In place of Malcolm Butler's Pats HC Bill Belichick started CB Eric Rowe

Rowe allowed six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown on a team-high nine targets. REF: Phil Perry and Mike Giardi of NBC Sports Boston.

There was this relatively early in the game. With 2:34 left in the first quarter, Alshon Jeffery beat Rowe on a vertical route and out jumped him for a 34-yard score. Did Belichick look seriously to Malcolm Butler after that TD !?...NO !

Eric Rowe's overall performance left everyone wondering why Butler wasn't added to the field at some point...."

Bill Belichick's decision to bench Malcolm Butler turned the Patriots into a three-safety team in Defensive sub-packages. Patrick Chung and Jordan Richards were vulnerable targets in coverage and Chung was actually absent for a portion of the game after he was taken out for precautionary observation.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...r-bowl-mistake

Benching Malcolm Butler Was Bill Belichick's Biggest Super Bowl Mistake

BY: DOUG FARRAR .... FEBRUARY 6, 2018

" This domino effect is exactly what one would expect Belichick to anticipate; that he caused it by benching Butler makes this a possible game-losing call. It's the kind of regrettable decision that Belichick's opponents usually make, and Pederson made him pay. "