After falling behind 10-7 in the first quarter, the Patriots began the second in great field position. From inside the 5-yard-line, the Patriots would attempt to force one in to a small space and Tom Brady's pass was nearly intercepted by safety Earl Thomas. If he had make the pick, he'd of been easily able to take the ball 90-plus yards the other way, for a Seahawks' touchdown.
However, just a handful of plays later, the Patriots would punch it in for a go-ahead touchdown when Brady connected with tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was making his return from an ankle injury that he suffered back in week 2 against Arizona.
Rookie defensive end Chandler Jones would come from Russell Wilson's blindside and strip the ball from the quarterback's right arm before he could release a pass from right around the 50-yard line. The Patriots were able to fall on the loose football and take over in great field position.
After absorbing a brutal -- and legal hit -- from Seattle cornerback Brandon Browner, Wes Welker was able to return to the field and catch a huge third down pass from Tom Brady to keep the New England drive alive. However, the Patriots weren't able to convert another first down on the drive and were forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal attempt. Stephen Gostkowski's kick was right down the middle and the Patriots were able to extend their lead to 17-10.
The Patriots' defense would stop the Seahawks on third and four with under a minute to play in the half, bringing out punter Jon Ryan. The veteran punter was unable to handle the snap and would be taken down inside the Seattle 25-yard-line. With just six seconds left on the clock, Tom Brady would fire the ball through the back of the endzone with no receiver in the area, causing an intentional grounding penalty to be called and the first half to end on a 10-second run-off. It was an unusual mistake for a quarterback who typically shows much better field awareness than what was displayed on that play.