The Biggest Winners And Losers Of Super Bowl 49

The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots played a Super Bowl for the ages Sunday night at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Pats emerged victorious 28-24 and became the sixth NFL franchise to win at least four Super Bowls.

Here are some of the winners and losers from Super Bowl XLIX.

WINNERS

Tom Brady

Brady cemented his status as of one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Brady captured the elusive fourth Super Bowl win that has eluded him the past decade, including two Super Bowl losses. He ties Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl wins by a QB and matches Montana’s record three Super Bowl MVPs. He did this against the NFL’s best defense. Brady set records for most completions in a Super Bowl (36) and career Super Bowl TDs (13).

Tom Brady throws against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of the Super Bowl.

Katy Perry

The pop princess delivered the goods in a high-energy halftime performance where she rattled off hits “Roar,” “Dark Horse,” “Teenage Dream,” “California Gurls,” and “Firework.” She brought out rapper Missy Elliott for a terrific version of “Work It.” Bruno Mars’ latest album soared 92% the week after his Super Bowl performance last year; Beyonce had a 59% increase the previous year. Perry will get her own bump.

NBC

NBC is likely to blow away the record TV audience of 112.2 million set at last year’s Super Bowl between the Seahawks and Denver Broncos thanks to the marquee matchup and last second finish. NBC’s Mad Max-like commercial for its hit show The Voice also got high marks with the audience.

Chris Matthews

The obscure Seattle receiver had played only 26 offensive snaps this season after being promoted from the practice squad on Dec. 6. He made the first four catches of his NFL career for 109 yards and a TD and was poised to be the game’s MVP before the Pats roared back with two fourth quarter touchdowns.

Malcolm Butler

The undrafted, rookie safety out of West Alabama will never have to buy dinner again in New England after securing the Patriots’ win with an end zone interception. Minutes earlier, Butler was the victim of a 33-yard circus catch by Jermaine Kearse. It was Butler’s first interception as a pro. Good timing.

Bill Belichick

The Patriots win over the Indianaolpis Colts in the AFC Championship set off a firestorm around Deflategate. With the win, Belichick set the record for most postseason victories (21) and tied Don Shula for most Super Bowl appearances with six. The win against Seattle ties Belichick with Chuck Noll for most Super Bowl wins by a coach with four.

LOSERS

Nationwide

The Columbus, Ohio-based insurance company has a rich sports marketing imprint with sponsorships of the NFL, Nationwide Arena, Memorial golf tournament, Peyton Manning, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and more. Sunday they got it wrong in a big way with their ad about a dead child. Twitter nearly erupted over the ad with many calling it the worst Super Bowl ad ever.

Pete Carroll

Last year, the Seahawks’ coach became just the third guy to win both a college National Championship and Super Bowl as head coach. Carroll was at the pinnacle of his sport and was one yard away from a repeat Sunday night. But he signed off on a pass play from the one-yard line, despite having one of the NFL’s best running backs in Marshawn Lynch. Carroll owned the call after the game saying: “That’s my fault, totally.” He was roasted by among others Emmitt Smith, who wrote on Twitter, “That was the worst play call I’ve seen in the history of football.”

Russell Wilson

Don’t shed too many tears for Wilson. He played a great game, up until his last play, with a 110.6 QB rating. He is likely to sign a $100+ million contract with the Seahawks in the offseason. But Wilson had a chance to etch his name in the history books, as the first QB to win two Super Bowls in his first three NFL seasons. A second title would have elevated Wilson to be one of the faces of the sport. Wilson’s star is still on the rise. The Celebrity DBI tracks consumer perceptions of celebrities and found that people consider Wilson more aspirational, influential, trustworthy and trendsetting than Brady.

Roger Goodell

Goodell’s season from hell ended with an epic Super Bowl, marred only be a scuffle at the end of the game. Yet, the ire directed at Goodell was evident after the game as he spoke and presented the Vince Lombardi trophy to Pats owner Robert Kraft. Goodell can’t win when the NFL releases the results of its Deflategate investigation in the coming weeks. If the NFL doesn’t find anything, critics will argue Goodell’s friendship with Kraft clouded the investigation. If the NFL finds the Pats guilty, the sport’s champion will be deemed a cheater. Either way, Goodell loses.

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