Malcolm Butler didn’t play a single defensive snap Sunday in the New England Patriots’ 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
It was a strange turn of events, especially with Patriots coach Bill Belichick offering a very ambiguous explanation for why Butler didn’t play, and it also highlighted just how much New England’s roster has changed since the cornerback’s game-sealing interception against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX just three years ago.
That’s right. Not one player who was on the field for Butler’s famous interception against the Seahawks in February 2015 played a snap Sunday in the Patriots’ loss to the Eagles.
The 11 players on the field for Butler’s legendary INT included:
-Butler
-Darrelle Revis
-Brandon Browner
-Dont’a Hightower
-Sealver Siliga
-Chandler Jones
-Chris Jones
-Vince Wilfork
-Alan Branch
-Jamie Collins
-Rob Ninkovich
Butler and Branch are the only two still on New England’s roster. Butler played just one special teams snap in Sunday’s loss, while Branch was inactive for the game.
The Patriots, of course, have had amazing continuity at the quarterback and head coaching positions, with Tom Brady and Belichick cementing themselves as NFL legends over the last two decades. And some other key pieces, including tight end Rob Gronkowski, have remained intact in recent years.
It’s still amazing to see such turnover in such a short span, though, especially for a team that just fell short of its third Super Bowl title in four seasons.
