I agree in that I'd have preferred to run on that play. NE barely stopped him on 1st down, and you may as well continue pounding. That said, they probably will pass at least once (assuming it goes 4 downs), and a 2nd down pass would definitely be more surprising than a 3rd down pass had Lynch been stuffed... But they totally squandered the opportunity to fully sell the run there. Both by formation/personnel and by absence of a fake. If you're gonna get clever, you may as well go all in, as opposed to being half clever.
As mentioned before you've also gotta give the Pats their due. It was an incredible individual play by Butler, with a big assist from Browner and his jam.
Brady and Co's 4th quarter are also the only reason the Pats were ahead at that point. Greatest SB comeback against a great D.
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