Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2001 season. In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, the 14-point underdog Patriots defeated the Rams 20–17. It was New England's first Super Bowl victory.
The game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 3, 2002. Following the September 11 attacks earlier in the season, the NFL postponed a week of regular season games and moved the league's playoff schedule back. As a result, Super Bowl XXXVI was rescheduled from the original date of January 27 to February 3, becoming the first Super Bowl played in February. Due to heightened security measures following the terrorist attacks, this was the first Super Bowl designated as a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS would later name each subsequent Super Bowl a NSSE.
This game marked the Rams' third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and the second in three seasons. St. Louis posted an NFL-best 14-2 regular season record, led by quarterback Kurt Warner and "The Greatest Show on Turf" offense. The Patriots made their third Super Bowl berth after posting an 11-5 regular season record, led by second-year quarterback Tom Brady and a defense that ended the regular season ranked sixth in scoring.
Although the Rams outgained the Patriots 427–267 in total yards, New England built a 17-3 third-quarter lead off of three St. Louis turnovers. After a holding penalty in the fourth quarter negated a Patriots fumble return for a touchdown, Warner scored a 2-yard touchdown run and threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 17-17 with 1:30 remaining. Without any timeouts, Brady led his team down the field to set up kicker Adam Vinatieri's game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired. Brady, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP.
Read more about Super Bowl XXXVI: Television and Entertainment, Game Summary, Records, Statistical Comparison, Starting Lineups, Officials
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