Super Bowl XXXVI

February 3, 2002, New Orleans, Louisiana

New England Patriots 20, Saint Louis Rams 17

Before the game

The Super Bowl was originally scheduled for the week prior to February 3, but the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack led to the NFL schedule being moved one week back.

Playoffs:

• Wild-card round:
  • 1/12/2002: AFC: Oakland Raiders 38, New York Jets 24

Oakland wide receiver Jerry Rice[?] was the hero of the night, catching 9 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. Running back Charlie Garner[?] ran 80 yards for the game-clinching touchdown with 1:27 remaining in the game.

• • 1/12/2002: NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb[?] threw for 194 yards and a touchdown as Philadelphia dominated Tampa Bay from start to finish. Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson[?] was intercepted four times, one of which was returned 59 yards by Damon Moore[?] for a touchdown.

• • 1/13/2002: AFC: Baltimore Ravens 20, Miami Dolphins 3

In another of the Dolphins' well-known late-season slides, the defending Super Bowl champions dominated the Dolphins in every statistic. Baltimore's Terry Allen[?] ran 109 yards and scored a touchdown. Miami's only score was an Olindo Mare[?] field goal 2 minutes into the game.

• • 1/13/2002: NFC: Green Bay Packers 25, San Francisco 49ers 15

Green Bay exploded in the second half with Brett Favre throwing for 226 yards in the final 30 minutes. A late San Francisco comeback attempt was thwarted when a long Jeff Garcia pass was intercepted by Tyrone Williams[?] late in the fourth quarter, and Ahman Green[?] scored the clinching touchdown with 1:55 left.

• • earning byes in this round: AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots. NFC: Saint Louis Rams, Chicago Bears.

• Divisional round:
  • 1/19/2002: NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 33, Chicago Bears 19

The Bears surprised everyone by finishing atop the NFC Central in 2001 with a 13-3 record behind quarterback Jim Miller[?]. But when Miller was taken out of the game in the second quarter with a separated shoulder, Philadelphia blew the game open. Miller's replacement, Shane Matthews[?] threw for only 66 yards and was picked off twice. Donovan McNabb[?] threw for 262 yards and ran for a touchdown.

• • 1/19/2002: AFC: New England Patriots 16, Oakland Raiders 13 (overtime)

This game, played in a heavy snowfall, will be remembered for a controversial call near the end of the game, in which the referees initially ruled that New England quarterback Tom Brady had fumbled on a pass attempt, with Oakland protecting a three-point lead. Invoking the "tuck rule", where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward throwing motion, the referee overturned the decision after reviewing the instant replay[?], calling the drop an incomplete pass rather than a fumble. The Patriots then tied the game on a 45-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal (a dramatic kick through heavy snowfall) and subsequently won the game in overtime.

• • 1/20/2002: NFC: Saint Louis Rams 45, Green Bay Packers 17

The matchup between two highly rated quarterbacks was won by St. Louis's Kurt Warner[?], fresh from being named league MVP, but the real stars were the Rams' defence. Green Bay QB Brett Favre threw for 281 yards, but also a playoff record tying 6 interceptions. The visiting Packers generated most of their offense early in the game, but turnovers saw them trailing 24-10 at halftime. In the third quarter the Rams raised their game on both sides of the ball, scoring 14 unanswered points and putting the game out of sight.

• • 1/20/2002: AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Baltimore Ravens 10

Steelers' running back Jerome Bettis[?], sidelined for much of the regular season, was scheduled to make his return but backed out at the last minute. It didn't matter though: the Pittsburgh defense did all the work, causing four turnovers and three sacks. Baltimore's first first-down didn't come until there were 3 minutes left in the first half.

• Conference championships:
  • 1/27/2002: NFC: Saint Louis Rams 29, Philadelphia Eagles 24

St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner[?] completed two-thirds of his passes for 212 yards, and Marshall Faulk[?] ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Down 17-13 at halftime, the Rams were too much for an Eagle defense who, until this game, hadn't allowed more than 21 points per game.

• • 1/27/2002: AFC: New England Patriots 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 17

The Patriots' storybook season continued as Drew Bledsoe[?] came into the game in the second quarter in place of an injured Tom Brady[?] - who replaced Bledsoe himself early in the season when he suffered a sheared blood vessel. Bledsoe threw for a touchdown to David Patten[?] on his fifth play from scrimmage. A late Pittsburgh comeback was thwarted by two Kordell Stewart[?] interceptions in the last three minutes.

The game

Entering the game as 14-point underdogs, the Patriots dispensed with the traditional individual player introductions, choosing to enter the stadium as a team. The approach carried over into the game. The first Patriot score was a defensive touchdown, on an interception by Ty Law[?]. The Patriot defense held the explosive Rams offense to a single field goal during the first half. The Rams rebounded from a 17-3 deficit with two touchdowns, and with a mere two minutes remaining in regulation the game was tied, 17-17. Rather than running out the clock and playing for overtime, the Patriot offense launched one of its few successful scoring drives of the day, with quarterback Tom Brady[?], the game's MVP, moving the ball into range for a game-winning 48-yard field goal by placekicker Adam Vinatieri[?] as time expired.

See Also:

• Super Bowl
• National Football League
• American football