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February 3, 2004
TWO-SIDED: Super Bowl wove action and inactivity into thriller
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON
Dull for one quarter and record-setting the next, this Super Bowl had it all.
The New England Patriots' 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers was bound to end with some kind of heroics. For the second time in three years, Adam Vinatieri provided them.
Before his 41-yarder split the uprights with four seconds left, what started as a snoozer turned into a shootout. A defensive standoff lasted nearly 27 minutes, the slowest start in Super Bowl history.
And then: Bang! New England and Carolina combined for 24 points in 3:05.
After getting back to their defensive natures in a scoreless third period, the teams provided unseen - and unforeseen - thrills in the final period:
• A record 37 points, including an 85-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad that was the longest play in Super Bowl history.
• A 33-yard touchdown run by DeShaun Foster that illustrated how the Patriots' normally precise tackling fell apart.
• A steady Tom Brady twice leading drives that put New England ahead, first 29-22 on a 1-yard pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel, then 32-29 on Vinatieri's winning kick.
"I've never been in a game that has drained me as much as the one last night," Coach Bill Belichick said yesterday. "Last night's game just swung so drastically so many times, there were minutes when both teams played outstanding defense, and there were other times when no one could stop anyone."
As for Vinatieri, he said making those decisive field goals, "They never get old. Never ever."
"Most people never get an opportunity to play in this game, let alone to ... put the last points on the board," said Vinatieri, who won the 2002 Super Bowl with a 48-yard field goal as time expired against St. Louis. "Maybe it was d?j? vu, with knowing Tom and the fellows are going to march down the field and give us an opportunity."
Brady never, ever loses in the postseason - hardly any other time, too. He's 6-0 in the playoffs and has two Super Bowl MVP trophies in as many tries. This was New England's 15th straight victory, second only to Miami's 17 in a row in the 1972 season.
Overall, Brady's record is 40-12. He's 26-4 in games played after Nov. 1.
In this game of ebbs and flows, however, not even Brady could be totally steady. He threw an interception to Reggie Howard in the Carolina end zone with 7:38 remaining and the Patriots ahead 21-16.
Three plays later, Muhammad beat Eugene Wilson down the left sideline for the 85-yarder and a 22-21 lead. For the second time in the period, Carolina missed the 2-point conversion with 6:53 to go.
So Brady atoned for his error by guiding a 68-yard drive, hitting 6-of-8 passes. Vrabel, who already had two sacks, came in as a tight end and caught a pass in the front of the end zone. Kevin Faulk ran in New England's first 2-point conversion all season with 2:51 left.
Enough? Perhaps for the usually stingy Pats, but the scrappy Panthers wouldn't go away. Delhomme needed seven plays to take them 80 yards, finding veteran Ricky Proehl, in his third Super Bowl, for a 12-yard score.
John Kasay's extra point tied it, then Kasay goofed. His kickoff went out of bounds, giving New England the ball at its 40.
"That never really entered my mind," said Kasay, who nailed a 50-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. "We needed a really good kick, and I didn't get it done."