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Dont’a Hightower became Mr. February in 3 Patriots’ Super Bowl victories

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The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet in the 59th Super Bowl on Sunday. Counting down to the NFL title game, AL.com is spotlighting a Super Bowl hero with Alabama football roots daily through Sunday. The series started with Bart Starr on Monday, looked at Joe Namath on Tuesday, John Stallworth on Wednesday, Justin Tuck on Thursday, Malcolm Butler on Friday and DeMarcus Ware on Saturday and concludes with Alabama alumnus Dont’a Hightower:

New England went to four Super Bowls while linebacker Dont’a Hightower played for the Patriots.

New England lost in one – a 41-33 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018. Hightower did not play in that game. He had sustained a torn pectoral muscle in the fifth game of the season and missed the remainder of the campaign.

When the Patriots had Hightower available, they won three Super Bowls, and there’s a reason New England coach Bill Belichick called the linebacker “Mr. February.”

In the Patriots’ 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015, Hightower made five tackles, including perhaps the most important one in the game.

On a first-and-5 snap at the New England 5-yard line, Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch went over 100 rushing yards for the game with a 4-yard run. Hightower brought down “Beast Mode” at the Patriots 1-yard line despite playing with a torn labrum. On the next play, former West Alabama standout Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass by quarterback Russell Wilson with 20 seconds to play to seal New England’s championship.

In Super Bowl LI, the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime on Feb. 5, 2017, after falling behind 28-3. Hightower had two tackles, one sack and one forced fumble – and his strip-sack of quarterback Matt Ryan was a key play in New England’s comeback.

On a third-and-1 snap at the Atlanta 36, Hightower knocked the football away from Ryan, and Patriots defensive tackle Alan Branch recovered the fumble at the Atlanta 25-yard line with 8:24 left to play. Five plays later, New England scored a touchdown to cut the Falcons’ lead to 28-20.

In the Patriots’ 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019, Hightower recorded two sacks, three quarterback hits and a pass breakup.

Hightower’s first sack of quarterback Jared Goff came on a first-and-10 snap at the Los Angeles 32-yard line, and the 6-yard loss led to a three-and-out in the final minute of the first half.

A hit by Hightower on Goff helped steer a short pass incomplete on a third-and-6 snap at the Rams 6-yard line in the third quarter.

But Hightower’s biggest play in the game came on the next series, when he took down Goff for a 9-yard loss on third-and-7 from the New England 26-yard line with 2:15 left in the third quarter. Los Angeles kicked a field goal on the next play to tie the game at 3-3.

Hightower played in nine seasons with the Patriots. New England went to the playoffs in each of them. In 2020, when Hightower opted out of the season under the NFL’s plan to play during the coronavirus pandemic, the Patriots missed the playoffs, and they haven’t been back to the postseason since Hightower’s final season in 2021.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.