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SuperBowlConcierge.com > Super Bowls > SB 39 Champion New England Patriots |
Super Bowl History |
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His contributions helped lead the team to break the NFL record for the most consecutive
regular season victories (18), the record for the most consecutive overall
victories (21) and earned the second best regular season record during the year
at 14–2. The team's only losses during the year were to the Pittsburgh Steelers,
who ended up with the league's best regular season record at 15–1, and a
29–28 loss to the Miami Dolphins on ABC's Monday Night Football. Another weapon in the Patriots' offensive backfield was running back Kevin Faulk, who rushed for 255 yards, recorded 26 receptions for 248 yards, returned 20 punts for 113 yards, returned 4 kickoffs for 73 yards, and scored 3 total touchdowns. |
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SB 39 Champion New England Patriots |
New England's major acquisition prior to the season was veteran running back Corey
Dillon, who joined the team after playing 7 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
In his first 6 seasons in the league, Dillon averaged over 1,250 rushing yards
per year, including setting a single-game rushing record against the Denver
Broncos. In 2003, however, injuries, conflicts with the Bengals' management and
coaching staff, and other off-field problems limited him to just 541 yards during
the season. By the end of the 2003 season, Dillon had lost his starting job
to running back Rudi Johnson, and thus demanded to be traded. Although many observers
questioned how effective the 30-year-old Dillon would be after recovering
from his injuries as well as his ability to function in a team environment,
the Patriots decided to sign the running back in exchange for a second-round draft
pick. Dillon became a significant offensive weapon for the 2004 Patriots, recording 1,635 rushing yards (franchise record) and 12 touchdowns, both career highs, and was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his career. He also caught 15 passes for 103 yards and another touchdown. |
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Fullback Patrick Pass also emerged as a big contributor, rushing for 141 yards, catching
28 passes for 215 yards, and gaining another 115 yards on kickoff returns. Pro Bowl quarterback Tom Brady remained at the helm of the Patriots offense, completing 288 out of 474 (60.8 percent) of his passes for 3,692 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. |
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Deion Branch had 11 receptions for 133 yards and the Patriots’ defense forced four
turnovers en route to becoming the eighth team to post consecutive Super Bowl
titles. The Patriots matched the Dallas Cowboys (XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX) as the
only teams with three Super Bowl victories in the span of four seasons. The Eagles threatened first, driving to the Patriots’ 8 late in the first quarter. On first down, Mike Vrabel sacked Donovan McNabb for a 16-yard loss and, after a penalty overturned an interception, Rodney Harrison stepped in front of a pass for an interception at the Patriots’ 4. Early in the second quarter the Eagles drove 81 yards, keyed by Todd Pinkston’s 40-yard catch, and capped by McNabb’s 6-yard touchdown pass to L.J. Smith on third-and-goal for a 7-0 lead. The Patriots responded by driving to the Eagles’ 4, but Tom Brady fumbled on a fake handoff attempt and Darwin Walker recovered. Later in the quarter, a 29-yard punt by Dirk Johnson allowed the Patriots to drive just 37 yards, keyed by Branch’s 7-yard catch on third-and-3, and capped by Brady’s pass to David Givens on the right side of the end zone to tie the game with 1:10 left in the half. New England began the second half with a 9-play, 69-yard drive, including four receptions, two on third down, by Branch, and capped by Vrabel’s 2-yard catch. The Eagles put together a 10-play, 74-yard drive later in the third quarter, keyed by Brian Westbrook’s 4-yard catch on third-and-3, and followed on the next play by his 10-yard touchdown catch to tie the game. On the ensuing drive, Kevin Faulk caught screen passes of 13 and 14 yards, and had a 12-yard run, and Corey Dillon capped the possession with a 2-yard run with 13:44 remaining for a 21-14 lead. The Patriots’ defense forced a three-and-out, and Branch’s 19-yard catch set up Adam Vinatieri’s 22-yard field goal with 8:40 to play. Tedy Bruschi intercepted McNabb’s pass at the Patriots’ 24 with 7:20 remaining. The Eagles forced a punt, and beginning at their own 21 with 5:40 to play, needed 13 plays to drive 79 yards, capped by McNabb’s 30-yard touchdown pass on a post-pattern to Greg Lewis with 1:48 to play. Christian Fauria recovered the onside kick, but the Eagles’ defense forced a punt. Dexter Reid downed Josh Miller’s 32-yard punt at the Eagles’ 4 with 46 seconds left, and Harrison intercepted McNabb’s pass three plays later to clinch the title. Brady was 23 of 33 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Branch earned MVP honors with his Super Bowl-record-tying 11 catches. McNabb was 30 of 51 for 357 yards and three touchdowns, with three interceptions. Terrell Owens had nine receptions for 122 yards. |
GAME RECAP |
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New England 0 7 7 10
24 Philadelphia 0 7 7 7 21 |
BOX SCORE |
1 2 3
4 Total |
Date February 6, 2005 Stadium ALLTEL Stadium City Jacksonville, Florida MVP Deion Branch, Wide receiver Favorite Patriots by 7 National anthem Combined choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Army Herald Trumpets. Coin toss Youth football players from Jacksonville: Tyler Callahan, Tyler Deal, Lawrence McCauley, and Jacob Santana; New Orleans NFL Junior Player Development coach Tamaris Jackson Referee Terry McAulay Halftime show Paul McCartney Attendance 78,125 TV in the United States Network FOX Announcers Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Cris Collinsworth Nielsen Ratings 41.1 Market share 62 Cost of 30-second commercial US$2.4 million |
Super Bowl 39 Information |
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Super Bowl Champs |
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Future Super Bowl Locations |
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Super Bowl XLII, Glendale, Ariz. Feb. 3, 2008 Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa, Fla. Feb. 1, 2009 Super Bowl XLIV, South Florida TBA, 2010 Super Bowl XLV, North Texas TBA, 2011 |
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Although wide receiver Deion Branch, New England's major deep threat, missed most
of the season because of injuries, he did record 35 receptions for 454 yards and
4 touchdowns. Wide receiver David Givens ended up being the team's leading receiver
with 56 catches for 874 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver David Patten
also contributed with 44 receptions for 800 yards and 7 touchdowns, and tight
end Daniel Graham had 30 receptions for 364 yards and 7 touchdowns. On defense, the Patriots were plagued by injuries, especially in their secondary. Defensive backs Tyrone Poole and Ty Law suffered season-ending injuries, while safety Eugene Wilson, who lead the team with 4 interceptions, missed several games. In order to compensate for the losses, the following players were promoted to starters: * Rookie cornerback Randall Gay, who did not play at all in the first 3 games of the season, and did not start until the 6th week * Defensive back Asante Samuel, who normally only played during dime formations * Safety Earthwind Moreland, who came off of the team's practice squad and had only played in three games in his entire 5-year NFL career * Veteran wide receiver Troy Brown, who had never played on defense in his 12-year career With their patchwork secondary, the Patriots ranked just 17th in passing yards allowed (3,400) and 22nd in completions allowed (315). However, they did rank 7th in interceptions (20) and 10th in fewest passing touchdowns allowed (18). Most importantly, New England continued to win despite the injuries. Brown actually turned out to be very effective playing as a defensive back, ranking second on the team with 3 interceptions. Safety Rodney Harrison was also an impact player, leading the team with 138 tackles while also recording 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Up front, the Partriots defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowler Richard Seymour, who recorded 5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. New England also still had their trio of impact veteran linebackers: Pro Bowler Tedy Bruschi (122 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 70 return yards), Willie McGinest (9.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception), and Mike Vrabel (71 tackles and 5.5 sacks), along with Ted Johnson. Vrabel also frequently played at the tight end position during offensive plays near the opponent's goal line, recording 2 touchdown receptions. |