I wonder how much the Seahawks ability to move the ball downfield at the end of the first half played into the decision.
Seattle showed on that drive that they could coast down the field at will and the Patriots seemingly couldn't stop them. Maybe Pete got cocky?
Listening to his postgame quotes, it seemed like he never even entertained the thought that New England would stop them from scoring. And I can't really blame him. In that second quarter, they drove the length of the field in what 40 seconds? And then they did it again in the final two minutes before that second down play.
I'd imagine that, combined with the ballsy call of Belichick not calling timeout and thus in effect daring the Seahawks to win the game, made it seem like a no-brian decision that Seattle would score.
Felt that way to me anyway. I was already accepting the touchdown was a given and it wasn't until Belichick let the clock run that I thought "Wait, the Pats aren't going to get another chance here? DAMN IT! This one might be over."