With 25 seconds left in the Super Bowl and trailing by four points, the Seattle Seahawks had the ball on the 1-yard line and decided to throw the ball instead of giving it to Marshawn Lynch, one of the best running backs in the NFL.
The decision backfired, as Russell Wilson threw an interception to help seal a 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots, and is now being referred to as the worst call in Super Bowl history.
After the game, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll explained the decision, and it basically comes down to the Seahawks' reacting to the Patriots instead of doing what they do best.
"We went to three receivers; they sent in their goal-line people," Carroll said after the game. "We had plenty of downs and we had a timeout and really we just didn't want to run against their goal-line group."
Sure enough, a look back shows that the Patriots were anticipating the run and had eight players packing he box and crowding the line of scrimmage.
Carroll later said on ESPN that with just one timeout and 25 seconds left, Seattle couldn't run the ball all three (potential) plays, and the Seahawks weren't going to get a better opportunity to throw the ball than what the Pats were showing defensively on second down.
As for the play, Carroll called the interception "a miraculous play" made by Malcolm Butler. Even though many agree that it was a bad play call, it still took an amazing play to turn what could have easily been a touchdown into an interception.
Butler quickly recognized the route being run by Ricardo Lockette, and he broke to the spot where the ball was going to be thrown, reading the play long before the pass was even thrown.
Carroll did say he told his players "that was my fault totally."
And it is going to be a long time before Seahawks fans will stop wondering "what if they had just given the ball to Lynch?"
NOW WATCH: Victoria's Secret Models Hit The Gridiron In Their Sexy Super Bowl Ad
