LiveBlog
Super Bowl XLIX Live Blog
A live blog for all things Super Bowl XLIX, featuring the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Ariz. Sunday, February 1.
-
Super Bowl advertisers strike unusually serious tone
(AP Photo/Weight Watchers)NEW YORK (AP) — Forget slapstick and sex in Super Bowl ads: This year, serious was the name of the game.
Nationwide ran an ad on preventable childhood death. Carnival struck a somber note with a voiceover by John F. Kennedy speaking lyrically about the sea. And a public service announcement by coalition No More depicted a chilling 911 call from a battered woman to demonstrate the terror of domestic abuse.
Other advertisers had positive, albeit equally serious themes: McDonald’s said it would let some customers pay with acts of kindness, Coca-Cola showed online negativity and bullying turning positive and Procter & Gamble’s ad for its Always feminine products brand tried to redefine what it means to do things like a girl.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Browse through these Super Bowl photos, including Katy Perry's halftime show performance.
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) spikes the ball after catching a three-yard touchdown pass during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Patriots beat Seahawks 28-24 for fourth Super Bowl winGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns and Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass in the end zone with 20 seconds left, helping the New England Patriots hold on to beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 Sunday night for their fourth Super Bowl title.Read more on WTOP.com.
New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) catches a 4-yard touchdown pass in front of Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) -
by The White House via twitter 2/2/2015 3:13:21 AM -
The Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX 28-24 over the Seahawks.Click here for a list of Super Bowl champions through the years.
-
The #Patriots win #SuperBowlXLIX 28-24 over the #Seahawks. It's New England's 4th Super Bowl title. Tom Brady: 328 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INT.by WTOPSports via twitter 2/2/2015 3:08:43 AM -
-
Brady rallies Patriots to 28-24 lead over Patriots
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Tom Brady’s fourth touchdown pass was a 3-yarder to Julian Edelman with 2:02 left in the fourth quarter, giving the New England Patriots a 28-24 lead over the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Down 10 to start the fourth, Brady rallied the Patriots with a 5-yard TD pass Danny Amendola in the back of the end zone and another one to Edelman.
With the Seahawks leading 24-14, the Patriots’ defense held as Rob Ninkovich sacked Russell Wilson to force a punt. After Brady was sacked on the first play, he drove the offense 76 yards to get New England within a field goal. Brady’s scoring strike to Amendola gave him a Super Bowl record 11 TD passes. Brady also set a Super Bowl record with 37 completions.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Doug Baldwin mystery penalty? A poop joke apne.ws/1Coj7szby AP NFL via twitter 2/2/2015 2:55:42 AM
-
Doug Baldwin's catch helps Seattle build a 10-point second half lead http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8zewsuIgAAYru3.jpg
by AP NFL via twitter 2/2/2015 2:55:05 AM -
Gambling money balanced evenly on each team for Super Bowl
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Lines were out the door at some Las Vegas sports books in the hours before the Super Bowl, with bettors eager to take their shot at a game that oddsmakers called a tossup.
At the South Point book, oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro said the pick ‘em line was the first he could remember since the 1982 Super Bowl, with money balanced evenly on each team.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Patriots trail Seahawks 24-21 in fourth quarterGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Tom Brady threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola and the New England Patriots cut the Seattle Seahawks’ lead to 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter in the Super Bowl on Sunday.Read more on WTOP.com.
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) runs during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) -
Seahawks lose DE Cliff Avril with concussion
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks lost defensive end Cliff Avril with a concussion in the third quarter of the Super Bowl.
Avril fell to the ground and remained there for a moment while the Seattle training staff worked with him.
He was able to get up and walk off the field, then went to the locker room, where the concussion was diagnosed.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Stars prominent on and off the field at Super Bowl 49
Britney Spears and Charlie Ebersol arrive at the Super Bowl XLIX red carpet on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015 in Glendale, Ariz. (Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP)GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Stars converged on the Super Bowl both on and off the field, with Britney Spears and Mark Wahlberg among those watching Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz rock the halftime show.
Wahlberg was pulling for a victory by the New England Patriots — and an invite to their after-party.
Spears didn’t announce her pick, and some of the other dignitaries who attended the game refused to take sides. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ever the diplomat, said she wasn’t rooting for either team but just wanted a good game.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Wilson leads Seahawks to 24-14 edge after third quarterGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Russell Wilson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin after Tom Brady’s second interception of the game and the Seattle Seahawks took a 24-14 lead over the New England Patriots after the third quarter in the Super Bowl on Sunday.Read more on WTOP.com.
The Seattle Seahawks, left, and New England Patriots gather at the line of scrimmage before a play during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Tim Donnelly) -
Technology, Elliott give Perry’s Super Bowl show a boost
She roared loud, possibly because there was a jungle behind her.
Katy Perry’s Super Bowl halftime show Sunday with its eye-popping, stunning and colorful visual effects, illusions and lights was a success mainly because of others — including the energetic Missy Elliott — and high-tech effects.
Read more on WTOP.com.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
-
Patriots-Seahawks are tied 14-14 at halftime
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Russell Wilson threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Chris Matthews with 2 seconds left in the second quarter and the Seattle Seahawks tied the Super Bowl at 14 despite being outplayed by the New England Patriots for most of the half.
Matthews’ first career catch set up Marshawn Lynch’s 3-yard touchdown run that tied it at 7. His second catch capped a five-play, 80-yard drive that took just 29 seconds.
It’s only the third time a Super Bowl was tied at halftime.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Lynch’s 3-yard TD run gives Seahawks 7-7 tie vs. PatriotsGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Chris Matthews’ first career catch set up Marshawn Lynch’s 3-yard touchdown run to give the Seattle Seahawks a 7-7 tie against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
-
Seahawks’ Lane hurts arm after big
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane (20) is upended by New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) after an interception during the first half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
interceptionGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Seattle cornerback Jeremy Lane hurt his left arm after intercepting Tom Brady’s pass in the end zone to stop a New England Patriots drive late in the first quarter of the Super Bowl.
It was the first career interception for Lane, the extra cornerback in the Seahawks’ nickel defense. As he returned the pick, he landed awkwardly when he was knocked out of bounds by Julian Edelman at the Seattle 14-yard line.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Browse through these photos from Super Bowl XLIX Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. on WTOP.com.
(AP Photo/Morry Gash) -
Patriots-Seahawks scoreless after 1 quarterGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Jeremy Lane made a leaping interception in the end zone on a poor throw by Tom Brady and the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots were scoreless after one quarter in the Super Bowl on Sunday.Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Patriots start the Super Bowl with the ball
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The New England Patriots started the Super Bowl with the ball after losing the coin toss and Seattle deferred to the second half.
After getting one first down, New England punted.
Follow the latest on WTOP.com.
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Bruce Irvin during the first half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
Idina Menzel, John Legend shine ahead of
Super BowlMs. “Frozen” was on fire at the Super Bowl.
Idina Menzel sings the national anthem before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)Idina Menzel belted out an outstanding live rendition of the national anthem ahead of the big game Sunday in Phoenix.
Menzel was confident in all-black, singing what she assured would be live days before Super Bowl.
After she sang the last note, she yelled in excitement: “Yes!”
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Obama assumes NFL will look at having refs control
footballs
AP PhotoWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he’s not sure whether the Patriots cheated when they used deflated footballs in the game that got them to the Super Bowl, but says he assumes the NFL
will consider giving referees more control of the footballs.Obama said in a live NBC interview from the White House kitchen about two hours before kickoff Sunday he doesn’t think there’s any other sport where teams prepare and bring their own game balls.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Running Story: Super Bowl ads from start to finishThe Super Bowl’s ad games have been underway for weeks now, but there are still some surprises left.
More than 20 ads already have already been posted online by companies hoping to capture social media attention in the days leading up to the big game.
-
George R.R. Martin recalls TV pilot with alien at Super BowlThe creator of “Game of Thrones” says he once wrote a TV pilot with a plot focused on an alien landing at the Super Bowl.
George R.R. Martin is now a famous author who has the clout to go to the big game.
Martin attended the Rolling Stone party on the eve of the Super Bowl and plans to attend the game Sunday, his first ever trip to the event.
-
Wahlberg and Bay reunite for pre-Super Bowl charity event
“Transformers” star Mark Wahlberg and director Michael Bay reunited Saturday night for a charity event that organizers said raised more than $1 million.
The pair served as celebrity hosts for the Big Game Big Give event held at the luxurious home of Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams on the eve of the Super Bowl. Williams and wife Erika greeted guests at the gates of their Paradise Valley home.
-
Jimmy Fallon set for Super Bowl Sunday show in PhoenixThe host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” is set to wage a lip sync contest with actors Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart during a special post-game episode at the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix.
The contest is just one of the acts planned for the show.
-
Steven Tyler headlines Rolling Stone party on Super Bowl eveAerosmith frontman Steven Tyler charged up a frenzied crowd on the eve of the Super Bowl that features his beloved New England Patriots.
Tyler played fan favorites “Dream On,” ”Sweet Emotion” and “Cryin”’at the Rolling Stone party in front of an audience that sang along in unison for most of the songs.
-
Kanye West, Rihanna rock DirecTV party on eve of Super BowlThe crowd at DirecTV’s Super Saturday Night party came for Rihanna, and got a healthy dose of Kanye West as a bonus.
West trotted on stage as Rihanna sang the opening lines of their hit “All of the Lights,” a surprise guest at an event that’s become known for delivering shows from music’s superstars on the eve of the Super Bowl.
-
Maryland Police to target drunk drivers on Super Bowl SundayMaryland State Police are warning Super Bowl partiers that if they want to drink, they could very well run into a DUI patrol.
All of the agency’s 22 barracks will fan out across the state with DUI saturation patrols on Super Bowl Sunday. Additional troopers will concentrate on impaired, aggressive and distracted drivers, and the agency’s full time drunk-driving enforcement team will be patrolling, as well.
-
Would a Seahawks repeat signal dynasty?A win Sunday will stamp the Seahawks as one of the best teams of the Super Bowl era. And, given Seattle’s makeup and philosophy, the future for the franchise might be brighter than for any other club. More at WTOP Sports: bit.ly/1BNKk5b
-
Got wings? Pizza?Area restaurants are hustling to meet the demand this Super Bowl Sunday. Read more at WTOP: bit.ly/16cMzo2
Chicken wings at Wingos in D.C. (WTOP/Dick Uliano) -
Wings and pizza for Super Bowl parties FYI Wingos chicken wings are awesome!! wtop.com/food/2015/01/a…by Dick Uliano via twitter 2/1/2015 12:41:13 PM -
Posthumous Pro Bowl HonorHowever inadvertently, Saturday's Pro Football Hall of Fame announcement raised the specter of brain trauma dogging the NFL over the last several years. Linebacker Junior Seau was one of the eight men honored last night, but his sons had to accept the award because the 43-year-old retired linebacker killed himself in 2012. A brain autopsy indicated he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease connected to repeated head injuries and concussions. More at WTOP.com: http://bit.ly/1wQGJ0O -
DC Health Link tackles enrollment deadline with pizza ads and social media on Super Bowl Sunday
This Super Bowl Sunday, DC Health Link is taking innovative approaches to reach Super Bowl fans in the District to remind them to get covered before the February 15th enrollment deadline—with pizza box information ads and social media outreach!
Pizza 17 (1523 17th St. NW), a neighborhood restaurant, has partnered with DC Health Link to place fliers on their pizza delivery boxes reminding fans that the February 15th deadline for 2015 health
insurance coverage is just around the corner and encourage them to tell their friends on social media. Pizza 17 will also include the official DC Health Link Super Bowl earbuds and hand sanitizers with each delivery while supplies last.DC Health Link will also be active on Twitter throughout the Big Game, Tweeting messages about health insurance options, enrollment resources and financial help with premiums. Football fans are
encouraged to engage with @DCHealthLink and use the hashtags #ScoreASafety,
#GetCovered and #EnrollDC to spread the word on Twitter. DC Health Link mobile apps for individuals and small businesses are available on ITunes and Google Play.Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest day of the year for takeout pizza. Food industry experts project Americans to order about 12.5 million pizzas this Sunday! Super Bowl Sunday is also prime time for digital advertising and social media. New research shows that 63% of smartphone and tablet users planning to watch this year’s Super Bowl say online and mobile activities will be an important part of their experience watching the game.
(The above information is a news release from DC Health Link)
-
Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl teams vie
for purring rights
This photo provided by Crown Media Family Networks shows kittens playing football in a scene from the Hallmark Channel's "Kitten Bowl II," airing on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, 12 p.m. ET/PT, 11 CT. (AP Photo/Crown Media Family Networks, Menachem Adelman)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Football tampering is inevitable when felines take the field Sunday in Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl — a four-team playoff to promote the adoption of shelter animals.
The channel says kitties simply can’t help the fact that claws and balls don’t go together.
“Our issues tend to be more related to the size of the ‘yarnage’ markers on the ‘kitiron’ and, of course, the length of their milk breaks,” said Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Hallmark parent Crown Media Family Networks.
In other words, cute trumps controversy when fluffy, big-eyed kitties are involved, just as it should.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Super Bowl the final act of the NFL’s worst season
Domestic violence. Questionable discipline. Player safety. Confusing officiating. Deflated footballs.
The disturbing headlines that began last February never slowed down for the NFL this season. The problems — most of them made worse by the ineffectual handling — mushroomed into an imperfect storm that hurt the league’s credibility and turned the lead-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl into a time for damage control, not celebration.
“It never ceases,” said Orin Starn, a Duke professor who studies sports in society. “It was one crisis and PR challenge after another and I didn’t envy Roger Goodell at all.”
Read more on WTOP.com.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a pre-Super Bowl XLIX NFL football news conference, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) -
Katy Perry says halftime performance will make you ‘Roar’
APKaty Perry says her Super Bowl halftime performance will make you “Roar” — with animals.
The singer told reporters at a press conference Thursday that her performance Sunday will include “a lion and sharks.”
“It’s going to be wild out there,” Perry teased.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
Super wines for the Super BowlMake no mistake: Scott Greenberg really like beer. And he know that the party beverage of choice for most traditional Super Bowl get-togethers is usually reserved for the realm of finely crafted brews. Just look at all of the money mega-brewers spend on advertising during the Big Game, and you get a sense that they know the day belongs to them.But this year, you can break out of the routine game plan and pair your Super Bowl treats with super wines for a more upscale affair.Read more on WTOP.com.
AP -
WTOP staffers share their favorite Super Bowl recipes
AP
Here at the Glass Enclosed Nerve Center, we take our party food very seriously – especially when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday.Here are some tried-and-true favorites we’ll be cooking up for the big game.
Read them on WTOP.com.
-
What we’re most looking forward to for the Super Bowl
There are many different things to look forward to on Super Bowl Sunday. We polled the WTOP Newsroom to find out just what they are.
Read more on WTOP.com.
-
The most memorable Super Bowl halftime showsKaty Perry: Super Bowl Halftime Show | Hyped for Halftime | Pepsiby Pepsi via YouTubeThe Super Bowl Halftime Show offers music's biggest stage. So what heve been the most memorable performances of all time?
-
Super Bowl advertisers aim not to offend
Courtesy: Victoria's Secret
NEW YORK (AP) — Super Bowl advertisers are being careful not to offend.GoDaddy decided not to run an ad that showed a dog being sold online so as not to offend dog lovers. The Victoria’s Secret angels are fully clothed in its teaser spot, at least, although they reveal more in their actual Super Bowl ad. And an anti-domestic abuse commercial will have a high profile-spot during the game after a year of domestic violence scandals in the NFL.
Advertisers have to find a balance between grabbing people’s attention and not going too far to shock or offend a broad base of more than 110 million viewers. They want to be sure to make the estimated $4.5 million they’re spending for a 30-second Super Bowl ad worth it. This year, that seems to mean erring on the side of caution.
-
Facebook launching Trending Super Bowl for the big game
Courtesy: FacebookPHOENIX (AP) — As Facebook’s latest step into sports, the social media giant is launching Trending Super Bowl — a real-time hub for content from Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Seahawks.
The hub will allow followers to see how the game is going on a scoreboard module, while also viewing Super Bowl-related posts, photos and video posted by professional media, celebrities and friends. The module will also include a running play-by-play from the game, and videos of some of the commercials from the broadcast.
Facebook is trying to improve the experience around big sporting events for users. During last year’s Super Bowl, more than 50 million Facebook users had more than 185 million interactions (posts, comments and likes) about the big game.
-
GoDaddy pulls Super Bowl puppy ad
A shot from the pulled GoDaddy ad.
WASHINGTON — GoDaddy pulled its Super Bowl commercial that featured Buddy, the impossibly cute Golden Retriever, after tens of thousands of people expressed outrage on social media.In the ad, Buddy gets lost and bravely makes it back to his owners. The owners are happy to see Buddy because they’ve just sold him on a website built by GoDaddy. The ad was intended to make fun of Budweiser, which has an ad featuring a puppy. -
Column: Marshawn Lynch is an American hero
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
WASHINGTON — Super Bowl Media Day is awful. It’s a spectacle of idiocy unsurpassed by any other in the intersection of professional sports and those who cover it. And one man has, in the simplest way, won that day.That man is Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. Long known for his tendency to treat postgame press conferences for the pointless charades they often are (and for getting fined for doing so), Lynch took his honesty a step further on Tuesday in Phoenix.
-
Super Bowl Sunday, 1.25B chicken wings to be eaten
WASHINGTON — When folks get together for the Super Bowl, it’s estimated 1.25 billion chicken wings will be eaten, and that fans will gamble $115 on the game, according to the personal finance social network WalletHub.
-
Super Bowl Smackdown: Old School vs. New School
From Budweiser's 2013 "Brotherhood" ad.
WTOP’s Jason Fraley chats with Bob Horowitz, executive producer of “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2015,” which airs 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26 on CBS.The best “old school” ads will be championed by former quarterback Boomer Esiason, who finished second to Joe Montana in the Super Bowl, while the best “new school” ads will be touted by “Scorpion” star Katharine McPhee, who finished second to Taylor Hicks on “American Idol.”
-
Column: You should feel bad for caring about Deflategate
(AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
WASHINGTON — Congratulations; you’ve fallen for it. You’ve been duped. The NFL got you again.With two full weeks to try to keep you entertained before the Super Bowl, the powers that be have manufactured the non-story of the New England Patriots allegedly deflating game balls during the AFC Championship Game to stay at the top of the sports-headline heap. With rampant speculation abounding and new information coming to light every few hours, who even needs the Pro Bowl anymore?
-
Vegas Bookies: Patriots-Seahawks pick ‘em for Super Bowl
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Super Bowl looks like a tossup in this gambling city, where more than $100 million will likely be riding on the game by kickoff.
A flurry of early money on the New England Patriots moved the game to pick ‘em at most major Las Vegas books Sunday night after the Seattle Seahawks opened by as much as 2.5-point favorites.
