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Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17 Patriots 14
Road Warrior Giants Bring It Home
Undefeated Destiny Disrupted for the 18 -1 New England Patriots
With 2:49 left in Super Bowl XLII it seemed to be yet another perfectly scripted comeback victory for the
New England Patriots as Tom Brady connected with Randy Moss for a 7-yard TD completion. However, the
Giants went off script as Eli Manning drove the Giants 83 yards for the game winning touchdown.
Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning ended the 12 play 83 yard winning drive when he found Plaxico Burress (17)
in the corner of the end zone with 35 seconds to play.
The catch of the drive and the game belonged to the Giant's David Tyree (85) a few plays earlier.
With 59 seconds left, Eli Manning amazingly escaped what appeared to be
a definite sack and launched the ball down the field. Tyree lept into the air cathcing the ball
high above his head thus winning the jump ball.
The Giants were at New England's 24 yard line and on the verge
of doing what seemed impossible only a few minutes before.
Tyree's amazing leap was then followed by New York Giants rookie Steve Smith's (12) catch. The rookie showed
the experience of a veteran as he was smart enough to find the first down marker and to get
out of bounds and stop the play clock at 39 seconds. On the following play came the TD pass. It was
only Plaxico Burress' second catch of the game but probably the biggest catch of his NFL career.
The Plays Belonged to the Giants Offense.
But the Day and the Game Belonged to the Giants Defense
Right from the start it was the Giants defense that set the tone of the game. The Giants defense was in Brady's
grill the entire night. The pressure defense of the Giants that bought home the
Lombardi trophy and the Super Bowl Championship. New England QB Tom Brady
was sacked 4 times, hit 16 times and pressured 23 times.
At the end the Giants defense left Tom Brady and the New England Patriots with 10 seconds and a 4th down with
20 yards to go for the first down. Jay Alford's (93) sack for a 10 yard loss with 19 seconds to play
left the Patriots hoping for a miracle. And that miracle never came as Corey Webster (23) broke up the long bomb to
Randy Moss. The New England Patriots turned the ball over on posession to the New York Giants with 1 second left on
the clock. With one snap and a kneee the Giants were Super Bowl XLII Champions.
Super Bowl XLII: First Quarter
The Giants won the toin coss and elected to receive. Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants
offense started the game on a crisp note putting together a time consuming 16 play drive. However, the
Giants had to settle for a 32 yard Field Goal by Lawrence Tynes (9). The drive had started on the Giants own
23 Yard Line. The drive netted 63 yards and 4 first downs. The time of possession was 9 minutes and 59 seconds.
Giants 3 Patriots 0
With 5:01 left in the first quarter, New England Patriots Running Back Laurence Maroney (39) returned the
Giants kickoff 43 yards to New England's 44 yard line. QB Tom Brady threw an incompletion on the
first play of the drive. But Laurence Maroney came back with two rushes for 9 and 5 yards.
Brady's 2nd pass was incomplete as well. The Brady strung two completions together (Stallworth 7 yards /
Welker 8 yards) and the Patriots were on the Giants 35 yard line. The Patriots earned another
1st down as the drove the ball to the Giant's 17 yard line. Uncharacteristically, Tom Brady
had two incompletions in a row. With 3rd and 10 on the 17, it looked like the Giants had dodged the bullet.
However, Giants Linebacker Antonio Pierce was penalized for defensive pass interference in the end zone.
The ball was spotted at the one yard line. Laurence Maroney was stopped for no gain on first down as
the first quarter came to an end.
The two total possessions in the first quarter set a Super Bowl record for least posssessions in a Super Bowl quarter.
Super Bowl XLII: Second Quarter
On the first play of the second quarter, Maroney went off the right guard and scored on 1 yard run.
Gostkowski converted the PAT. New England's touchdown drive went 12 plays for 56 yards. Time of possession
was 5 minutes 4 seconds.
Patriots 7 Giants 3
Gostkowski ensuing kick-off went out of bounds and the Giants were awarded the ball on the 40 yard line.
On 3rd and 7, Manning passed deep left to Amani Toomer (81) for 38 yards. Toomer's catch of Manning's
lob was amazing as he managed to keep both feet inbounds. Barndon Jacob's ability to pick up the blitz
and block was the key to the play. It seemed as if the Giants were ready for their second score.
However, on 3rd and 5 yards to go, Eli Manning's short pass to the left was
intercepted by Ellis Hobbs at the 10. The bullet pass was intended for Steve Smith.
The ball was catchable but went through Smith's hands. Hobbs returned the ball 23 yards.
The first 2 plays of the drive were to Maroney (reception 8 yards; rush 1 yard). With 3rd and 1
on their own 42, it looked like the Patriots were ready to put some serious space between themselves
and the Giants. But then Butler and Strahan combined to tackle Maroney for 2 yard loss. The Patriots
were forced to punt. At this point it was only the third 3-downs-and-out for the Patriots in the
entire playoffs.
The Giants did not do much on their next posession as they went 3-and-out as well. The Giants defense
came back on to the field and held the Patriots again on 3 downs. The Giants offense faired better on their next
posession, but were forced to punt the ball back.
With 1:47 left in the half, the Patriots had the ball on their own 11 yard line. Tom Brady and the Patriots
were putting together an impressive drive as they drove the ball to the Giants 44 Yard line. However,
with 22 seconds in the half and 1st an 10, pressure from Justin Tuck caused Brady to fumble the ball
which was recovered Osi Umenyiora.
Super Bowl XLII Halftime: Patriots 7 Giants 3
Super Bowl XLII: Third Quarter
The Patriots started with the ball at their own 21 yard line. It seemed like the Giants
had the ball back after New England's punt. However, New England Patriot's Coach Bill Belichick
challenged the play. Upon review, the Ginats were penalized 5 yards for too many players on the field.
The Giants Chase Blackburn (57) could not get off the field in time. The penalty gave the Patriots a first
down at the Giant 39 yard line.
The Giants defense kept it together and forced the New England Patriots with a 4th and 13 on the Giants
31. Instead of attempting a field goal (or punting), Coach Belichick decided to go for it. On the play,
Brady was pressured into an incompletion.
For the Giants, this defensive stand despite the penalty and the ensuing offensive drive seemed to be the turning
moment of the game.
Super Bowl XLII: 4th Quarter
The Giants started their drive at their own 20 yard line. On the first play of the drive Eli Manning
connected Kevin Boss for a 45 yard gain to the New England 35. A couple of runs by Bradshaw and a 17 yard
pass play to Steve Smith had the Giants with a 1st and 10 on the New England 12. Ahmad Bradshaw's (44)
stong run for 7 yards gave the Giants a 2nd and 3 on the Patriots 5 yard line.
On the ensuing play, Eli Manning connected with WR David Tyree (85) over the middle for a touchdown.
Tyne's PAT gave the Giants a 10 to 7 lead with 11 minutes and 10 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLII.
The Giants 80 Yard touchdown drive took 6 plays while consuming 3 minutes and 47 seconds.
A few more change of possesions between the Giants and the Patriots.
With 7:54 left, New England started with the ball at their own 20. This time the Patriots offense was in synch
and the Giants defense could not stop Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker (83). The Patriots marched
80 yards down the field on 12 plays while taking a valuable 5 minutes and 12 seconds off the clock.
The dirve was capped by a Tom Brady to Randy Moss connection for 6 yards to the right. It was one of the few times
that the Giants secondary was in single coverage against Moss. On the drive Wes Welker set the Super Bowl record for most
receptions in the Super Bowl (11 recpetions in a single Super Bowl game).
With 2:42 remaining it looked as if the Patriots 19 - 0 destiny was well in hand. But their destiny
was disrupted.
Starting at their own 17, the Giants went into their no-huddle offense. The no-huddle had suited
Giants QB Eli Manning well throughout the year. Amani Toomer's catch for 11 yards was good for a first down
at the 28. On 3rd and 10, Amani Toomer caught another pass for 9 yards falling short of a first down.
It was 4th and one with 1:34 left to play and the Giants had no choice but to go for it.
Brandon Jacobs banged up the middle and stretched out his right arm and the ball for 2 yards
and the 1st down.
Tyree's amazing leap was then followed by New York Giants rookie Steve Smith's (12) catch. The rookie showed
the experience of a veteran as he was smart enough to find the first down marker and to get
out of bounds and stop the play clock at 39 seconds. On the following play came the TD pass. It was
only Plaxico Burress' second catch of the game but probably the biggest catch of his NFL career.
Final Team Stats
| New York Giants | New England Patriots |
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS | 17 | 22 |
By Rushing | 4 | 3 |
By Passing | 13 | 17 |
By Penalty | 0 | 2 |
THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY | 8-16-50% | 7-14-50% |
FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY | 1-1-100% | 0-2-0% |
TOTAL NET YARDS | 338 | 274 |
Total Offensive Plays (inc. times thrown passing) | 63 | 69 |
Average gain per offensive play | 5.4 | 4.0 |
NET YARDS RUSHING | 91 | 45 |
Total Rushing Plays | 26 | 16 |
Average gain per rushing play | 3.5 | 2.8 |
Tackles for a loss-number and yards | 1-1 | 3-7 |
NET YARDS PASSING | 247 | 229 |
Times thrown - yards lost attempting to pass | 3-8 | 5-37 |
Gross yards passing | 255 | 266 |
PASS ATTEMPTS-COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED | 34-19-1 | 48-29-0 |
Avg gain per pass play (inc.# thrown passing) | 6.7 | 4.3 |
KICKOFFS Number-In End Zone-Touchbacks | 4-0-0 | 3-1-0 |
PUNTS Number and Average | 4-39.0 | 4-43.8 |
Had Blocked | 0 | 0 |
FGs - PATs Had Blocked | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Net Punting Average | 35.3 | 32.5 |
TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (Not Including Kickoffs) | 25 | 38 |
No. and Yards Punt Returns | 3-25 | 1-15 |
No. and Yards Kickoff Returns | 2-39 | 4-94 |
No. and Yards Interception Returns | 0-0 | 1-23 |
PENALTIES Number and Yards | 4-36 | 5-35 |
FUMBLES Number and Lost | 2-0 | 1-1 |
TOUCHDOWNS | 2 | 2 |
Rushing | 0 | 1 |
Passing | 2 | 1 |
EXTRA POINTS Made-Attempts | 2-2 | 2-2 |
Kicking Made-Attempts | 2-2 | 2-2 |
FIELD GOALS Made-Attempts | 1-1 | 0-0 |
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY | 2-5-40% | 2-2-100% |
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY | 0-0-0% | 2-2-100% |
SAFETIES | 0 | 0 |
FINAL SCORE | 17 | 14 |
TIME OF POSSESSION | 30:27 | 29:33 |
NFL 2007: Countdown to Super Bowl XLII - 1 Day to Go
Slightly more than 24 hours before the big wait is over as the Giants are set to face the Patriots in Super Bowl
XLII.
NFL 2007: Giants Pull Off The Unthinkable to Advance to Super Bowl XLII
In frigid temperatures of the frozen tundra of Green Bay, the New York Giants completed the unthinkable of winning 10 straight games on the road.
They battled the cold. They battled the crafty veteran quarterback, and they battled expert panels of sportscasters who gave them no shot. When it was all over, kicker Lawrence Tynes, booted the Giants into Super Bowl 42.
NFL 2007: Playoff Articles
NFL 2007 Conference Championships: Chargers Take on Patriots in AFC, Giants Confront Packers in NFC
Win and you're on your way to sunny Glendale, Arizona for Super Bowl XLII on February 3. Lose and it's the sudden beginning of a long offseason.
"Our whole season is at stake and so is theirs," says New England Patriots head coach BILL BELICHICK in describing his AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers. The same can be said for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
"It's a one-game season," says Belichick. "One team moves on. One team goes home."
NFL 2007: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS WEEKEND
Fans will be watching this weekend as the NFL takes the next step on the way to Super Bowl XLII
with its Divisional Playoffs. The remaining eight teams in the 2007 playoffs have a combined record of 101-31.
NFL 2007: AFTER ONE WILD SEASON, HERE COMES WILD CARD WEEKEND!
Here we go – on a high-speed highway to Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona on February 3!
After a grueling, consistently exciting regular season, the 12 teams to qualify for the playoffs are an impressive bunch indeed:
NFL 2007: Regular Season Had It All
There was an undefeated season . . . the highest per-game scoring average in 25 seasons . . . big games . . . coveted records set . . . classic quarterback play . . . rookies excelling . . . touchdown runback after touchdown runback . . . an acclaimed overseas game . . . and so much more.
NFL 2007: MIAMI DOLPHINS HOLD FIRST PICK IN 2008 NFL DRAFT
The Miami Dolphins will make the first choice of the 2008 National Football League Draft on April 26-27. The order of the
first round of the 2008 Draft was announced by the NFL.
NFL 2007: FIVE CLUBS SCRAMBLING FOR FINAL TWO PLAYOFF SPOTS
PATRIOTS GO FOR UNDEFEATED SEASON SATURDAY NIGHT VS. GIANTS
NFL 2007 concludes the regular season this week with five teams fighting for 2 playoff spots
and the New England Patriots seeking to end the regular season undefeated.
NFL 2007: BEST GIFT THIS WEEKEND? A PLAYOFF BERTH! PATS SEEK FIRST 15-0 START IN HISTORY
With two weeks to go, seven clubs have made the playoffs, all by winning their divisions. Nine teams are vying for the remaining five playoff spots. All told, 16 clubs are in contention for Super Bowl XLII with two weeks to go.
NFL 2007: AFC - NFC 2008 PRO BOWL Selections
Among the players selected to the NFC squad was Washington Redskins safety SEAN TAYLOR, who died last month. Taylor received the most votes at his position and was chosen as the starting free safety for the NFC team.
2007 NFL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS - Week 16
PATRIOTS CHASE 12-0 START; PACKERS - COWBOYS 10 - 1 NFC SHOWDOWN
Heading into December, many interesting games are on the NFL Week 13 schedule.
On Thursday, only the eighth meeting in history between teams with 10-1 or better records takes place
as the Green Bay Packers (10 - 1) visit the Dallas Cowboys (10 - 1).
On Monday night, the New England Patriots look to become only the sixth team in NFL history to go 12 - 0.
NFL Super Bowl History: Recaps, MVPs and Scores
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Super Bowl I
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Super Bowl II
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| Green Bay Packers | 35 |
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Green Bay Packers | 33 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10 |
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Oakland Raiders | 14 |
MVP:
Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay |
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MVP:
Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay |
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Super Bowl III
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Super Bowl IV
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| New York Jets | 16 |
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Kansas City Chiefs | 23 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 |
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Minnesota Vikings | 7 |
MVP:
Joe Namath, QB, New York |
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MVP:
Len Dawson, QB, Kansas City |
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Super Bowl V
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Super Bowl VI
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| Baltimore Colts | 16 |
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Dallas Cowboys | 24 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 13 |
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Miami Dolphins | 3 |
MVP:
Chuck Howley, LB, Dallas |
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MVP:
Roger Staubach, QB, Dallas |
| |
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Super Bowl VII
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Super Bowl VIII
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| Miami Dolphins | 14 |
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Miami Dolphins | 24 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 |
|
Minnesota Vikings | 7 |
MVP:
Jake Scott, S, Miami |
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MVP:
Larry Csonka, RB, Miami |
| |
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Super Bowl IX
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Super Bowl X
|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6 |
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Dallas Cowboys | 17 |
MVP:
Franco Harris, RB, Pittsburgh |
|
MVP:
Lynn Swann, WR, Pittsburgh |
| |
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Super Bowl XI
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Super Bowl XII
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| Oakland Raiders | 32 |
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Dallas Cowboys | 27 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 14 |
|
Denver Broncos | 10 |
MVP:
Fred Biletnikoff, WR, Oakland |
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MVP:
Randy White, DT, Dallas
MVP:
Harvey Martin, DE, Dallas |
| |
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Super Bowl XIII
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Super Bowl XIV
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| Pittsburgh Steelers | 35 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers | 31 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 31 |
|
Los Angeles Rams | 19 |
MVP:
Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers |
|
MVP:
Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| |
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Super Bowl XV
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Super Bowl XVI
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| Oakland Raiders | 27 |
|
San Francisco 49ers | 26 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals | 21 |
MVP:
Jim Plunkett QB, Oakland Raiders |
|
MVP:
Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers |
| |
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Super Bowl XVII
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Super Bowl XVIII
|
| Washington Redskins | 27 |
|
Los Angeles Raiders | 38 |
| Miami Dolphins | 17 |
|
Washington Redskins | 9 |
MVP:
John Riggins RB, Washington Redskins |
|
MVP:
Marcus Allen, RB, Los Angeles Raiders |
| |
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Super Bowl XIX
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Super Bowl XX
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| San Francisco 49ers | 38 |
|
Chicago Bears | 46 |
| Miami Dolphins | 16 |
|
New England Patriots | 9 |
MVP:
Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers |
|
MVP:
Richard Dent, DE, Chicago Bears |
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Super Bowl XXI
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Super Bowl XXII
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| New York Giants | 39 |
|
Washington Redskins | 42 |
| Denver Broncos | 20 |
|
Denver Broncos | 10 |
MVP:
Phil Simms, QB, New York Giants |
|
MVP:
Doug Williams, QB, Washington Redskins |
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Super Bowl XXIII
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Super Bowl XXIV
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| San Francisco 49ers | 20 |
|
San Francisco 49ers | 55 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 16 |
|
Denver Broncos | 10 |
MVP:
Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers |
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MVP:
Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers |
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Super Bowl XXV
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Super Bowl XXVI
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| New York Giants | 20 |
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Washington Redskins | 37 |
| Buffalo Bills | 19 |
|
Buffalo Bills | 24 |
MVP:
Ottis Anderson RB New York Giants |
|
MVP:
Mark Rypien, QB, Washington Redskins |
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Super Bowl XXVII
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Super Bowl XXVIII
|
| Dallas Cowboys | 52 |
|
Dallas Cowboys | 30 |
| Buffalo Bills | 17 |
|
Buffalo Bills | 13 |
MVP:
Troy Aikman, QB, Dallas Cowboys |
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MVP:
Emmitt Smith, RB Dallas Cowboys |
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Super Bowl XXIX
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Super Bowl XXX
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| San Francisco 49ers | 49 |
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Dallas Cowboys | 27 |
| San Diego Chargers | 26 |
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Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 |
MVP:
Steve Young, QB, San Francisco 49ers |
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MVP:
Larry Brown, CB, Dallas Cowboys |
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Super Bowl XXXI
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Super Bowl XXXII
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| Green Bay Packers | 35 |
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Denver Broncos | 31 |
| New England Patriots | 21 |
|
Green Bay Packers | 24 |
MVP:
Desmond Howard, KR-PR, Green Bay Packers |
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MVP:
Terrell Davis, RB, Denver Broncos |
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Super Bowl XXXIII
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Super Bowl XXXIV
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| Denver Broncos | 34 |
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Saint Louis Rams | 23 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 19 |
|
Tennessee Titans | 16 |
MVP:
John Elway, QB, Denver Broncos |
|
MVP:
Kurt Warner, QB, Saint Louis Rams |
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Super Bowl XXXV
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Super Bowl XXXVI
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| Baltimore Ravens | 34 |
|
New England Patriots | 20 |
| New York Giants | 7 |
|
Saint Louis Rams | 17 |
MVP:
Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens |
|
MVP:
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots |
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Super Bowl XXXVII
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Super Bowl XXXVIII
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| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 48 |
|
New England Patriots | 32 |
| Oakland Raiders | 21 |
|
Carolina Panthers | 29 |
MVP:
Dexter Jackson, FS, Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
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MVP:
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots |
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Super Bowl XXXIX
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Super Bowl XL
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| New England Patriots | 24 |
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Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 21 |
|
Seattle Seahawks | 10 |
MVP:
Deion Branch, WR, New England Patriots |
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MVP:
Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers |
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Super Bowl XLI
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Super Bowl XLII
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| Indianapolis Colts | 29 |
|
New York Giants | 17 |
| Chicago Bears | 17 |
|
New England Patriots | 14 |
MVP:
Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts 29 |
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MVP:
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants |
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