PHOENIX — Doubt is not something that creeps into Tom Brady’s mind very often.

But even his faith was a little shaken in the final seconds of the New England Patriots’ 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday night in Glendale, Arizona.

Brady had given the Patriots the lead with a touchdown pass to Julian Edelman with just over two minutes remaining. But the defending champion Seahawks weren’t done. A miraculous catch by Jermaine Kearse gave Seattle a first down at the Patriots’ 5-yard line with 1:06 remaining. It brought back flashbacks for Brady and the Patriots.

They lost the Super Bowl in 2008 to the New York Giants when David Tyree caught an Eli Manning pass on his helmet, leading to the winning touchdown in the final seconds. They lost the Super Bowl in 2012 to the same Giants when Mario Manningham made a miracle catch on the left sideline, leading to the winning touchdown in the final seconds.

Was it happening again?

On Kearse’s 33-yard catch, New England cornerback Malcolm Butler leaped and tipped the ball away – only it dropped onto Kearse’s leg then into his arms. Brady saw Butler tip it and then turned away.

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“The guy got up and started running and I said, ‘What happened?’ I saw the review and couldn’t believe it,” said Brady. “I felt like we were going to win the whole game, and then they made that catch and then I had a little bit of doubt … we’ve been on the other end of some great catches and not been able to finish it out. This time, we made the play.”

That would be by Butler, an undrafted rookie free agent from West Alabama. He intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone, jumping a slant route with 20 seconds remaining.

The championship is New England’s fourth since Brady became Bill Belichick’s quarterback in 2001. Brady, who joined Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana with four Super Bowl victories, was named the Super Bowl MVP for the third time.

And while he said on Monday morning that, “I think there are a lot of people that are very deserving of this award,” his name topped that list.

This was a special performance by the 37-year-old Brady, who has to be in the conversation as the greatest quarterback ever.

Brady completed a Super Bowl-record 37 passes in 50 attempts for 328 yards and four touchdowns against what many considered the best secondary in the game today. He also threw two interceptions.

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He was at his magnificent best in the fourth quarter when he rallied the Patriots from a 10-point deficit – the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Super Bowl history. In that quarter, he completed 13 of 15 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, to Danny Amendola and Edelman.

He took what Seattle’s defense gave him, seldom throwing deep, but finding open receivers in the seams and creases of the Seahawks’ zone.

He didn’t go into specifics, saying the Patriots stuck to their game plan.

“You know, I thought we did a great job moving the ball all night,” he said. “I made a few pretty stupid throws to really kind of get our team in a hole. We lost points on the first drive, gave them a touchdown there to start the third quarter. That wasn’t the way that we talked about the game going, but I thought we had a great plan.”

The fourth quarter didn’t start well, when he got sacked for an 8-yard loss. But then Brady went to work.

He completed 5 of 7 passes, including two 21-yarders to Edelman on third-down conversions, to keep the Patriots in the game. His pass to Amendola in the back of the end zone brought the Patriots within 3, 24-21.

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The defense forced a punt, giving Brady the ball at New England’s 36 with 6:52 left. He went 8 for 8 on the drive:

First down at NE 36, pass to Shane Vereen over the middle for 8.

Second down at NE 44, pass to Vereen in the left flat for 5.

First down at NE 49, bubble screen on the left to Edelman for 9.

A pass interference call on Amendola on the next play pushed the ball back.

Second down at NE 48, a 20-yard completion to Rob Gronkowski, cutting underneath from left to right.

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First down at Seattle 32, pass to Vereen gains nothing.

Second down at Seattle 32, pass to Gronkowski on right sideline for 13 yards.

First down at Seattle 19, Vereen rushed for 7 yards.

Second down at Seattle 12, pass to Brandon LaFell in left flat for 7 yards.

First down at Seattle 5, 2-yard rush by LeGarrette Blount.

Second down at Seattle 3, Brady passes left to Edelman, who spins away from defender and catches go-ahead 3-yard touchdown pass with 2:02 left. New England, 28-24.

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Butler’s interception secured Brady’s 47th career winning drive in the fourth quarter.

Five have come in the playoffs, another four have come in the Super Bowl.

Brady tried to pass a lot of the credit along to teammates such as Edelman, who he said played “the game of his life in the biggest game of his career,” but Belichick said his quarterback deserved every accolade he has received.

“He’s our leader. He competes as well as any player I’ve ever coached,” Belichick said on Monday.

“He may not always be perfect, as it is for any of us. We all have our moments, but Tom, like many other players on our team, is the guy that fights to the end and competes until the end.

“There’s no player I respect more for that than Tom. That’s been a great pillar of strength for our football team for the past decade and a half. I sincerely appreciate that.”

I asked Brady on Monday morning how much longer could he do this. It’s obvious from his answer Brady doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

“Well, I love doing it, so I don’t want it to end any time soon,” he said. “A lot of decisions that I make in my life are about how to sustain it, and that takes a commitment in and of itself. ‘You’ve got to put it in the bank,’ as (Belichick) always says. It’s there when you need it.”

Just like Tom Brady is always there when the Patriots need it.


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