Chris Matthews' Unlikely Journey to Super Bowl Stardom

Chris Matthews’ rise to Super Bowl stardom is stuff Hollywood couldn’t even make up. The former Kentucky wide receiver and Super Bowl XLIX star for the Seattle Seahawks was gracious enough to sit down with KSR ahead of Super Bowl LV.

“I’m going to be quite honest here, I didn’t think I was even going to make it out there.”

An undrafted free agent, Matthews was called up to the active roster of the defending champs with just a month left in the 2014 NFL season. He had zero career NFL receptions entering the Super Bowl against Tom Brady’s New England Patriots. Matthews would haul in four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, just a mere two weeks after recovering a crucial onside kick to send Seattle to the Super Bowl.

While the world watched in awe at the unlikeliest of stars, we here in the Bluegrass knew exactly what Matthews was capable of. In 2010 Matthews had 61 receptions for 925 yards and nine touchdowns, all of which rank inside the top 10 of single-season records for Kentucky pass catchers.

But when asked about his favorite moment at UK, he deferred to praising guys like Randall Cobb and Stevie Johnson for helping kick start a career-defining year for the blue and white.

“We (Matthews and Cobb) gelled together,” Matthews said. “We found a mesh that brought that team together as one nucleus that was really special to me.”

Matthews said that offseason Johnson — who graduated just three years prior with the beloved 2007 Wildcats — challenged Cobb and Matthews to out-duel each other, which brought out the best in both of them. In that 2010 season, Matthews was sixth in the SEC in receiving yards and led the conference with nine touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Cobb finished third in the conference with 1,017 yards and sixth in touchdowns en route to a 6-6 season and an appearance in the BBVA Compass Bowl, the last Kentucky class to reach a bowl game until Mark Stoops snapped the skid in 2016.

Despite the 6-6 record, the defining moment that season came in early October when Kentucky finally toppled Steve Spurrier and the top 10 South Carolina Gamecocks, 31-28. Most people rightfully remember Randall Cobb catching the go-ahead touchdown and Mike Hartline on the ground pumping his fists, but what often gets lost in remembering that game was the career-day by Matthews.

Against the Gamecocks in 2010 Matthews caught 12 balls for 177 yards, both of which are fourth-most in a single game in school history. He also had a touchdown to boot.

Despite the gaudy numbers and going toe-to-toe with the best college football had to offer, Matthews found himself undrafted. He bounced around in the Canadian Football League for a couple of years until Super Bowl Week 2014 when he got a call from the Seahawks just before they left to contend for the Lombardi Trophy against the Denver Broncos.

Matthews thought he had punched a ticket to a Super Bowl ring, but he ended up not playing in that game, a lopsided 43-8 victory for the Legion of Boom. The following offseason he bounced between free agency and the Seahawks’ practice squad until he finally got the call to make the active roster with a month left in the 2014 season.

Matthews did not let down his team. In the NFC Championship he made a play to cement his legacy in the NFL forever.

With two minutes and some change left in the game, the Green Bay Packers were seemingly on their way to the Super Bowl. They opened up the game 16-0 and despite a late comeback from the Hawks, it seemed all but sure Green Bay had sealed their second trip to the Super Bowl in five years.

The Seahawks cut the score to 19-14, and with one timeout left their season was riding on the onside kick. Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka skipped the ball into the air, off the chest of Brandon Bostick and into the hands of Chris Matthews.

“I was scared,” laughed Matthews. “This is a big game, and we don’t practice special teams full speed. Our motto was practice like a champion so when those moments come you’re not scared, you’re ready for it. So I was scared because we didn’t practice like champions, we literally walked through these…we get out there, and I was nervous.”

“Sure enough we get out there and it bounces off his shoulder and whoop the ball is into my hands. It was a crazy experience to go from scared to extremely happy.”

That recovery helped Seattle complete the NFC Championship comeback, winning in overtime to head to Super Bowl XLIX where Matthews’ star would burn even brighter. Just like the onside kick, almost none of it was planned.

“Even after the onside kick, I didn’t think that would propel me to play offense,” explained the former Cat. “I was still the guy in the back of the line. Leading up to the Super Bowl I was just running around honestly, enjoying the festivities. Just having a good time, my mind wasn’t actually in playing the game, just special teams.”

It seemed like special teams was going to be the only impact Matthews made in the Super Bowl, but in the second quarter, all of that changed.

With four minutes until halftime the Seahawks had yet to put any points on the board against Matt Patricia’s defense. Out of nowhere, Matthews jumped up and twisted in the air for a 44-yard reception inside the 15 yard-line to kick start Seattle’s offense.

“The two weeks we practiced that play, it was never designed to go deep. Russ would look at me, then throw the slant to Ricardo Lockette. It would work every time. We get into the game and the play before Ricardo had just run a dig route and caught the ball over the middle then got hit the play before, so he was like ‘Chris come get me, come get me,’ so I’m like I got you, and I remember Pete being like Chris!? Chris!? What are you doing!? and I said he told me to go in and he’s like ‘alright go! go! go!’ 

“So they call the play and I’m thinking just run them off, hand the ball off. It was so routine in my mind that we never threw this ball, just get out the way. It caught me off guard so when I see the ball in the air, I just wanted to focus — and I was like damn I’m about to drop the ball on live TV, but I ended up making the play.”

That was just the start of his memorable performance.

With six seconds to go before the half, the Seahawks were down 14-7 and well within field goal range. Instead of taking the points and going into the half down by four, Pete Carroll decided to throw it up to Matthews.

“Aye, let’s just throw it up to the guy with the hot hand,” Matthews said impersonating Pete Carroll. “Pete said, ‘Chris!’ He put his arm around me and said ‘We’re just gonna throw you the ball man, you go do your thing. Do you believe in it?’ I said ‘yeah!’ he said ‘alright then let’s go.'”

Matthews high-pointed the ball to become the first Wildcat to score a touchdown in Super Bowl history. The touchdown tied the game at 14 and gave the Seahawks momentum before halftime.

Matthews caught two more passes, totaling over a 100-yard yard performance. He was in prime position to take home Super Bowl MVP… until Malcolm Butler jumped a pass on the goal line in the final seconds, intercepting a potential game-winning touchdown and sealing a 28-24 Patriots Super Bowl.

After the infamous interception, Matthews went through a wide range of emotions.

“Confused, frustrated, hopeful because with our defense we might get it right back,” he said. “Those were the main thoughts in my head after that play hit. Once players started leaving the field, that’s when it set in we done lost this damn game. How did we let this happen?”

Despite his MVP-caliber performance, Matthews said the fact that he was a play away from being dubbed as the Super Bowl’s MVP never crossed his mind. However, he noted that the game changed his life forever. He was able to make appearances and do interviews he had never dreamed of, but unfortunately, his NFL-run would end just as fast as it started.

He was cut the following offseason by Seattle. He later signed with the Ravens but did not make the roster after suffering a thumb injury. Matthews played in the CFL up until 2019, but after COVID-19 canceled the CFL’s most recent season, Matthews decided to hang it up and focus on his next stage of life in being a father.

Despite his short-lived moment in the limelight, Matthews left a lasting legacy in NFL postseason history, a story that movies are made of.

Enjoy the entire hour-long conversation with Matthews below and Happy Super Bowl week. 

https://kentuckysportsradio.com/football-2/chris-matthews-sits-down-with-ksr-to-reminisce-on-his-super-bowl-performance-of-a-lifetime/