New England Wins Super Bowl in Upset

N E W  O R L E A N S, Feb. 4 -- The New England Patriots stepped onto the Louisiana Superdome turf as one, opting for no pregame introductions after the St. Louis Rams took the field for Super Bowl XXXVI. The unexpected change made a prophetic statement: Win or lose, they were going to do so as a team.

Who would've imagined the gesture would be prescient, as well.

Against long odds, the Patriots completed the 2001 NFL season as No. 1 thanks to a collective effort that seemed improbable against the heavily favored Rams but was made reality by an opportunistic defense and the right leg of Adam Vinatieri.

The Patriots turned three turnovers into their first 17 points, cashing in on two Kurt Warner interceptions and a Ricky Proehl fumble for a 17-3 lead. After the Rams rallied for two late fourth-quarter touchdowns to knot the game at 17 with 1:30 remaining, quarterback Tom Brady engineered the game-winning drive to lock up the Super Bowl MVP award and a 20-17 victory.

Brady, who showed no ill affects from his sprained left ankle, drove the Patriots 53 yards in nine plays against a beignet-soft Rams prevent defense to set up Vinatieri for a 48-yard field goal attempt. By the time Vinatieri's kick sailed through the uprights, time had expired and the 14-point underdog Patriots had slayed the NFL's version of Goliath for their first Super Bowl title.

"We shocked the world," Patriots cornerback Otis Smith said.

Playing to Win

Brady made all of his 145 yards count, especially on the game-winning drive. Starting on the Patriots' own 17-yard line with 1:21 remaining, Brady picked up a first down with an innocent 8-yard dump to J.R. Redmond. He hooked up with Redmond again two plays later for an 11-yard reception and another first down at the New England 41.

While John Madden was talking overtime — and judging by the silence of the dome, so were the 72,922 on hand — the Patriots were focused on a winning field goal. Said Brady: "I was planning to go out there to win the game."