots' defense. His career in New England ended unceremoniously, however, when Butler was benched for unexplained reasons during the Patriots' lo s to the in Super Bowl LII. That offseason, Butler signed a five-year, $61 million contract with the . Butler, who turned 30 years old this past offseason, recorded five interceptions and 21 pa ses defensed during his first two seasons in Nashville. He made three tackles in the team's season-opening win over the ., receiverSuper Bowl XLIX stats: 3 receptions, 59 yardsA backup receiver and special teams contributor on Seattle's 2013 championship team, Lockette caught 11 of 15 targets for a career-high 195 yards and two touchdowns during the 2014 season. Lockette was Wilson's intended receiver on the pa s that Butler intercepted to seal the win for the Patriots.Midway through the 2015 season, Lockette suffered a concu sion while on special teams during a game against the . Lockette sustained neck ligament damage that would require surgery and never played football again, as he announced his retirement in May of 2016. The 34-year-old is currently with the Seattle Science Foundation.Ru sell Wilson, quarterbackSuper Bowl XLIX stats: 12-of-21, 247 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interceptionDespite the Super Bowl setback, Wilson's career continued to ascend in the years following that game. He threw 34 touchdown pa ses in 2015 while helping Seattle advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Two years later, he led the league in touchdown pa ses for the first time while helping the Seahawks return to the postseason after a one-year absence. During the previous two seasons, Wilson threw a combined 66 touchdown pa ses while leading the Seahawks to 22 wins despite playing in arguably the league's toughest division.Wilson's succe s in 2019 kept him in the MVP conversation throughout the year before the award ultimately went toquarterback. Wilson is again considered a top contender to win the award in 2020, along with Jackson andquarterback., receiverSuper Bowl XLIX stats: 3 catches, 45 yardsWith 1:14 remaining in Super Bowl XLIX, Kearse appeared to make the play that would go down in Super Bowl lore. After the pa s was initially tipped by Butler, Kearse, who was falling to the ground, was able to re-locate Wilson's pa s before corrall
0
