As I mentioned during the posts relating to the Conference Championship games, the Super Bowls throughout the 80s and 90s were rather one-sided. But starting in 2001, 10 of the next 14 Super Bowls weren't decided until the final few minutes. Here's a look at a few of those games.
19. Super Bowl 38 – A wild fourth quarter
The New England Patriots won
their second Super Bowl in three years as they defeated the Carolina Panthers
by a score of 32-29. But it was an exciting fourth quarter that saw the teams
combine for 37 points and produce a memorable finish.
With the Patriots leading 14-10
at the end of three, they added to the lead on the second play of the fourth
quarter with running back, Antowain Smith, running the ball in from two yards
out. New England now led 21-10. But the Panthers quickly countered that TD with
one of their own. Carolina running back, DeShaun Foster, scampered for a
33-yard TD run but the two-point convert attempt failed and the score was
21-16.
After Patriots’ quarterback, Tom
Brady, threw an interception, Carolina pivot, Jake Delhomme, connected on the longest
TD pass in Super Bowl history, an 85-yard catch and run by receiver Muhsin
Muhammad. Again, a two-point convert was attempted and missed, making the score
22-21 in favour of the Panthers.
A 68-yard scoring drive for the
Patriots followed, with Brady throwing a one-yard TD pass to Mike Vrabel, a
linebacker who lined up as a tight end for goal line situations. The Pats were
successful on their two-point attempt and were now leading the game 29-22.
The Panthers responded with a
game-tying TD drive of their own, capped by a 12-yard pass from Delhomme to
receiver, Ricky Proehl. But a poor kick-off that sailed out-of-bounds and a
pass interference call doomed the Panthers as New England was able to move the
ball into field goal range for their kicker, Adam Vinatieri. The veteran nailed
a 41-yarder to give the Patriots the Super Bowl with a 32-29 victory.
20. Super Bowl 41 – The Opening Kickoff
The Indianapolis Colts were in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1970 season when they were known as the Baltimore Colts. The Chicago Bears were in the big game for the first time since their dominating performance over the Patriots after the 1985 season.
The Bears won the toss and elected to receive. I was watching the game with my girlfriend, who would later become my wife, who knew little about football and was relying on me to share my wealth of information on the sport so she could enjoy the game a bit better. Before Indianapolis kicker, Adam Vinatieri, put the ball in play to start the Super Bowl, she asked me, “Is it easy to score points in this game?”
My reply was, “No, it’s actually quite difficult.” The ball was in the air before my response was finished. Bears’ returner, Devon Hester, accepted the kick off and proceeded to run 92 yards for the first opening kickoff return touchdown in Super Bowl history, and make me look like I knew absolutely nothing about football.
“That looked pretty easy to me,” I heard someone beside me say.
However, the kickoff wasn’t enough for the Bears, as the Colts would come back to win the game by a score of 29-17.
The Indianapolis Colts were in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1970 season when they were known as the Baltimore Colts. The Chicago Bears were in the big game for the first time since their dominating performance over the Patriots after the 1985 season.
The Bears won the toss and elected to receive. I was watching the game with my girlfriend, who would later become my wife, who knew little about football and was relying on me to share my wealth of information on the sport so she could enjoy the game a bit better. Before Indianapolis kicker, Adam Vinatieri, put the ball in play to start the Super Bowl, she asked me, “Is it easy to score points in this game?”
My reply was, “No, it’s actually quite difficult.” The ball was in the air before my response was finished. Bears’ returner, Devon Hester, accepted the kick off and proceeded to run 92 yards for the first opening kickoff return touchdown in Super Bowl history, and make me look like I knew absolutely nothing about football.
“That looked pretty easy to me,” I heard someone beside me say.
However, the kickoff wasn’t enough for the Bears, as the Colts would come back to win the game by a score of 29-17.
21. Super Bowl 42 – Eighteen wins….and one
“Giant” loss
The New York Giants prevented
the New England Patriots from completing the first perfect season since the
1972 Miami Dolphins. The Giants’ defense slapped the sass and sarcasm out of
Patriot quarterback, Tom Brady, who—in an interview during Super Bowl
week—scoffed at and mocked Giant receiver, Plaxico Burress’s suggestion that
the Giants’ D would hold the Patriots to less than 20 points.
Well, they did just that as New
York won the game by a score of 17-14. But it was one play on the Giants’
winning touchdown drive that stands out most of all. On a third-and-five play
from the New York 44 with just over a minute remaining, Giant quarterback, Eli
Manning, was able to shake off three New England pass rushers, two of which had
him by his jersey but couldn’t bring him down. Eli stood up and fired a pass
down the middle of the field towards receiver David Tyree. Both Tyree and
Patriot defender, Rodney Harrison, jumped for the ball, but Tyree got the ball
first—with one hand. As he fell to the ground, Tyree was unable to bring his
free hand to secure the catch and instead managed to pin the ball to the back
of his helmet, while keeping the pigskin from touching the ground. (See picture at the top of the post.)
A few plays after what was obviously the
best catch in Super Bowl history, Manning fired the winning score
to—fittingly—Burress from 13 yards out. The catch by Tyree would prove to be
the last of his career, as he suffered a serious knee injury in training camp
the following summer and would never play again.
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