A Super Bowl that got off to a slow start wound up with a "Whoa!" finish, a lot like the New England Patriots' entire season.

Brady threw two of his four touchdown passes in the final quarter to erase a double-digit deficit, rookie Malcolm Butler picked off Russell Wilson's short throw while Marshawn Lynch watched, and the Patriots ended a decade drought without an NFL title by beating the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in a taut classic Sunday night.

"Every team has a journey," said Brady, who was voted Super Bowl MVP for a record-tying third time, "and a lot of people lost faith in us early. But we held strong. We held together."

He was talking about the preceding months, not minutes. But either made sense. After all, back in late September, when New England lost 41-14 at the Kansas City Chiefs to fall to 2-2, there was a lot of talk about whether Brady was done, whether the Patriots were simply no longer a powerhouse.