Super Bowl XXXIX—February 6, 2005--Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots. The victory gave the Eagles their first championship in franchise history and their second overall after 12 seasons in the NFL. They defeated the Patriots 24-21 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The Eagles were led by quarterback Donovan McNabb and wide receiver Terrell Owens. The Patriots were coached by Bill Belichick and featured future Hall of Fame players Tom Brady and Randy Moss.
In a game that was decided by less than a touchdown, McNabb played one of the best games of his career, completing 22 of 32 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 51 yards and a score as the Eagles dominated time of possession (39:17 to 21:13). Owens had nine receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown while adding 63 yards on seven carries. Running back Correll Buckhalter also contributed with 76 rushing yards and a score.
The Eagles' defense was led by middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and cornerback Sheldon Brown, who both won championships themselves with Baltimore. Linebacker Keith Bullock and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork also contributed significantly on that side of the ball.
Super Bowl II, January 14, 1968, Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers. The Raiders defeated the Packers 23-7.
The Oakland Raiders entered the 1968 season as strong contenders to win their first NFL title in only their second year of existence. They had a powerful offense led by quarterback Dan McGwire and running backs Charlie Garner and Pete Aguaje, and a tough defense that included end Howard Cosell's son Jeff as a rookie linebacker. Also on the roster was former San Francisco 49er Endocino Jones, who had been acquired in a trade with Chicago during the 1967 season.
In the offseason, the Raiders lost two key players when Aguaje and Garner decided not to return for another year. Third-stringer Jack Tatum took over at halfback while Doug Laney replaced Aguaje at right end. Safety Mel Blount also left after one season to join his brother Tom's new team, the Baltimore Colts.
Oakland opened its season with a close 13-10 victory over Washington. Then came a 24-14 loss at home to San Diego. After that game, McGwire suffered a knee injury that would keep him out of action for several weeks.
Panthers The Panthers were beaten by the Patriots by a score of 32-29. On February 1, 2004, the game was held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. With 144.4 million people, this was the most viewed Super Bowl history. It was also the first time that an outdoor football game was played in the state of Texas.
The Patriots earned $18.9 million while the Panthers made $5.5 million. This was the highest paid team ever until 2016 when the Patriots again won their fourth title earning $20 million while the Seattle Seahawks who lost to New England by a score of 28-24 went home with $7 million.
There have been other high paying games over the years including one in 2010 where the New Orleans Saints beat the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers 34-30. The two teams combined earned $56 million but that wasn't enough to beat out the Patriots -$20 million prize.
A year later, another classic came down to the last minute when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17. Both teams combined made $57 million but once again, that wasn't enough to beat out Tom Brady and Co.
In 2016, there was a major shift when Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan brought home the trophy after beating New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his crew by a score of 24-2.
The Bears were beaten by the Colts by a score of 29-17. On February 4, 2007, the game was held at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This game featured two clubs breaking long Super Bowl droughts. The Patriots had not played in the big game since 1994 when they lost to the Cowboys 31-27 in Super Bowl XXXII in Houston. The Dolphins had never before hosted the event nor had they ever won the championship.
Miami became the first city to host the Super Bowl twice with its 1997 victory over Buffalo. The Dolphins have also been one of only three teams (Patriots are others) to play in every Super Bowl after their debut (1997, '98).
However, the 1995 season saw Miami win the first two games of the season against New England before losing nine straight. At that point, the Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention. That same year, the Steelers defeated Dallas in Super Bowl XL.
So, Miami has played in and lost two Super Bowls. Its record is 1-1.
The Patriots have reached the playoffs all but one season since their last title game appearance in 2001. They have also reached the conference championship game five times since then while winning three of them. In 2014, New England won its second consecutive title after defeating Denver 42-40 in overtime of the final game of the season.
Two Super Bowls were held in Tampa Stadium. On January 22, 1984, the Los Angeles Raiders beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. On January 27, 1991, the New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV, the closest Super Bowl game ever.
Tampa Bay has also hosted a Super Bowl practice. The NFL's annual pre-season exhibition game is known as the Super Bowl Challenge. It was first played in 1976 at what now is known as Raymond James Stadium. In 2009, the game was moved to Sun Life Stadium in Miami due to concerns about weather conditions in Florida during the pre-season. The practice game allows teams to work on some of their schemes in an environment close to full size games while still giving most players time to rest before the start of the regular season.
The Buccaneers originally were not going to be part of the NFL until 1966. But when American Football League (AFL) owners wanted to merge with their major league counterpart, they came up with a plan to expand both leagues to contain eight teams each. The two leagues would then combine forces for one final season before splitting apart again. This merger process was called "The Concussion Crisis". Many people believe it caused baseball to go into decline because there were only six teams playing then compared to ten in football. The Buccaneers played in the AFL from 1965 to 1977.
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