Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the defending National Football Conference (NFC) and Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, 28–24. The game was played on February 1, 2015, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the second Super Bowl held at the stadium and the third in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

The Patriots' victory was their fourth overall and first since 2004's Super Bowl XXXIX, ending a 10-year championship drought. They finished the regular season with a 12–4 record en route to their eighth Super Bowl appearance, tying the record held by the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, and sixth under the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The Seahawks, led by their Legion of Boom defense, also obtained a 12–4 record and were making their third Super Bowl appearance, in addition to their second consecutive after winning Super Bowl XLVIII. As the defending champions, the Seahawks were seeking to become the first to repeat since the Patriots in 2004. For the second consecutive season, both teams were the top seed from their respective conference.

Super Bowl XLIX was kept within a one-possession margin until Seattle took a 10-point lead in the third quarter. New England responded by scoring 14 consecutive points during the fourth to take a 28–24 lead with just over two minutes remaining. The game is most remembered for the Seahawks' last play, in which they threatened to score a winning touchdown from New England's 1-yard line, but were intercepted in the final seconds by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler. Butler's interception is regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history, while Seattle's decision to pass instead of run the ball is considered one of the worst calls of all time. Brady, who set the Super Bowl record for completions at 37, was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time, tying the record held by Joe Montana. Two years later, Brady would surpass both records in Super Bowl LI.

NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX set the record for most-watched program in American television history and is the fourth-most watched American television broadcast of all time. The game was seen by an average of 114.4 million viewers, with it reaching to 118.5 million during the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show featuring Katy Perry and peaking to 120.8 million during New England's fourth quarter comeback. It is considered one of the greatest Super Bowls and was ranked eighth on NFL.com's 100 Greatest Games, the third-highest Super Bowl game. Butler's game-winning interception was ranked fifth on NFL.com's 100 Greatest Plays, the highest defensive play.

NFL owners initially voted in November 2005 to award a Super Bowl to Kansas City, Missouri, in honor of Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, the founder of the American Football League (AFL) in the 1960s who helped engineer the annual game. Then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue further announced on March 5, 2006, that Kansas City would host Super Bowl XLIX. However, the game was contingent on the successful passage of two sales taxes in Jackson County, Missouri, on April 4, 2006.

The first tax to fund improvements to Arrowhead and neighboring Kauffman stadiums passed with 53 percent approval. However, the second tax that would have allowed the construction of a rolling roof between the two stadiums was narrowly defeated, with 48 percent approval. In the wake of the defeat, and opposition by the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and several civic and business groups, Hunt and the Chiefs announced on May 25, 2006, that they were withdrawing the request to host Super Bowl XLIX.

After the Kansas City plan fell through, the following submitted bids to host Super Bowl XLIX:

• Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida
• Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida
• State Farm Stadium – Glendale, Arizona

Tampa and Miami both submitted bids after losing the Super Bowl XLVIII bid to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Arizona had declined to bid for Super Bowl XLVIII, citing the economy, to focus on bidding for Super Bowl XLIX.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed in April 2011 that Tampa and Arizona were selected as finalists. The league then announced on October 11, 2011, that University of Phoenix Stadium will host Super Bowl XLIX. This is the second Super Bowl contested at University of Phoenix Stadium, which hosted Super Bowl XLII in February 2008, and the third Super Bowl played in the Phoenix area, as Super Bowl XXX was held at Sun Devil Stadium in nearby Tempe in January 1996.

The New England Patriots had a rough start to their 2014 season, starting the season with a 2–2 record and hitting a low point with a humiliating 41–14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in week four. By this point, the Patriots faced heavy criticism in the media, especially quarterback Tom Brady. Former Patriots safety and teammate Rodney Harrison declared Brady "looked scared to death" in the pocket and "doesn't have any confidence in his offensive line." However, New England recovered with an NFL season long seven game winning streak, beginning with a dominating 43–17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in week five, and went on to lose only two more games for the rest of the year (the latter of which was done while resting the starters the final week of the season), finishing the season with a 12–4 record and the number one seed in the AFC. They finished fourth in the NFL in scoring (468 points) and eighth in points allowed (313), and had the largest point differential in the NFL (with an average margin of victory of 9.7 points). The Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 35–31 in the AFC Divisional playoffs, and then defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45–7 in the AFC Championship Game.

Brady had another fine season in his 14th year as the team's starter, earning his 10th Pro Bowl selection with 4,109 passing yards and 33 touchdowns, with just eight interceptions. His top target was Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski, who caught 82 passes for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with wide receiver Brandon LaFell, who caught 74 passes for 954 yards and seven touchdowns. Wide receiver Julian Edelman was another key aspect of the passing game, with 92 receptions for 974 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 92 yards and returning 25 punts for 299 yards and a touchdown. Running back Jonas Gray was the team's leading rusher with 412 yards and a 4.6 yards per carry average, while Stevan Ridley added 340 yards and Shane Vereen had 391. Vereen was also a reliable pass catcher, hauling in 52 receptions for 447 yards. On special teams, kicker Stephen Gostkowski was selected to his third Pro Bowl and became the third player ever to lead the NFL in scoring four times (and the first since the NFL-AFL merger), converting 35 of 37 field goals (94.6 percent) and racking up 156 points. Matthew Slater also made the Pro Bowl on special teams for the fourth time.

The Patriots defensive line was led by five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who compiled eight sacks. Behind them, linebacker Jamie Collins led the team in tackles (116) and forced fumbles (four), while also intercepting two passes. Linebacker Dont'a Hightower was also a big contributor with 89 tackles and six sacks. The secondary was led by Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis, along with safety Devin McCourty, who recorded two interceptions and Brandon Browner, who added a physical presence to the secondary.

After winning Super Bowl XLVIII the previous season, the Seahawks also struggled to begin the season, floundering near the season's midpoint with a 3–3 record. However, they went on from there to win nine of their final 10 regular season games, preventing their opponents from scoring any touchdowns in five of them. By the time they finished with a 12–4 record and entered the playoffs, they had earned the number one seed, and not allowed any touchdowns in the previous 10 quarters. Their defense ranked first in the NFL in fewest points allowed (254) and their offense was tied at first in rushing yards (2,762). The Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers 31–17 in the NFC Divisional playoffs, and later defeated the Green Bay Packers 28–22 in overtime in the NFC Championship Game. Seattle became the first NFC team to advance to consecutive Super Bowls since the 1996–97 Packers in Super Bowls XXXI and XXXII.

Quarterback Russell Wilson was back in control of the Seattle offense, completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,475 yards and 20 touchdowns, with seven interceptions, while also rushing for 849 yards and six touchdowns. The team's leading receiver was Doug Baldwin, who caught 66 passes for 825 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Jermaine Kearse was another reliable target with 38 catches for 537 yards, while tight end Luke Willson caught 22 passes for 362 yards. Running back Marshawn Lynch was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl, ranking fourth in the NFL with 1,306 rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns with 13. He also caught 37 passes for 364 yards and four more touchdowns. Running back Robert Turbin chipped in 310 yards and 16 receptions. On special teams, kicker Steven Hauschka ranked fourth in the NFL with 134 points and made 31 of 37 field goals (83.8 percent).

Michael Bennett anchored the Seattle defensive line, leading the team with seven sacks, while teammate Bruce Irvin ranked second with 6.5 and intercepted two passes, returning both for touchdowns. Behind them, linebackers K. J. Wright and Pro Bowl selection Bobby Wagner combined for a staggering 211 tackles (107 for Wright, 104 for Wagner), while Wright also forced three fumbles. But the strongest aspect of the team's number one ranked defense was their secondary. Known as the "Legion of Boom", they sent three of their four starters to the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row: cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas, and strong safety Kam Chancellor. Sherman led the team with four interceptions, while Thomas had 97 tackles and forced four fumbles. Chancellor had 78 tackles and also recorded six passes deflected.

New England became the first playoff team to overcome two 14-point deficits to win a game as they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 35–31, pulling ahead for the first time in the game on Brady's 23-yard touchdown pass to LaFell with 5:13 left in regulation. Then safety Duron Harmon iced the game by intercepting a pass from Joe Flacco in the end zone on Baltimore's ensuing drive. Although New England only had 14 rushing yards, Brady's franchise playoff record 33 completions for 367 yards and three touchdowns, along with a rushing score, were able to make up the difference.

The Patriots had a much easier time in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Although the score was still a close 17–7 by the end of the half, New England dominated the game in the second with touchdowns on their first four drives. Brady had another great game, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, while Blount rushed for 148 yards and three scores. New England's defense held Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who had thrown for 4,761 yards and 40 touchdowns during the season, to just 12/23 completions for 126 yards. By the end of New England's two postseason games, Brady set new NFL records for postseason passing yards and touchdowns, while coach Bill Belichick set the all-time record for most playoff wins.

Seattle started off their postseason with a 31–17 win over the Carolina Panthers. The score was just 14–10 at the end of the first half, but the Seahawks took control of the game in the second, scoring 17 unanswered points. After a field goal and Russell Wilson's 25-yard touchdown pass to Luke Willson, Chancellor put the game completely out of reach by intercepting a pass from Cam Newton and returning it 90 yards for a touchdown.

Seattle had to mount a furious comeback to defeat their next opponent, the Green Bay Packers, as they fell behind 16–0 before Jon Ryan's 19-yard touchdown pass to Garry Gilliam on a fake field goal in the third quarter got them their first score. They still found themselves trailing 19–7 with just over 5 minutes left when Wilson threw his fourth interception of the day. But after Green Bay was forced to punt, Wilson led the team 69 yards to make the score 19–14 on his 1-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing kickoff, receiver Chris Matthews recovered an onside kick for Seattle, and they took their first lead on a 24-yard touchdown run from Marshawn Lynch. Now with the score 20–19, the Seahawks managed to go up by 3 points on a dramatic 2-point conversion play in which Wilson was forced to run all the way back to the 17-yard line near the right sideline before hurling the ball to the opposite side of the field, where Luke Willson, who had only been assigned as a blocker for the play, caught the ball and took it into the end zone. Although Green Bay kicked a field goal to send the game into overtime, Seattle's comeback could not be stopped. After winning the coin toss, the Seahawks took the ball and drove 87 yards to win the game on Wilson's 35-yard touchdown pass to Kearse, sending the Seahawks to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.

Super Bowl XLIX was the first Super Bowl matchup, and the first postseason matchup, between the Patriots and Seahawks; while Seattle was part of the AFC before moving to the NFC in the NFL's 2002 realignment, the teams had never met beyond the regular season.

The game was notable for featuring the coach of one team who had replaced the other as head coach; Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was hired in 2000 to replace Pete Carroll, who went on to become the coach of the Seahawks. This was only the fourth time this has occurred. The other three times were in Super Bowl III (Weeb Ewbank's New York Jets vs. Ewbank's former team, Don Shula's Baltimore Colts), Super Bowl XXXIII (Dan Reeves's Atlanta Falcons vs. Mike Shanahan's Denver Broncos), and Super Bowl XXXVII (Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Gruden's former team, Bill Callahan's Oakland Raiders). The only previous time that the old coach's former team had won was in Super Bowl XXXIII.

Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, despite being the MVP of the preceding Super Bowl XLVIII, had been returned to a reserve role for the 2014 season and did not play in Super Bowl XLIX, since defensive coordinator Dan Quinn opted to retain Bruce Irvin, K. J. Wright and Bobby Wagner as the starting linebacker trio.

The betting odds for Super Bowl XLIX initially opened after the conclusion of the conference championship games with the Seahawks favored by 2.5 points, but within hours of opening, heavy betting on the Patriots had moved the line to a pick 'em at most sportsbooks. Over most of the two-week run-up to the Super Bowl, the line held steady with the Patriots as slight 1-point favorites, but, on the day before the Super Bowl, a surge of large bets on the Seahawks pushed the line back to a toss-up.

After the AFC Championship Game, ESPN reported an NFL investigation discovered 11 of 12 footballs the Patriots had used during it were under-inflated, while none of the balls used by the Colts had been, although these findings were later shown to be false. Patriots coach Bill Belichick denied any knowledge that the footballs his team used were not inflated to NFL standards. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick became large targets as controversy swirled around what colloquially became known as Deflategate just before the week of Super Bowl XLIX. The effects of the incident would drag on for nearly two years, finally being resolved with Brady receiving a 4-game suspension at the start of the 2016 season.

As the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Seahawks elected to wear their college navy home jerseys with navy pants, which meant that the Patriots would wear their white road jerseys.

Super Bowl XLIX was the first Super Bowl to be played in a retractable roof stadium with the roof open by league decision (previous Super Bowls played in such stadiums, including Super Bowl XLII, were played with the roof closed). The gametime temperature was 66 °F (19 °C), with clear conditions. It was the second time all season, along with the Pro Bowl, the stadium had its roof open during an NFL game or the College Football Playoff's Fiesta Bowl. It is the home stadium of the Arizona Cardinals, but all Cardinals home games in 2014 had it closed either because of warm temperatures or to provide home field advantage and hold in crowd noise.

The Patriots had also appeared in the only other Super Bowl to be held at University of Phoenix Stadium to date, having fallen short in their quest for a 19–0 undefeated season with a 17–14 loss to the New York Giants there in Super Bowl XLII. In fact, this game marked the Patriots' return to University of Phoenix Stadium for the first time since that contest.

The Patriots used the Arizona Cardinals headquarters, in Tempe, Arizona, while the Seahawks used the Arizona State University practice facilities, also in Tempe.

Ticket prices for Super Bowl XLIX rose quickly, with the lowest-cost tickets reaching over $8,000 by January 29. The average ticket price charged by brokers was $10,352, an increase of more than three times over the previous year's prices. The raise in ticket prices was due to a shortage caused by the short selling practice of brokers and resale sites. Jeff Miller, writing for the Orange County Register, observed that the cheapest tickets were nearly as expensive as a year's tuition at the University of Phoenix, and commented that the $28,888 price of seats near the 50-yard line "should not only buy you Katy Perry's halftime show but also Katy Perry singing again from your backseat halfway through your drive home."

Super Bowl XLIX was televised by NBC in the United States, with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color analyst Cris Collinsworth calling the game from the booth and Michele Tafoya working as sideline reporter. Game coverage was preceded by a six-hour pre-game show featuring the Football Night in America crew, including Bob Costas, Dan Patrick, Josh Elliott, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, Mike Florio and Peter King. John Harbaugh served as a guest analyst. Michaels, Collinsworth and Tafoya also contributed to the pre-game coverage along with Liam McHugh, Carolyn Manno, Randy Moss and Doug Flutie. It became the most watched broadcast in the history of American television, only one year removed from Fox's previous year's record-setting telecast of Super Bowl XLVIII. The presentation of the Lombardi Trophy was handled by Dan Patrick of NBC.

A Spanish language telecast of the game was carried by NBC Universo, with play-by-play announcer René Giraldo and color analyst Edgar López. Formerly known as mun2, the network's re-branding was scheduled to coincide with the game. As with other major events broadcast by the network, the telecast was cross-promoted with other NBCUniversal properties, with various NBC News and NBC Sports programs either broadcast from Phoenix or featuring reports from the game. Golf Channel cross-promoted the game with its early-round coverage of the Phoenix Open golf tournament (the weekend rounds of the tournament aired on CBS, as per agreements for CBS and NBC to swap tournaments if they conflict with the Super Bowl or Winter Olympics), and live episodes of Feherty from the Orpheum Theatre.

An episode of The Blacklist, "Luther Braxton", served as NBC's lead-out program. Following a break for late local programming, NBC also aired a special live episode of its late-night talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from the Orpheum.

NBC set the sales rate for a 30-second advertisement at US$4.5 million, a price $500,000 above the record set by the two preceding Super Bowls. For the first time, the network also offered 15-second ad spots. A large number of automotive advertisers reduced their advertising during the game, replaced by a wave of fifteen first-time Super Bowl advertisers, including Skittles, Carnival Cruise Lines, Loctite, Wix.com, Jublia, a coalition of Mexican avocado growers, and Always among several others. NBC posted the commercials on a Tumblr blog as they aired throughout the game; the blog was promoted through NBC's own live stream, as it did not contain all of the same commercials as the television broadcast. The network had more difficulty than in recent years selling out the advertisements, with the last ads selling out four days before the game.

Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lionsgate paid for movie trailers to be aired during the Super Bowl. Paramount paid for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and Terminator Genisys. Universal paid for Fifty Shades of Grey, Pitch Perfect 2, Jurassic World, Minions, Furious 7, and the debut trailer for Ted 2. Fox paid for Kingsman: The Secret Service. Lionsgate paid for The Divergent Series: Insurgent during the pre-game show. Disney paid for Tomorrowland.

Super Bowl XLIX aired on Seven Network, 7mate, and ESPN in Australia, CTV in Canada, Sky Television in New Zealand, and Channel 4, Sky Sports, and BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

NFL Network produced an international television feed of the game carried in some markets, with alternate English-language commentary provided by Bob Papa (play-by-play) and Charles Davis (color analyst).

The Canadian broadcast was the most-watched broadcast on television that week, with 8.26 million viewers, while the pregame ceremonies in the half-hour preceding the game attracted 5.16 million viewers, making it the second most-watched program of the week. In the United Kingdom, the game was watched by 191,000 viewers, making it the eighth highest-rated program on Sky Sports 1 that week. It was the most viewed broadcast on pay television in Australia that day, with 94,000 viewers.

The game aired live in France on channel W9.

The game was broadcast live in India on Sony SIX.

NBC livestreamed the game for free on NBCSports.com on computers and the NBC Sports Live Extra app on tablets. Mobile device rights were exclusive to Verizon Wireless NFL Mobile for its subscribers who pay for NFL Mobile and they had to use NFL Mobile app instead of NBC Sports Live Extra.

The game was broadcast nationally on Westwood One radio, with Kevin Harlan as play-by-play announcer, Boomer Esiason as color analyst, and James Lofton and Mark Malone as sideline reporters. Jim Gray anchored the pre-game and halftime coverage, with Larry Fitzgerald, Tom Brady, Scott Graham, Rod Woodson and Kurt Warner contributing. Scott Graham also handled public address duties inside the stadium for pregame introductions and postgame awards.

The flagship stations of each station in the markets of each team carried their local play-by-play calls. In Seattle, KIRO-FM (97.3) and KIRO (710 AM) carried the game, with Steve Raible on play-by-play and Warren Moon on color commentary. As a clear-channel station, KIRO's commentary was audible over much of the West Coast of North America after sunset. In Greater Boston, WBZ-FM (98.5) carried the game, with Bob Socci on play-by-play and Scott Zolak on color commentary. Per contractual rules, the rest of the stations in the Seahawks and Patriots radio networks carried the Westwood One feed.

Westwood One's coverage was simulcasted on TSN Radio in Canada.

In the United Kingdom, BBC Radio 5 Live returned to coverage after the previous year's NFL broadcaster, Absolute Radio 90s, dropped out of sports coverage. Rocky Boiman and Darren Fletcher return as commentators.

Idina Menzel performed the national anthem and John Legend performed "America the Beautiful".