The game featured the Broncos coming back to tie the game in the first quarter, Green Bay coming back to tie the game in the third quarter, and the Packers bouncing back again to tie the score, 24-24, early in the fourth quarter. Both defenses then stiffened, forcing two punts each, Denver the last as they pinned Green Bay deep in their territory in the waning minutes. After Craig Hentrich‘s 39-yard punt, the Broncos took possession at the Packers’ 49 with 3:27 to go. Aided by two penalties, Denver drove toward the deciding score. Terrell Davis broke a 17-yard run to the Packers one with 1:47 to go, and the Packers let Davis walk into the end zone on the next play so they would get the ball back with a chance to tie the score again. Brett Favre drove the Packers to the Broncos 35, but that is where the drive stalled. Davis rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns to take MVP honors, ending the NFC streak of Super Bowl victories at 13. (Dave Martin / Associated Press)
The scoreboard read the Rams won by a touchdown, but they really won by a yard. The Titans were trying to force overtime with a last-ditch drive but, after grabbing a slant pass from Steve McNair, Kevin Dyson was tackled one yard shy of the end zone by Mike Jones as time expired. The Rams might have won easily, driving inside the Titans’ 20 on each of their first six possessions, but scored just three field goals and a touchdown. This left room for the Titans’ comeback. Kurt Warner passed for a record 414 yards and won MVP honors. (John Gaps III / Associated Press)
This was the first of four consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Bills and the only time they weren’t blown out. The Giants slowed Buffalo’s high-powered no-huddle offense by possessing the ball for a Super Bowl record 40 minutes and 33 seconds behind the rushing of MVP Ottis Anderson (102 yards). Buffalo had the ball for less than eight minutes in the second half, but still had a chance to win on the last play of the game. The Bills started their last drive from their 10-yard line with 2:16 remaining, quarterback Jim Kelly driving Buffalo to the Giants’ 29 with eight seconds to go. However, Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal, wide right, by just a couple feet. (Bill Haber / Associated Press)
The Rams, featuring their “Greatest Show on Turf” offense, cruised through the regular season with a 14-2 record and were heavy favorites in the Super Bowl. Even though the Rams outgained the Patriots, 427-267, in yards, the Patriots forced three turnovers and converted them into 17 points. New England went into the fourth quarter ahead, 17-3. However, Kurt Warner rallied the Rams, who tied the score with 1:30 remaining. That left one more chance for Tom Brady, who had taken over the starting spot earlier in the season ahead of injured Drew Bledsoe. Starting at their 17 with 1:21 to go, Brady completed five of six passes on a 53-yard drive that ended with Adam Vinatieri kicking the deciding 48-yard field goal as time expired. (Doug Mills / Associated Press)
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The Patriots led, 7-3, at the half and the third quarter was scoreless. Led by defensive end Justin Tuck (two sacks, six tackles, a forced fumble), the Giants pressured Tom Brady all game and sacked him five times. In the wild fourth quarter, the Giants took the lead when Eli Manning connected with David Tyree on a five-yard touchdown pass that was nearly intercepted by Asante Samuel, and the Patriots retook the lead when Brady found Randy Moss for a six-yard touchdown pass. The Giants had one last chance to overcome, and Manning led an 83-yard drive highlighted by Tyree’s 32-yard reception on a desperation heave from Manning after he eluded a sack. Tyree actually trapped the ball against his helmet. With 35 seconds to go, Manning completed the upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. (Harry How / Getty Images)
Scoreless in the first and third quarters, the game was highlighted by a crazy fourth quarter when Carolina outscored New England, 19-18. Trailing by 11 in the final quarter, the Panthers scored consecutive touchdowns and, despite two failed two-point conversion attempts, led 22-21 with 6:53 remaining. The Patriots responded with a 68-yard touchdown drive and two-point conversion to take a seven-point lead with 2:51 to go, but the Panthers weren’t finished. Jake Delhomme led another scoring drive, culminated by a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 1:08 remaining to tie the score, 29-29. The Patriots had one more chance and, facing a third-and-three from the Panthers’ 40 with 14 seconds left, Tom Brady hit Deion Branch with a 17-yard pass to set up Adam Vinatieri‘s deciding 41-yard field goal with four seconds to go. (Jeff Haynes / AFP/Getty Images)
The second quarter ended with the first halftime tie in Super Bowl history, 3-3, and the 49ers spent the second half coming back from deficits, first trailing by three and tying the score and then trailing by seven and tying the score. The Bengals took a three-point with 11:40 left, and the 49ers still trailed when they took possession on their eight-yard line with 3:10 remaining. Joe Montana used 11 plays and most of the clock to drive San Francisco 92 yards, the last 10 covered on a slant pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds to go. (Lennox McLendon / Associated Press)
The Cardinals rallied from a 20-7, third-quarter deficit to take a 23-20 lead with 2:37 to go when Kurt Warner connected with Larry Fitzgerald for a stunning 67-yard touchdown reception as the receiver split the Steelers’ defense and outran the secondary. Trailing for the first time in the game, Ben Roethlisberger drove the Steelers 78 yards on eight plays, the final one a six-yard pass to game MVP Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone with 35 ticks remaining. Holmes got behind three Cardinals defenders and barely kept both toes in bounds as he leaned and stretched to secure the football and the victory. The game also featured the greatest defensive play in Super Bowl history when James Harrisons returned an interception 100 yards through a maze of players for a touchdown with no time left in the first half to give the Steelers a 17-7 lead. (Matt Slocum / Associated Press)