Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference champion Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2003 season. The Patriots defeated the Panthers by a score of 32–29. The game was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 1, 2004. At the time, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 89.8 million viewers.
The Panthers were making their first ever Super Bowl appearance after posting an 11–5 regular season record. They also made it the second straight year that a team from the NFC South division made the Super Bowl, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning Super Bowl XXXVII. The Patriots, led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, were seeking their second Super Bowl title in three years after posting a 14–2 record.
NFL fans and sports writers widely consider this game one of the most well-played and thrilling Super Bowls; following the game Sports Illustrated writer Peter King hailed it as the "Greatest Super Bowl of all time." Although neither team could score in the first and third quarters, making it the first Super Bowl with two scoreless quarters, they ended up with a combined total of 868 yards and 61 points. The game was scoreless for a Super Bowl record 26:55 before the two teams combined for 24 points prior to halftime. The clubs then combined for a Super Bowl record 37 points in the fourth quarter. The contest was finally decided when the Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri's 41-yard field goal was made with four seconds left. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career.
The game is also known for its controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a second, in what was later referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction". Along with the rest of the halftime show, it led to an immediate crackdown by the Federal Communications Commission, and widespread debate on perceived indecency in broadcasting.
Background
Host selection process
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXXVIII to Houston during their November 1, 2000, meeting held in Atlanta. It marked the second Super Bowl held in the Houston area, the first was VIII played at Rice Stadium. Three Super Bowls host sites were selected during the meeting, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XL. However, XXXIX was the only one of the three that involved a competitive voting process. The vote for XXXVIII was mostly a formality, as Houston had been tentatively preselected for the game, contingent on satisfying a series of basic requirements. No other cities were considered for XXXVIII. Back in 1998, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue had singled out San Diego as the likely host for XXXVIII. However, San Diego ultimately got XXXVII instead after the league took away that game from San Francisco. After their lone previous effort of hosting the Super Bowl, the city of Houston had bid numerous times, unsuccessfully, to host the game a second time. Both Rice Stadium and later the Astrodome had been proposed, but both were rejected by owners for various reasons. Despite being indoors, the Astrodome lacked capacity, which would require temporary seating. The closest the Astrodome came to winning a bid was for XXIX when it finished a close second in the voting. Houston then lost the Oilers after 1996, and were without an NFL franchise for five seasons.On October 6, 1999, the NFL owners voted to award the city of Houston the 32nd expansion franchise. The Houston Texans would begin play in 2002, and would play their home games in a brand new facility, Reliant Stadium. In the weeks leading up to the expansion vote, the negotiations included a promise by the NFL that Houston, if they were to win the expansion vote, would receive a Super Bowl 'as soon as possible' at the new stadium. Since future host sites had already been selected through XXXVII, the soonest Houston could host would be XXXVIII. That satisfied the NFL's rule that required new stadiums to wait until at least their second year of operation before hosting a Super Bowl, in order to iron out any logistical issues or construction delays. About a year after being awarded the expansion franchise, on November 1, 2000, the Houston task force, led by mayor Lee Brown, Texans owner Bob McNair, representatives from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and other local leaders, delivered their formal presentation. Houston was awarded XXXVIII without opposition. Jacksonville won the vote for XXXIX, and Detroit was awarded XL.
This was the first Super Bowl to be played in a retractable roof stadium. However, it would remain closed during the game. This game marked a six-month stretch for the state of Texas hosting the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four and the MLB All-Star Game. Super Bowl XXXVIII was the first Super Bowl to be scheduled for the first Sunday of February; subsequent Super Bowls through LV would follow this format. XXXVI had previously been held on the first Sunday of February, but that came as a result of the NFL pushing back the 2001 playoffs by a week as a result of the September 11 attacks.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers made their first trip to the Super Bowl after posting a one-win regular season just two years earlier. The franchise was in its ninth year of existence, joining the league as an expansion team in 1995.In, the Panthers suffered a franchise-worst 1–15 record. After that year, head coach George Seifert was relieved of his duties and replaced by John Fox. With Fox at the helm and the team taking advantage of the free agent market and the salary cap rules, the Panthers improved in 2002, finishing with a 7–9 record. Then in 2003, they recorded an 11–5 record to win the NFC South.
One of the free agents that the Panthers signed before the 2003 season was quarterback Jake Delhomme. The Panthers signed him to be the backup to starting quarterback Rodney Peete. However, after the Panthers fell to a 17–0 third quarter deficit in their first game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, gaining only one first down and 36 offensive yards, Fox immediately replaced Peete with Delhomme. Delhomme led the Panthers to a 24–23 comeback victory over the Jaguars.
Delhomme became the team's starting quarterback for the rest of the season, throwing for 3,219 yards and 19 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions. The team's main receiving threat was third-year wide receiver Steve Smith, who also specialized as a kickoff and punt returner. Smith had 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns, rushed for 42 yards, gained 439 yards and another touchdown returning punts. Wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad was also a constant breakaway threat, recording 837 yards and three touchdowns.
However, the Panthers' strength on offense was their running game, led by running backs Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster. Davis was the team's leading rusher with a franchise record 1,444 yards and eight touchdowns, while Foster rushed for 429 yards and had 207 receiving yards.
On defense, the Panthers' main strength was its defensive line, anchored by defensive ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker, and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. The secondary was led by Reggie Howard, Mike Minter, Deon Grant, and Ricky Manning Jr..
New England Patriots
Despite their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI after the 2001 season, the Patriots stumbled early in 2002, recorded a 9–7 record, and failed to make the playoffs.Then, the Patriots seemed to implode before the 2003 season ever started. Five days before their opening game against the Buffalo Bills, Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy, one of the Patriots' defensive leaders, was unexpectedly cut by the team after refusing to restructure his contract. The move devastated many of the Patriots players, while Milloy immediately signed with the Bills two days later. With the Patriots seemingly in emotional disarray, the Bills defeated the Patriots, 31–0, with Milloy forcing an interception and recording one sack and five tackles.
However, after a 2–2 start, the Patriots ended up winning their last 12 games to earn a league-best 14–2 record.
Tom Brady, the Super Bowl XXXVI MVP, had become the team's permanent starter in 2002 after quarterback Drew Bledsoe left the team. Brady had a solid season in 2003, completing 317 out of 527 of his passes for 3,620 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only 12 interceptions. His primary weapon was second year wide receiver Deion Branch, who had for 803 receiving yards. Another key contributor was wide receiver David Givens, who filled in for the injured starter David Patten. Givens recorded 510 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Other weapons in the passing game included veteran wide receiver Troy Brown, who had 472 receiving yards, four touchdowns, and 293 yards returning punts, and tight end Daniel Graham with 409 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. Rookie receiver Bethel Johnson returned ranked second in the NFL with a 28.2 yards per return average on kickoffs, with a return touchdown, while also having for 209 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
In the backfield, the team's rushing game was led by running backs Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk, who carried the ball equally. Smith was the team's leading rusher with 642 yards and touchdowns, while Faulk rushed for 638 yards and had 440 receiving yards.
The Patriots' defense was retooled before the 2003 season when the team signed veteran safety Rodney Harrison as a free agent and traded for nose tackle Ted Washington. With these additions, the Patriots led the league in fewest passing yards allowed per attempt, fewest passing touchdowns allowed, and most interceptions. They also ranked fourth in fewest rushing yards allowed and seventh in fewest total yards.
Washington helped anchor the Patriots' defensive line, recording 32 tackles and 2 sacks. Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour also contributed with 8 sacks. Behind them, the Patriots had three outstanding linebackers: Pro Bowl linebacker Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, and Tedy Bruschi.
Harrison became the veteran leader in the secondary, recording 92 tackles, three interceptions, and 3 sacks. Meanwhile, Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law recorded six interceptions, cornerback Tyrone Poole had six interceptions and a touchdown, while also forcing three fumbles. Rookie safety Eugene Wilson recorded four interceptions. Overall, the secondary combined for 19 interceptions.