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New England Fans Revel In Last-Minute Interception

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Pretty stunning finish to that Super Bowl last night. You can't blame Seattle Seahawks fans for thinking they were about to celebrate until that interception that gave New England another championship. Craig Lemoult from member station WGBH watched the game with fans in Boston.

CRAIG LEMOULT, BYLINE: It was a tense moment for Patriots fans at the Cask 'n Flagon sports bar. The Pats had the lead, but an incredible catch had put the Seahawks in position to score again with just seconds left on the clock. Then, this happened.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

LEMOULT: Patriot Malcolm Butler intercepted the ball at the goal line, ending Seattle's hopes for a second consecutive Super Bowl win.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

LEMOULT: Patriots fans spilled into the chilly night air. Among them was Daniel Polanco.

DANIEL POLANCO: You know Seattle's defense is very strong. But you know what? We have a better offense, and we came back. And we got the interception at the end, and that's how we capitalize.

LEMOULT: It was another strong showing from quarterback Tom Brady. Despite the fact he's 37 years old, fans Bianca Rousseau and Mary Tanner don't think he's ready to retire.

BIANCA ROUSSEAU: He's been here for a while.

MARY TANNER: He's been my quarterback since I was in the third grade, and he owns my heart.

LEMOULT: It's been a decade since Brady and the Pats won a Super Bowl. And New England fan Charlie Allierie had this message for Seattle.

CHARLIE ALLIERIE: You had it last year. No one really cares about football there. They're all bandwagon fans. So you know what? Go Pats.

LEMOULT: Other fans were a little more charitable towards the Seahawks, especially after a great game. But everybody seemed to agree the best team had won. For NPR News, I'm Craig Lemoult in Boston. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Craig produces sound-rich features and breaking news coverage for WGBH News in Boston. His features have run nationally on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, as well as on PRI's The World and Marketplace. Craig has won a number of national and regional awards for his reporting, including two national Edward R. Murrow awards in 2015, the national Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi award feature reporting in 2011, first place awards in 2012 and 2009 from the national Public Radio News Directors Inc. and second place in 2007 from the national Society of Environmental Journalists. Craig is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Tufts University.