SI.com - Super Bowl XXXVIII: In-game Analysis - Sunday February 1, 2004 7:03PM

SI.com's Jacob Luft (Pats) and Luke Winn (Panthers) analyze every drive.

First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 23	Car 30	3	7	1:48	Punt	0	0

Panthers' ball: All week, we were prepped not to exect much offense in this Super Bowl, but quietly prayed it wouldn't be a gritty (see: boring) defensive struggle. Those prayers aren't answered immediately, at least on Carolina's end. After winning the toss, the Panthers elect to receive ... only to go three-and-out.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 47	CAR 13	7	34	2:39	Missed FG	0	0

Patriots' ball: New England takes advantage of Troy Brown's 28-yard punt return to drive into field-goal range, but Mr. Automatic himself, Adam Vinatieri, misses a 31-yard attempt wide right. It is the first time in six games the Patriots do not score on their opening drive.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 21	Car 14	3	-7	1:17	Punt	0	0

Panthers' ball: Another three-and-out. First down hasn't been kind to the Panthers thus far: two runs, 2 yards. Neither have third downs: two passing plays, one incompletion, one sack. The Pats bring their first blitz of the day on third-and-9, as Mike Vrabel sneaks behind the left side of the line and sacks Delhomme for a 9-yard loss.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
NE 38	NE 45	3	7	1:43	Punt	0	0

Patriots' ball:Oh, Deon! The Panthers' Deon Grant squanders the opportunity to make the first big play of the game, dropping an interception on Tom Brady's first-down pass. Brady audibles on third-and-9 but it doesn't pay off, as Deion Branch is stopped short of the first-down marker on an underneath route. The only good news for New England: Troy Brown returns to the field, his bloody nose from the first punt return repaired with a cotton ball.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 11	Car 9	3	-2	1:27	Punt	0	0

Panthers' ball: This is like a broken record. Three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out. The first/third down woes continue for the Panthers -- Stephen Davis up the middle for two on first down, a near sack/incompletion for Delhomme on third. Credit Jarvis Green, who had three sacks against Indianapolis in the AFC title game, with the pressure. While Carolina is still looking for a first down, it finally completes a pass when Steve Smith reels in a screen on second down ... for just 1 yard.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 49	CAR 41	5	8	2:58	Punt	0	0

Patriots' ball: You have to question the play-calling here. The Patriots disregard their bread-and-butter, the short pass, on third-and-3 to try a reverse with Troy Brown. Will Witherspoon crashes through the line to nail him for a 10-yard loss.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 8	Car 23	5	15	2:29	Punt	0	0

Panthers' ball: A run-oriented team like Carolina needs to win the field position game -- and they're losing it miserably. The Panthers' field position is worsening with each drive, from their own 23, to the 21, to the 11, and on this drive, the 7. Carolina needs a gift to earn their first first down; it comes in the form of a holding penalty on Ty Law, whose defense on Mushin Muhammad is slightly too hands-on. DT Ty Warren and LB Roman Phifer come to the rescue for the Pats, pressuring Delhomme on two key pass plays that effectively kill the drive.

Second Quarter Drives

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
NE 32	NE 41	3	9	1:23	Punt	0	0

Patriots' ball: New England tries to get its often-ignored running game established, but Carolina stuffs Antowain Smith on a third-and-1 to force yet another punt. When is Tom Brady going to start carving up the Panthers with his patented short-passing game? It doesn't look like that is their game plan today.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 37	Car 24	3	-13	1:07	Punt	0	0

Panthers' ball: With stats like these, it's easy to figure out what kind of day the Panthers are having: Davis: 7 carries, 16 yards; Delhomme: 1-for-7 passing, 1 yard. Give credit to Carolina for going for a homer on first down, trying to challenge Tyrone Poole with a high-arcing deep ball to Smith. It doesn't work.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
NE 25	CAR 18	14	57	7:02	Blocked FG	0	0

Patriots' ball: Make that 0-for-2 for Super Bowl hero Vinatieri, who comes up empty again as the Panthers block a 35-yard field-goal attempt. At least another longtime ally of the Patriots -- instant replay -- is not letting them down. They get a generous spot on a fourth-and-1 in Carolina territory for a first down, and the call is upheld after review. This is the Patriots' best drive of the game, as Smith successfully runs between the tackles and Brady rolls out for a couple of short passes in the flat to Brown.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 27	Car 20	3	-7	0:38	Fumble	0	0

Panthers' ball: If there's a function on TiVo that allows you to delete Panthers drives instead of commercials, it might be a reasonable option. Carolina cannot get anything done on third-and-long, and disaster finally strikes when Vrabel hits Delhomme and forces the game's first turnover. It's only further evidence of the Pats' ability to create chaos on defense: Six different players have made their way into the backfield to at least pressure Delhomme -- Vrabel, Warren, Phifer, Jarvis Green, Bobby Hamilton, Willie McGinest ... and Vrabel again for the knockout blow.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 20	CAR 5	4	20	2:10	Touchdown	7	0

Patriots' ball: The Panthers' defense finally cracks after being on the field almost the entire quarter. Capitalizing on a fumble recovery by its defense, New England scores the game's first touchdown on a 5-yard pass to Branch.

Key Play: Brady does his best John Elway impersonation, scrambling up the middle for 12 yards on third-and-7 to set up the touchdown.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 5	NE 39	7	95	1:58	Touchdown	7	7

Panthers' ball: It doesn't matter if you're a running team to the bitter end; when you're down 7-0 in the Super Bowl and the clock's under two minutes, you start airing it out. Between the last drive and this one, Delhomme morphs from Tony Eason circa 1985 into Bart Starr circa 1968. The Panthers' QB really hits his groove in the two-minute drill, mostly with four-wide receiver sets from the shotgun. Ricky Proehl -- one of the few players left from the Super Tecmo Bowl era -- catches two big balls to set up Carolina's first score.

Key Play: A lofty, 39-yard TD pass from Delhomme to Steve Smith, who streaks down the left sideline and beats Tyrone Poole to paydirt. Carolina had been trying to exploit Poole all day, and it finally pays off.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
NE 22	CAR 5	6	78	0:49	Touchdown	14	7

Patriots' ball: Wasn't play-action passing supposed to be the Panthers' big weapon? The Patriots abuse the Panthers with it again as Brady finds David Givens wide open for a touchdown on third-and-1 from the 5-yard-line.

Key Play: The Patriots come out in their shotgun-spread package and Brady connects with Branch on a deep post for 52 yards.

Began	Last	Plays	Yards	Time	Result
CAR 47	NE 32	2	21	0:12	Field Goal	14	10

Panthers' ball: The squib kick proves to be a very, very bad decision for the Pats as Kris Mangum returns it to the Panthers' 47. Stephen Davis then more than doubles his rushing total (19 yards to 40) on a draw that catches New England off-guard. John Kasay gives Vinatieri a kicking lesson to end the half, drilling a 50-yarder at the gun.

Key Play: Davis' 21-yard draw up the gut, the perfect play call against a spread-out Pats' D. The veteran RB has the wherewithal to hit the turf before time expires, setting up Kasay's boot.

And now, we ruin the suspense over the surprise halftime guest: It's Winger.

Third Quarter Drives

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

NE 26 NE 35 3 9 2:20 Punt 14 10

Patriots' ball: Did the streaker make it on the over-the-air broadcast? It looked like he was Riverdancing at midfield. As for the game, the Panthers must have made a locker-room adjustment to their run defense, because Smith can't find much room on two carries to start the half. On third down, linebacker Dan Morgan makes a huge tackle on a Kevin Faulk reception.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

CAR 42 NE 40 5 18 3:07 Punt 14 10

Panthers' ball: The Pats miss out on a mammoth defensive play. Law forces a fumble on a Muhammad reception that's ruled incomplete, despite the fact that the Panthers' wideout takes two steps after catching the ball. For once, instant replay can't turn it in New England's favor (much to Bill Belichick's dismay). Delhomme's momentum from the end of the first half may have stalled after two drive-ending incompletions.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

NE 10 NE 31 6 21 3:20 Punt 14 10

Patriots' ball: Backed up near their own goal line for the first time today, the Patriots get back to what they are known for, dinking and dunking. But the strategy falls short as Faulk is tackled shy of the marker on a third-and-3 rushing attempt.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

CAR 10 CAR 14 3 4 1:56 Punt 14 10

Panthers' ball: How many Carolina fans want to get their hands on Brian Allen (No. 52) right now? The reserve linebacker commits his second special-teams penalty of the game, and Carolina finds itself where it too often was in the first half: starting a drive from inside its own 15 (in this case the 10). Despite trailing by four, the Panthers are playing like they're ahead, starting this drive with two more Davis runs to the right side. On third-and-3, Rodney Harrison is the latest Pat to send Delhomme to the turf, and Carolina punts.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

NE 29 CAR 2 8 71 4:08 Touchdown 21 10

Patriots' ball: Brady finds his rhythm at this crucial juncture of the game, completing 3-of-4 passes for 57 yards on the drive before Smith finishes it off with a 2-yard plunge. If the Panthers don't find a way to solve the Patriots' defense quickly, this one's over.

Key Play: The Panthers' linebackers bite on another play-action pass, allowing tight end Daniel Graham to find a seam down the middle of the field for a 33-yard gain to the 9-yard line.

Fourth Quarter Drives

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

CAR 19 NE 33 6 81 2:10 Touchdown 21 16

Panthers' ball: Time to turn down the running game and start the Delhomme show, with a key cameo from DeShaun Foster. After Rod Smart trips on the kick return (Turf Hate Me!), Carolina unleashes the passing attack. Delhomme connects on three of his first four, two of them to Steve Smith, to march the Panthers down the field. A handoff to Foster out of the shotgun -- with a big block from pulling guard Kevin Donnalley -- caps off the scoring drive and gets Carolina back in the contest. But will the decision to go for two (which failed) prove costly later in the game?

Key Play: Foster's 33-yard run to glory down the left sideline shows the Panthers can still count on the running game for a big play -- just maybe not from Davis.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

NE 27 CAR 9 10 64 5:01 INT 21 16

Patriots' ball: Hold off on those Joe Montana comparisons for at least a little bit longer. Pressured by Al Wallace, Brady throws an ill-advised floater into the end zone that's picked off by Reggie Howard.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

CAR 10 CAR 15 3 85 00:45 Touchdown 21 22

Panthers' ball: Holy Delhomme! The quarterback who led seven fourth-quarter comebacks already this season is engineering yet another one in the biggest game of his career. Delhomme moves out of the pocket on a broken play and hits Mushin Muhammad on the left sideline for a Super Bowl-record 85-yard pass play to put the Panthers on top. Yes folks, of all the QBs in the playoffs -- Manning, Favre, McNabb, Hasselbeck, even Brady -- Delhomme could be the guy who goes out on top. Is this Trent Dilfer all over again? Forced to go for the two-point conversion, after the previous one failed, the Panthers can't connect.

Key Play: It'll go down as "The Bomb" -- Muhammad leaves Law and Eugene Wilson in the dust en route to an 85-yard score. It took every bit of oomph left in Delhomme's arm to get it there.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

NE 32 CAR 1 11 68 4:02 Touchdown 29 22

Patriots' ball: Despite taking hellacious shots from Dan Morgan and Terry Cousin, Brady marches the Patriots down the field with his patented razor-sharp precision. The Patriots continue to work the right side of the field on Brady roll-outs, as he connects with Givens twice for big gains near the sideline.

Key Play: Mike Vrabel?!#? The linebacker scores what may end up as the game-winning touchdown of the Super Bowl on a 1-yard reception. You just know Warren Sapp is seething about this.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

CAR 20 NE 12 7 80 1:43 Touchdown 29 29

Panthers' ball: Is this really the same Delhomme who started the game 1-for-9? Is a 35-year-old receiver -- Proehl -- really running wild in the New England secondary? And are two defensive teams really playing one of the craziest offensive fourth quarters in Super Bowl history? With safety Rodney Harrison out of the game, the Pats' coverage breaks down multiple times. Proehl victimizes nickelback Asante Samuel not once, but two times en route to the game-tying score. Right now, Samuel may be the only person in more hot water than the CBS producer who let Janet Jackson's breast make the air during the halftime show.

Key Play: Delhomme hits Proehl over the middle for a 31-yard gain to the New England 14, setting up the score ... and overtime, if the Panthers' D can find a way to stop Brady.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

NE 40 CAR 23 6 37 1:04 Field Goal 32 29

Patriots' ball: We have a goat for Super Bowl XXXVIII -- John Kasay. The Carolina kicker boots the ball out of bounds on the kickoff, allowing Brady to take over at his own 40-yard line. From there it was academic as Montana, er, Brady, carved up the exhausted Panthers' defense to set up Vinatieri for yet another game-winning field goal in a Super Bowl. Elation for New England; misery for Carolina. On the bright side, the Daytona 500 is right around the corner.

Key Play: On third-and-3 from the Panthers' 40, Brady hits a wide-open Branch for a 17-yard gain to set up the game-winning field goal.

Began Last Plays Yards Time Result

-- -- -- -- -- -- 32 29

Panthers' ball: No Music City Miracle, no Stanford Band play to end an amazing Super Bowl. Rod Smart takes the deep kickoff near the right sideline, and after a 20-yard return, runs smack dab into a wall of Patriots defenders at the 22. The final gun sounds, the confetti falls, and the Patriots win their second title in three years.


	SI Media Kits \| About Us \| Subscribe \| Customer Service Copyright © 2005 CNN/Sports Illustrated. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.