NFL playoffs, 2004-05
Encyclopedia
The NFL playoffs
following the 2004 NFL season
led up to Super Bowl XXXIX
.
, the NFL's second leading rusher during the season, to only 40 yards on 15 carries.
Shortly after the opening kickoff, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger
completed a 52-yard pass to Torry Holt
at the Seahawks 11-yard line. Three plays later, he threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Holt to give the Rams an early 7–0 lead. Then on Seattle's first play of the game, defensive back Travis Fisher
intercepted a pass from Matt Hasselbeck
at the Seahawks 44-yard line. Bulger once again tried to go deep, but the Seahawks were ready and Ken Hamlin
picked off his pass at the 4. After an exchange of punts, Seattle drove 46 yards in 9 plays ans scored with Josh Brown's 47-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 7-3.
Early in the second quarter, Bulger's 52-yard completion to Kevin Curtis
set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Marshall Faulk
. But Seattle responded by driving 84 yards in 9 plays. On the eighth play of the drive, Hasselbeck's pass was intercepted, but a 15-yard penalty on Trev Faulk nullified the play and gave Seattle the ball at the Rams 19-yard line. Taking advantage of his second chance, Hasselbeck threw a 19-yard touchdown completion to Bobby Engram
on the next play, making the score 14–10.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Seahawks moved the ball 64 yards in 14 plays and scored with Brown's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 1 point. The Rams responded with a field goal from Jeff Wilkins
to retake their 4-point lead, but Hasselbeck stormed back, completing five consecutive passes for 75 yards on Seattle's ensuing drive and finishing it off with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson
, giving his team their first lead of the game 1:17 into the fourth quarter. But the Rams struck back with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to tie the game with a second field goal from Wilkins. Then after forcing a punt, St. Louis drove 76 yards in seven plays, featuring two key receptions by players who had not caught a pass yet in the game. The first was a 31-yard completion from Bulger to Shaun McDonald
on third down and 2. Then three plays later, Bulger threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Cam Cleeland
with 2:11 left in regulation.
Hasselbeck started out the ensuing drive with three of four completions for 54 yards, moving the ball to the Rams 11-yard line. But over the next two plays, he threw an incompleted pass and was sacked for a 6-yard loss by St. Louis lineman Jimmy Kennedy. After that, he completed a 12-yard pass to Engram, bringing up fourth down and four on the Rams 5-yard line. With 27 seconds left, Hasselbeck tried to connect with Engram in the end zone, but the pass zipped through his hands and the Seahawks turned the ball over on downs.
Bulger finished the game with 313 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Holt caught 6 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Curtis added 4 receptions for 107 yards. Hasselbeck completed 27 of 43 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception, and rushed for 26 yards. Jackson caught 12 passes for 128 yards.
field goal in overtime. This game proved to be as close and competitive as the earlier playoff game in Seattle, featuring numerous key plays in the fourth quarter and in overtime that kept it going until 14:55 had elapsed in the extra period.
New York took the opening kickoff and drove to the Chargers 11-yard line. But San Diego's defense kept them out of the end zone and Brien missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. In the second quarter, San Diego drove 88 yards and scored with Drew Brees
' 26-yard touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell
, which was initially ruled an incompletion, but overturned to a touchdown after a replay challenge. Later in the quarter, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty against the Chargers on a punt gave New York the ball on the San Diego 37-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Chad Pennington
completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Becht
, tying the game at 7. On their ensuing drive, the Chargers mounter a scoring threat by moving the ball to the Jets 37-yard line, but Reggie Tongue
intercepted a pass from Brees and the score remained tied at halftime.
After forcing a punt on the opening second half drive, Pennington completed three consecutive passes for 68 yards, the last one a 47-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss
. Then after forcing a punt, New York drove 42 yards in eight plays, featuring two receptions by Curtis Martin
for 33 yards and scored with a 42-yard field goal from Brien, giving them a 17–7 lead going into the fourth quarter.
In the final period, the Chargers managed to rally back. First they drove 54 yards in 12 plays and scored with a 35-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding
. The Jets responded with a drive to San Diego's 33-yard line, Pennington threw an incomplete pass on third down and they decided to punt rather than risk a 51-yard field goal. The Chargers subsequently moved the ball 80 yards in 10 plays to tie the game on a thrilling drive in which they nearly turned the ball over twice. One the first play, Brees fumbled the ball while being sacked by linebacker Jonathan Vilma, but he recovered it himself. Then he completed a 21-yard pass to tight end Antonio Gates
to pick up the first down. One play later, he completed a 44-yard pass to Gates at the Jets 22-yard line. Two runs by LaDainian Tomlinson
for 13 yards and a 7-yard run by Brees brought up third down on the Jets 2-yard line. After Tomlinson was tackled for a 1-yard loss, A fourth-down pass Brees with under 20 seconds left fell incomplete into the end zone, but Jets linebacker Eric Barton
was penalized for roughing the passer, giving the Chargers a first down from the one-yard line. Brees threw a touchdown pass to Gates on the following play, sending the game into overtime.
After an exchange of punts in overtime, the Chargers drove to the Jets 22-yard line, but Kaeding missed a 40-yard field goal attempt late in the extra period, allowing the Jets to come back down the field. Two Pennington completions for 29 yards and a 19-yard run by LaMont Jordan
then set up a 28-yard field goal from Brien with five seconds remaining in overtime.
Pennington completed 23 of 33 passes for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns. Moss finished the game with 4 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Brees completed 31 of 42 passes for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Tomlinson rushed for 80 yards and caught 9 passes for 53 yards.
a week earlier with another thrashing. Indianapolis scored a franchise playoff record seven touchdowns and led 35–3 at the half. Colt quarterback Peyton Manning
, who threw a record 49 touchdown passes in the 2004 regular season, completed 27 of 33 passes for 457 yards (the second highest total ever in a playoff game) and four touchdowns, including two to receiver Reggie Wayne
(who had 10 receptions for 221 yards receiving on the day), and one each to tight end Dallas Clark
(who caught 6 passes for 113 yards) and running back James Mungro
. Manning and running backs Edgerrin James
and Dominic Rhodes
scored rushing touchdowns. For Denver, quarterback Jake Plummer
threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, while receiver Rod Smith caught 7 passes for 99 yards and a score.
Manning dominated the Broncos in the first quarter, completing 11 of 14 passes for 156 yards. On the Colts second drive of the game, he completed two passes to Wayne for 41 yards and a 25-yard pass to tight end Marcus Pollard
before throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mungro. Then after a Denver punt, Manning completed three passes to Clark for 63 yards on an 87-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by James, giving Indianapolis a 14–0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
On Denver's opening drive of the second quarter, safety Mike Doss
intercepted a pass Plummer on the Colts 41-yard line. One play later, Manning threw a 49-yard completion to Wayne at the Denver 9. Rookie defensive back Kelly Herndon
ended the drive by intercepting a pass from Manning in the end zone, but it did not matter. Denver was forced to punt after three plays and Troy Walters
returned the ball 9 yards to the Colts 48-yard line. Manning then completed three consecutive passes for 48 yards, the last one a 19-yard touchdown throw to Clark. This time the Broncos managed to respond. Smith caught 2 passes for 41 yards on a 51 yard drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal by Jason Elam
, cutting the score to 21-3. Then the Broncos tried to fool the Colts with a surprise onsided kick, but it did not work. Indianapolis' Nick Rogers
recovered the ball on the Denver 40-yard line, and one play later, Manning threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Wayne. Before the end of the half, the Colts put together another touchdown drive. This time Manning went to Marvin Harrison
, who had been dominated all game, completing two passes to him for 41 yards before a 20-yard catch by Wayne moved the ball to the Broncos 1-yard line. Manning finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6 seconds left in the half, increasing the Colts lead to 35–3.
The Broncos scored on the opening drive of the second half, moving the ball 75 yards and scoring with Plummer's 9-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Then after forcing a punt, they drove 85 yards and scored with Plummer's 35-yard touchdown pass to Jeb Putzier
, cutting the score to 35-17. But on the Colts ensuing drive, Wayne caught a screen pass
from Manning and took it 43 yards for a touchdown, giving Indianapolis a 42–17 lead early in the fourth quarter. Denver receiver Triandos Luke
returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the 43-yard line, setting up a 57-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tatum Bell
. But Harrison recovered Elam's onside kick attempt and the Colts subsequently closed out the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run by Rhodes. This was the last nfl game on astroturf.
threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards, while the Vikings defense, who only intercepted 11 passes all season, picked off Green Bay counterpart Brett Favre
four times. Wide receiver Randy Moss
caught two touchdowns for Minnesota, but drew controversy for his celebration after his second, which decided the outcome of the contest. Moss pretended to "moon" Packer fans by pretending to pull down his pants, mocking a move done by Packer fans to the losing team's bus as they left Green Bay. The NFL was not amused, and fined Moss $10,000 (US) for his actions a few days later.
On the Vikings' opening drive, Culpepper narrowly avoided a sack with a short completion to running back Moe Williams
, who then dodged a tackle attempt from safety Darren Sharper
and took off for a 68-yard touchdown reception. The Packers were forced to punt after Favre was sacked for a 10-yard loss on third down by Chris Claiborne
, and Nate Burleson
returned the ball to the 45-yard line. Three plays later, Culpepper threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Moss, giving Minnesota a 14–0 lead after just 5:05 had elapsed in the game. A 30-yard kickoff return by Najeh Davenport
gave the Packers good field position on their 42-yard line, but two plays later, defensive back Antoine Winfield
intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Vikings 43. After that, Culpepper completed two passes for 19 yards and rushed for 23, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Morten Andersen
and increasing the lead to 17–0.
After being completely dominated up to this point, the Packers managed to rally back. First Davenport returned the ensuing kickoff 20 yards to the 38-yard line. Then a 21-yard completion from Favre to Javon Walker
set up a 43-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell
. The Vikings were forced to punt after Culpepper was sacked on third down by Michael Hawthorne
, and Green Bay subsequently drove 54 yards in 12 plays and scored on Favre's 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bubba Franks
, cutting their deficit to 17–10 with 10:24 left in the second quarter. But on the Vikings' next drive, a 29-yard reception by Burleson and a 23-yard run by Culpepper helped move the ball to the Packers 9-yard line. Green Bay seemed to catch a break when Anderson slipped on a field goal attempt, resulting in a block. But on the next play, safety Brian Russell intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 14 yards to the Packers 28-yard line. One play later, Culpepper threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Burleson, putting the Vikings up 24–10. The Packers subsequently drove to Minnesota's 8-yard line, but while scrambling around looking for an open receiver, Favre threw an illegal forward pass when he could have run for a first down. On the next play, Longwell missed a 28-yard field goal.
After a scoreless third quarter, Davenport's 1-yard touchdown run cut the Packers deficit to 24-17. But the Vikings responded by driving 66 yards and scoring with a 34-yard touchdown completion for Culpepper to Moss. Then after forcing a punt, Minnesota put the game away with an 8-minute drive that ran the clock down to 8 seconds.
missed two consecutive field goal
s at the end of regulation, setting an NFL record of 3 missed game winning field goals in a single post-season. Despite a subpar performance by Steelers' rookie quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger
, the Steelers managed to win after Jeff Reed made a game-winning 33-yard field goal 11:04 into the extra period. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis
finished the game with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with a 21-yard reception.
The Steelers opened up the scoring with a 43-yard field goal by Reed. Then after the ensuing kickoff, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu
intercepted a pass from Chad Pennington
and returned it 15 yards to the Jets 25-yard line, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by Bettis. New York Responded with a 42-yard field goal from Brien on their next drive to cut their deficit to 10-3. Later in the second quarter, Jets receiver Santana Moss
returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.
Midway through third quarter, Jets defensive back Reggie Tongue
intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. On Pittsburgh's next drive, they drove all the way to New York's 23-yard line. But then Bettis fumbled the ball and New York's Erik Coleman
recovered it. After forcing a punt, the Steelers drove into scoring range for the third consecutive drive, this time scoring with Roethlisbeger's 4-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward
, tying the game at 17.
The Jets responded with a drive inside the Steelers 30-yard line, but Brien missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with 2 minutes left in regulation. Two plays later, New York defensive back David Barrett gave his team another chance to score the winning points by intercepting a pass from Roethlisberger and returning it 25 yards to Pittsburgh's 36-yard line. But Brien missed another field goal, this one from 43 yards, as time expired in the fourth quarter, and the game went into overtime.
The Jets won the coin toss, but were forced to punt. Pittsburgh then drove 72 yards in 14 plays and won the game with a 33-yard field goal from Reed.
and the Falcons steamrolled over the Rams in their first home playoff game since 1999, racking up 327 rushing yards and 232 yards on special teams. Vick combined for 201 yards (including 119 rushing yards, a playoff record for a quarterback) and threw 2 touchdown passes, while running back Warrick Dunn
rushed for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. Allen Rossum
set an NFL post-season record with 152 punt return yards and added another 80 on kickoff returns.
On the Falcons opening drive, Vick rushed for 47 yards and later threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler
, giving his team a 7-0 lead after just 3:02 had elasped in the game. The Rams responded with Marc Bulger
's 57-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis
, but four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Atlanta running back Warrick Dunn
scored on a 62-yard touchdown run.
Early in the second quarter, Dunn's 19-yard touchdown run gave the Falcons a 21-7 lead. The Rams struck back with Bulger's 28-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt
, and then recovered a fumble from Vick on Atlanta's next drive. But the Falcons defense forced a punt and Rossum returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.
Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins
made a 55-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28-17 on the last play of the second quarter, but the Falcons dominated the second half. First they forced the Rams to punt, and Rossum returned the ball 39 yards to the St. Louis 32-yard line. Five plays later, Vick threw a touchdown pass to Peerless Price
. Then Rossum returned the Rams next punt 45 yards to the Rams 13-yard line, setting a 38-yard field goal by Jay Feely
. Throughout the rest of the game, the Falcons intercepted a pass from Bulger, forced him to lose a fumble, and sacked him in the end zone for a safety. After the safety, Atlanta running back T. J. Duckett scored the final point of the game on a 4-yard run.
Bulger finished with 292 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Curtis caught 7 passes for 128 yards. Duckett rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown.
(21 out of 33 completions for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns). Meanwhile, the Vikings repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with penalties (including 3 pass interference calls for 78 yards), turnovers (including two third quarter interceptions), and other miscues. The most notable was a blown fake field goal attempt which failed because they did not send the right personnel onto the field.
Midway through the first quarter, McNabb scored the first points of the game with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Mitchell
. The next time the Eagles got the ball, McNabb completed a 52-yard pass to receiver Greg Lewis, setting up his second touchdown pass on a 7-yard toss to Brian Westbrook
. Mewelde Moore
returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to his own 42-yard line, and two plays later, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper
threw a 40-yard completion to Marcus Robinson. After that, he finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 14-7. But the Eagle struck right back on their next drive. First, J. R. Reed returned the kickoff 48 yards to the Vikings 46-yard line. After two penalties against Minnesota gave them 33 yards, McNabb completed two passes to tight end L. J. Smith. Smith fumbled the ball on the second pass, but Mitchell recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, increasing the Eagles' lead to 21-7.
The Vikings responded with a drive to Philadelphia's 3-yard line. On fourth down, coach Mike Tice
called a fake field goal that was supposed to involve backup quarterback Gus Frerotte
passing the ball. But the lineman next to the long snapper didn't hear the call. He remained in and Randy Moss
, who was supposed to receive the pass, had to run off the field to avoid a penalty. When the ball was snapped, a confused Frerotte had no receivers to pass too, and was forced to throw the ball away. The Eagles then drove 93 yards the Vikings 4-yard line, but were unable to stop the clock from running out before they could score.
After a scoreless third quarter, Philadelphia kicker David Akers
kicked two field goals in the final period. The Vikings managed to respond with an 80-yard drive capped by Culpepper's 32-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, but they could not recover the onside kick and the Eagles ran out the rest of the clock.
Culpepper threw for 354 yards and 1 touchdown, but was intercepted twice. Robinson caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Westbrook rushed for 70 yards and caught five passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
, even though he had more yards passing than Brady did in the game. The Patriots limited Manning to 238 passing yards with 1 interception and no touchdowns, and Edgerrin James to just 39 rushing yards. The Patriots also held possession of the ball for 37:43, including 21:26 in the second half and recording three long scoring drives that each took over 7 minutes off the clock. New England running back Corey Dillon
, playing in his first career playoff game after suffering through 7 losing seasons as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals
, rushed for 144 yards and caught 5 passes for 17 yards.
Both teams defenses dominated early, as the first five possessions of the game ended in punts. But after that, the Patriots put together a 16-play, 78 yards scoring drive that took 9:07 off the clock. They lost a touchdown when Dillons' 1-yard score was overturned by a penalty, but Adam Vinatieri
kicked a 24-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead. The next time New England got the ball, a 42-yard run by Dillon set up another Vinatieri field goal, increasing the Patriots lead to 6-0. The Colts responded with a drive to New England's 39-yard line, but linebacker Tedy Bruschi
ended it by forcing and recovering a fumble from running back Dominic Rhodes
. After a Patriots punt, Manning led the Colts 67 yards to a Mike Vanderjagt
field goal, cutting the score to 6-3 going into halftime.
But the Patriots dominated the second half, holding the ball for nearly all the time in regulation with two long drives. After an exchange of punts, they drove 87 yards in 15 plays on a drive that consumed 8:16 and ended with Brady's 5-yard touchdown pass to David Givens
. At the end of the Colts next drive, Hunter Smith
's 54-yard punt pinned New England back at their own 6-yard line. But it didn't stop them. The Patriots stormed down the field on a 14-play, 94-yard drive that ate up another 7:24. Dillon rushed for 35 yards and caught a pass for 9 on the drive, including a 27-yard run on third down and 8, while Brady finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run, gving the Patriots a 20-3 lead with just over 7 minutes left in the game. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, safety Rodney Harrison
stripped the ball from Reggie Wayne
and Bruschi recovered it, allowing his team to take more time off the clock. Indianapolis responded with a drive to the Patriots 20-yard line, but Harrison intercepted Manning's pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left.
s into sub-zero temperatures, the Eagles finally succeeded in advancing to the Super Bowl
in their fourth consecutive NFC Championship Game appearance. The Eagles' defense held Michael Vick
to a combined total of 162 yards, sacking him four times. Tight end
Chad Lewis
caught two touchdown passes of three and two yards from Donovan McNabb
; however, he suffered a Lisfranc
injury to his foot in the process of catching the second touchdown, and would miss the Super Bowl.
On their first drive of the game, the Eagles drove to Atlanta's 32-yard line. But they turned the ball over after trying to convert a fourth down with a fake field goal attempt. The next time they got the ball, a 36-yard run by Brian Westbrook
and a 21-yard catch by L. J. Smith set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Dorsey Levens
, giving them a 7-0 lead. Atlanta responded with a drive to the Eagles 3-yard line, but was forced to settle for a Jay Feely
field goal after Vick was sacked on third down. Six plays after the ensuing kickoff, Greg Lewis' 45-yard reception moved the ball to the Falcons 4-yard line, setting up McNabb's 3-yard touchdown pass to Chad Lewis one play later. Atlanta struck right back on their next drive, moving the ball 70 yards in just five plays and scoring with Warrick Dunn
's 10-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left in the first half.
The Eagles dominated the second half, forcing Atlanta to punt on every possession except one which resulted in an interception, and their last one, which ended when they turned the ball over on downs. Philadelphia also added 13 points to their lead with two David Akers
field goals and another touchdown pass from McNabb to Lewis.
McNabb threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards. Westbrook rushed for 96 yards and caught five passes for 39.
his first loss as a starter after a 14-game winning streak, the longest by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, as the Steelers became the second NFL team ever to record a 15-1 record and fail to reach the Super Bowl. The Patriots converted four Pittsburgh turnovers into 24 points, while committing no turnovers themselves. The Patriots' win also prevented an all-Pennsylvania
Super Bowl from being played.
The Steelers never recovered from their poor performance in the first quarter. Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson intercepted Roethlisberger's first pass of the game on his own 48-yard line, setting up Adam Vinatieri
's 48-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a drive to the Patriots 39-yard line. But then running back Jerome Bettis
lost a fumble while being tackled by Rosevelt Colvin
and linebacker Mike Vrabel
recovered it. On the next play, Tom Brady
threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to receiver Deion Branch
.
With 1:28 left in the first quarter, the Steelers cut their deficit to 10-3 with Jeff Reed's 23-yard field goal. But after an exchange of punts, Branch caught a 45-yard reception on Pittsburgh's 14-yard line. Two plays later, Brady threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to David Givens
. Then on the Steelers ensuing drive, safety Rodney Harrison
intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 24-3 halftime lead.
In the second half, the teams scored three consecutive touchdowns. New England was forced to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Antwaan Randle El
returned the ball 9 yards to the Steelers 44-yard line. Then on the Steelers ensuing possession, he caught two passes for 46 yards as they drove 56 yards in five plays. Bettis finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, cutting their deficit to 24-10. New England responded by moving the ball 69 yards in seven plays and scoring with Corey Dillon
's 25-yard touchdown run. But Pittsburgh stormed right back, driving 60 yards in ten plays and scoring with Roethlisberger's 30-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward
. Then after forcing a punt, Randle El returned the ball 22 yards to the Steelers 49-yard line. On their ensuing drive, Ward's 26-yard reception on the last play of the third quarter set up Reed's second field goal, making the score 31-20 with 13:32 left in the game.
However, the Patriots took over the rest of the quarter. They responded with a 49-yard drive that took 5:26 off the clock and ended with Vinatieri's 31-yard field goal. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Wilson intercepted another pass from Roethlisberger at New England's 45-yard line. The Patriots subsequently marched down the field on another long scoring drive, taking 5:06 off the clock. Branch capped it off with a 23-yard touchdown run on a reverse play, giving the Patriots a 41-20 lead. The Steelers responded with Roethlisberger's 7-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress
on their next drive, but by then there was only 1:31 left in the game.
Brady completed 14 of 21 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dillon rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown. Branch caught 4 passes for 116 yards, rushed for 37 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Roethlisberger threw for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 45 yards, but was intercepted 3 times. Ward caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
following the 2004 NFL season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
led up to Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
.
NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
Although the Rams barely made the playoffs with an 8–8 record, two of their regular season wins were against Seattle. And they proved they were up to the task again, beating the Seahawks in a back and forth game by scoring a touchdown with 2:11 left to go and then forcing a turnover on their own 5-yard line. With the win, the Rams became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game after going .500 (8–8) in the regular season. St. Louis' defense held Seahawks running back Shaun AlexanderShaun Alexander
Shaun Edward Alexander is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama.- Early career :Alexander was born and...
, the NFL's second leading rusher during the season, to only 40 yards on 15 carries.
Shortly after the opening kickoff, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
completed a 52-yard pass to Torry Holt
Torry Holt
After injuring his knee at the Senior Bowl, Holt, at 192 pounds, ran a 4.44 second 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 37 inches at the 1999 NFL Combine-St. Louis Rams:...
at the Seahawks 11-yard line. Three plays later, he threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Holt to give the Rams an early 7–0 lead. Then on Seattle's first play of the game, defensive back Travis Fisher
Travis Fisher
Travis Lamon Fisher is an American football cornerback who is a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
intercepted a pass from Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
at the Seahawks 44-yard line. Bulger once again tried to go deep, but the Seahawks were ready and Ken Hamlin
Ken Hamlin
Ken Hamlin an American football safety, who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arkansas....
picked off his pass at the 4. After an exchange of punts, Seattle drove 46 yards in 9 plays ans scored with Josh Brown's 47-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 7-3.
Early in the second quarter, Bulger's 52-yard completion to Kevin Curtis
Kevin Curtis
-St. Louis Rams:Curtis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 3rd round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Curtis was inactive for the first five games of 2003 after suffering a broken fibula in the final preseason game at Buffalo. In 2004, Curtis played in all but one game, totaling 32 catches for 421...
set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
. But Seattle responded by driving 84 yards in 9 plays. On the eighth play of the drive, Hasselbeck's pass was intercepted, but a 15-yard penalty on Trev Faulk nullified the play and gave Seattle the ball at the Rams 19-yard line. Taking advantage of his second chance, Hasselbeck threw a 19-yard touchdown completion to Bobby Engram
Bobby Engram
Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III is currently the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
on the next play, making the score 14–10.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Seahawks moved the ball 64 yards in 14 plays and scored with Brown's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 1 point. The Rams responded with a field goal from Jeff Wilkins
Jeff Wilkins
For the American basketball player, see Jeff Wilkins .Jeffrey Allen Wilkins nicknamed "Money" is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St Louis Rams. He played college football at Youngstown State University...
to retake their 4-point lead, but Hasselbeck stormed back, completing five consecutive passes for 75 yards on Seattle's ensuing drive and finishing it off with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson
Darrell Jackson
Darrell Lamont Jackson is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for nine seasons...
, giving his team their first lead of the game 1:17 into the fourth quarter. But the Rams struck back with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to tie the game with a second field goal from Wilkins. Then after forcing a punt, St. Louis drove 76 yards in seven plays, featuring two key receptions by players who had not caught a pass yet in the game. The first was a 31-yard completion from Bulger to Shaun McDonald
Shaun McDonald
Shaun Terrance McDonald is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
on third down and 2. Then three plays later, Bulger threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Cam Cleeland
Cam Cleeland
Cameron Ross Cleeland is an American football tight end who last played for the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. Previously he had played for the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots and went to the University of Washington....
with 2:11 left in regulation.
Hasselbeck started out the ensuing drive with three of four completions for 54 yards, moving the ball to the Rams 11-yard line. But over the next two plays, he threw an incompleted pass and was sacked for a 6-yard loss by St. Louis lineman Jimmy Kennedy. After that, he completed a 12-yard pass to Engram, bringing up fourth down and four on the Rams 5-yard line. With 27 seconds left, Hasselbeck tried to connect with Engram in the end zone, but the pass zipped through his hands and the Seahawks turned the ball over on downs.
Bulger finished the game with 313 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Holt caught 6 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Curtis added 4 receptions for 107 yards. Hasselbeck completed 27 of 43 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception, and rushed for 26 yards. Jackson caught 12 passes for 128 yards.
AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
New York entered the game after losing their last two regular season games, but managed to defeat the Chargers with a Doug BrienDoug Brien
Douglas Robert Zachariah Brien is a former American football placekicker. He played twelve seasons for seven teams in the National Football League:...
field goal in overtime. This game proved to be as close and competitive as the earlier playoff game in Seattle, featuring numerous key plays in the fourth quarter and in overtime that kept it going until 14:55 had elapsed in the extra period.
New York took the opening kickoff and drove to the Chargers 11-yard line. But San Diego's defense kept them out of the end zone and Brien missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. In the second quarter, San Diego drove 88 yards and scored with Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
' 26-yard touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell
Keenan McCardell
Keenan Wayne McCardell is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League and current wide receivers coach for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Redskins in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
, which was initially ruled an incompletion, but overturned to a touchdown after a replay challenge. Later in the quarter, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty against the Chargers on a punt gave New York the ball on the San Diego 37-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Becht
Anthony Becht
Anthony G. Becht is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets 27th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia. He has Swedish relatives, brother Francis and nephew Carl and...
, tying the game at 7. On their ensuing drive, the Chargers mounter a scoring threat by moving the ball to the Jets 37-yard line, but Reggie Tongue
Reggie Tongue
Reginald Clinton Tongue is a former American football safety who most recently played in the National Football League for the Oakland Raiders.-Early life:...
intercepted a pass from Brees and the score remained tied at halftime.
After forcing a punt on the opening second half drive, Pennington completed three consecutive passes for 68 yards, the last one a 47-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss
Santana Moss
Santana Terrell Moss is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami.-Early years:...
. Then after forcing a punt, New York drove 42 yards in eight plays, featuring two receptions by Curtis Martin
Curtis Martin
Curtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...
for 33 yards and scored with a 42-yard field goal from Brien, giving them a 17–7 lead going into the fourth quarter.
In the final period, the Chargers managed to rally back. First they drove 54 yards in 12 plays and scored with a 35-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding
Nate Kaeding
Nathaniel James Kaeding is an American football placekicker who plays for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa...
. The Jets responded with a drive to San Diego's 33-yard line, Pennington threw an incomplete pass on third down and they decided to punt rather than risk a 51-yard field goal. The Chargers subsequently moved the ball 80 yards in 10 plays to tie the game on a thrilling drive in which they nearly turned the ball over twice. One the first play, Brees fumbled the ball while being sacked by linebacker Jonathan Vilma, but he recovered it himself. Then he completed a 21-yard pass to tight end Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after playing college basketball at Kent State University...
to pick up the first down. One play later, he completed a 44-yard pass to Gates at the Jets 22-yard line. Two runs by LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
for 13 yards and a 7-yard run by Brees brought up third down on the Jets 2-yard line. After Tomlinson was tackled for a 1-yard loss, A fourth-down pass Brees with under 20 seconds left fell incomplete into the end zone, but Jets linebacker Eric Barton
Eric Barton
Eric Barton is a former American football linebacker who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Maryland before he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
was penalized for roughing the passer, giving the Chargers a first down from the one-yard line. Brees threw a touchdown pass to Gates on the following play, sending the game into overtime.
After an exchange of punts in overtime, the Chargers drove to the Jets 22-yard line, but Kaeding missed a 40-yard field goal attempt late in the extra period, allowing the Jets to come back down the field. Two Pennington completions for 29 yards and a 19-yard run by LaMont Jordan
LaMont Jordan
LaMont Damon Jordan is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
then set up a 28-yard field goal from Brien with five seconds remaining in overtime.
Pennington completed 23 of 33 passes for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns. Moss finished the game with 4 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Brees completed 31 of 42 passes for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Tomlinson rushed for 80 yards and caught 9 passes for 53 yards.
AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
The Colts followed up their wild-card blowout of the Broncos in the previous year's Wild Card Round, and also made up for a loss in Denver's INVESCO Field at Mile HighINVESCO Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001...
a week earlier with another thrashing. Indianapolis scored a franchise playoff record seven touchdowns and led 35–3 at the half. Colt quarterback Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
, who threw a record 49 touchdown passes in the 2004 regular season, completed 27 of 33 passes for 457 yards (the second highest total ever in a playoff game) and four touchdowns, including two to receiver Reggie Wayne
Reggie Wayne
Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...
(who had 10 receptions for 221 yards receiving on the day), and one each to tight end Dallas Clark
Dallas Clark
Dallas Dean Clark is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts 24th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa...
(who caught 6 passes for 113 yards) and running back James Mungro
James Mungro
James Olevia Mungro, II is a former American football running back. He retired from the NFL due to a severe ACL injury he received in a pre-season game in 2006. His entire NFL career was with the Indianapolis Colts...
. Manning and running backs Edgerrin James
Edgerrin James
Edgerrin Tyree James is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami....
and Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Dondrell Rhodes is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He attended Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
scored rushing touchdowns. For Denver, quarterback Jake Plummer
Jake Plummer
Jason Steven "Jake" Plummer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State....
threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, while receiver Rod Smith caught 7 passes for 99 yards and a score.
Manning dominated the Broncos in the first quarter, completing 11 of 14 passes for 156 yards. On the Colts second drive of the game, he completed two passes to Wayne for 41 yards and a 25-yard pass to tight end Marcus Pollard
Marcus Pollard
Marcus LaJuan Pollard is a former American football tight end.-College career:Pollard attended Bradley University, where he played basketball. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there...
before throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mungro. Then after a Denver punt, Manning completed three passes to Clark for 63 yards on an 87-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by James, giving Indianapolis a 14–0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
On Denver's opening drive of the second quarter, safety Mike Doss
Mike Doss
Michael Allen Doss is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
intercepted a pass Plummer on the Colts 41-yard line. One play later, Manning threw a 49-yard completion to Wayne at the Denver 9. Rookie defensive back Kelly Herndon
Kelly Herndon
Kelly Errin Herndon is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Toledo. Although he entered his first NFL camp in 1999, Herndon waited until 2002 to play in...
ended the drive by intercepting a pass from Manning in the end zone, but it did not matter. Denver was forced to punt after three plays and Troy Walters
Troy Walters
Troy McHenry Walters is a retired American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League. He was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft out of Stanford University by the Minnesota Vikings. He has also played for the...
returned the ball 9 yards to the Colts 48-yard line. Manning then completed three consecutive passes for 48 yards, the last one a 19-yard touchdown throw to Clark. This time the Broncos managed to respond. Smith caught 2 passes for 41 yards on a 51 yard drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal by Jason Elam
Jason Elam
Jason Elam is a retired American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii....
, cutting the score to 21-3. Then the Broncos tried to fool the Colts with a surprise onsided kick, but it did not work. Indianapolis' Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers (American football)
Nicholas Quixote "Nick" Rogers was an American football linebacker for the National Football League and the Arena Football League...
recovered the ball on the Denver 40-yard line, and one play later, Manning threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Wayne. Before the end of the half, the Colts put together another touchdown drive. This time Manning went to Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison
Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
, who had been dominated all game, completing two passes to him for 41 yards before a 20-yard catch by Wayne moved the ball to the Broncos 1-yard line. Manning finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6 seconds left in the half, increasing the Colts lead to 35–3.
The Broncos scored on the opening drive of the second half, moving the ball 75 yards and scoring with Plummer's 9-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Then after forcing a punt, they drove 85 yards and scored with Plummer's 35-yard touchdown pass to Jeb Putzier
Jeb Putzier
Jebediah Lee Putzier ) is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent.-Early years:Putzier attended Eagle High School in his hometown Eagle, Idaho. He also lettered in Basketball...
, cutting the score to 35-17. But on the Colts ensuing drive, Wayne caught a screen pass
Screen pass
A screen pass is a type of play in American football. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is being thrown, when in fact the pass is merely a short one, just beyond the defensive linemen. Screens are usually deployed...
from Manning and took it 43 yards for a touchdown, giving Indianapolis a 42–17 lead early in the fourth quarter. Denver receiver Triandos Luke
Triandos Luke
Triandos Luke is a former American football wide receiver He played in the 2004 season for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League...
returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the 43-yard line, setting up a 57-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tatum Bell
Tatum Bell
Tatum Antoine Bell is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
. But Harrison recovered Elam's onside kick attempt and the Colts subsequently closed out the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run by Rhodes. This was the last nfl game on astroturf.
NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
The Vikings, like the Rams, were a .500 (8–8) franchise during the regular season. Furthermore, they had stumbled into the post-season losing 7 of their last 10 games, the worst performance in NFL history by a playoff team in a final 10-game span. Two of their losses, by identical 34–31 scores, came in last-second games to the Packers. This time, however, there was no denying the Vikings as they avenged their regular-season sweep, coming out with a stellar performance on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Daunte CulpepperDaunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards, while the Vikings defense, who only intercepted 11 passes all season, picked off Green Bay counterpart Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
four times. Wide receiver Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
caught two touchdowns for Minnesota, but drew controversy for his celebration after his second, which decided the outcome of the contest. Moss pretended to "moon" Packer fans by pretending to pull down his pants, mocking a move done by Packer fans to the losing team's bus as they left Green Bay. The NFL was not amused, and fined Moss $10,000 (US) for his actions a few days later.
On the Vikings' opening drive, Culpepper narrowly avoided a sack with a short completion to running back Moe Williams
Moe Williams
Maurece Jabari "Moe" Williams is a former American football running back in the National Football League . He formerly played for the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens...
, who then dodged a tackle attempt from safety Darren Sharper
Darren Sharper
Darren Mallory Sharper is an American football safety who currently is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary....
and took off for a 68-yard touchdown reception. The Packers were forced to punt after Favre was sacked for a 10-yard loss on third down by Chris Claiborne
Chris Claiborne
Christopher Ashone Claiborne is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent.-High school career:...
, and Nate Burleson
Nate Burleson
Nathaniel Burleson is an American football player, who currently plays wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . Burleson played college football for the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2003 NFL...
returned the ball to the 45-yard line. Three plays later, Culpepper threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Moss, giving Minnesota a 14–0 lead after just 5:05 had elapsed in the game. A 30-yard kickoff return by Najeh Davenport
Najeh Davenport
Najeh Trenadious Monté Davenport is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
gave the Packers good field position on their 42-yard line, but two plays later, defensive back Antoine Winfield
Antoine Winfield
Antoine Winfield is an American football cornerback in the NFL. He played college football at The Ohio State University, winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back in 1998. Winfield was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Since 2004, he...
intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Vikings 43. After that, Culpepper completed two passes for 19 yards and rushed for 23, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen , nicknamed "The Great Dane", is a former National Football League kicker. He holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, as well as being the all-time leading scorer for two different teams; the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent 13 seasons, and...
and increasing the lead to 17–0.
After being completely dominated up to this point, the Packers managed to rally back. First Davenport returned the ensuing kickoff 20 yards to the 38-yard line. Then a 21-yard completion from Favre to Javon Walker
Javon Walker
Javon Lataff Walker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
set up a 43-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell
Ryan Longwell
Ryan Walker Longwell is an American football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League. After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he started his professional football career with the San Francisco 49ers, but never played a game for the franchise...
. The Vikings were forced to punt after Culpepper was sacked on third down by Michael Hawthorne
Michael Hawthorne
Michael Seneca Hawthorne is a former cornerback in the National Football League, who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League. In the NFL, he played for the New Orleans Saints, the Green Bay Packers, and the St. Louis Rams.-References:...
, and Green Bay subsequently drove 54 yards in 12 plays and scored on Favre's 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bubba Franks
Bubba Franks
Daniel Lamont "Bubba" Franks is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 14th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
, cutting their deficit to 17–10 with 10:24 left in the second quarter. But on the Vikings' next drive, a 29-yard reception by Burleson and a 23-yard run by Culpepper helped move the ball to the Packers 9-yard line. Green Bay seemed to catch a break when Anderson slipped on a field goal attempt, resulting in a block. But on the next play, safety Brian Russell intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 14 yards to the Packers 28-yard line. One play later, Culpepper threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Burleson, putting the Vikings up 24–10. The Packers subsequently drove to Minnesota's 8-yard line, but while scrambling around looking for an open receiver, Favre threw an illegal forward pass when he could have run for a first down. On the next play, Longwell missed a 28-yard field goal.
After a scoreless third quarter, Davenport's 1-yard touchdown run cut the Packers deficit to 24-17. But the Vikings responded by driving 66 yards and scoring with a 34-yard touchdown completion for Culpepper to Moss. Then after forcing a punt, Minnesota put the game away with an 8-minute drive that ran the clock down to 8 seconds.
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
The Jets came out on the losing end of this overtime game when placekicker Doug BrienDoug Brien
Douglas Robert Zachariah Brien is a former American football placekicker. He played twelve seasons for seven teams in the National Football League:...
missed two consecutive field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
s at the end of regulation, setting an NFL record of 3 missed game winning field goals in a single post-season. Despite a subpar performance by Steelers' rookie quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
, the Steelers managed to win after Jeff Reed made a game-winning 33-yard field goal 11:04 into the extra period. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
finished the game with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with a 21-yard reception.
The Steelers opened up the scoring with a 43-yard field goal by Reed. Then after the ensuing kickoff, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated...
intercepted a pass from Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
and returned it 15 yards to the Jets 25-yard line, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by Bettis. New York Responded with a 42-yard field goal from Brien on their next drive to cut their deficit to 10-3. Later in the second quarter, Jets receiver Santana Moss
Santana Moss
Santana Terrell Moss is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami.-Early years:...
returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.
Midway through third quarter, Jets defensive back Reggie Tongue
Reggie Tongue
Reginald Clinton Tongue is a former American football safety who most recently played in the National Football League for the Oakland Raiders.-Early life:...
intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. On Pittsburgh's next drive, they drove all the way to New York's 23-yard line. But then Bettis fumbled the ball and New York's Erik Coleman
Erik Coleman
Erik Coleman is an American football safety currently playing for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Went to high school at Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane, Washington...
recovered it. After forcing a punt, the Steelers drove into scoring range for the third consecutive drive, this time scoring with Roethlisbeger's 4-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...
, tying the game at 17.
The Jets responded with a drive inside the Steelers 30-yard line, but Brien missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with 2 minutes left in regulation. Two plays later, New York defensive back David Barrett gave his team another chance to score the winning points by intercepting a pass from Roethlisberger and returning it 25 yards to Pittsburgh's 36-yard line. But Brien missed another field goal, this one from 43 yards, as time expired in the fourth quarter, and the game went into overtime.
The Jets won the coin toss, but were forced to punt. Pittsburgh then drove 72 yards in 14 plays and won the game with a 33-yard field goal from Reed.
NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
In a classic rout, quarterback Michael VickMichael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
and the Falcons steamrolled over the Rams in their first home playoff game since 1999, racking up 327 rushing yards and 232 yards on special teams. Vick combined for 201 yards (including 119 rushing yards, a playoff record for a quarterback) and threw 2 touchdown passes, while running back Warrick Dunn
Warrick Dunn
Warrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back, and current minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State...
rushed for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. Allen Rossum
Allen Rossum
Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum is an American football cornerback and return specialist who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
set an NFL post-season record with 152 punt return yards and added another 80 on kickoff returns.
On the Falcons opening drive, Vick rushed for 47 yards and later threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler
Alge Crumpler
-Atlanta Falcons:Crumpler was drafted by the Falcons in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Crumpler made the first start of his NFL career against the Carolina Panthers on September 23, 2001. He caught his first two passes for a total of 13 yards. His first touchdown was scored against the...
, giving his team a 7-0 lead after just 3:02 had elasped in the game. The Rams responded with Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
's 57-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis
Kevin Curtis
-St. Louis Rams:Curtis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 3rd round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Curtis was inactive for the first five games of 2003 after suffering a broken fibula in the final preseason game at Buffalo. In 2004, Curtis played in all but one game, totaling 32 catches for 421...
, but four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Atlanta running back Warrick Dunn
Warrick Dunn
Warrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back, and current minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State...
scored on a 62-yard touchdown run.
Early in the second quarter, Dunn's 19-yard touchdown run gave the Falcons a 21-7 lead. The Rams struck back with Bulger's 28-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt
Torry Holt
After injuring his knee at the Senior Bowl, Holt, at 192 pounds, ran a 4.44 second 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 37 inches at the 1999 NFL Combine-St. Louis Rams:...
, and then recovered a fumble from Vick on Atlanta's next drive. But the Falcons defense forced a punt and Rossum returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.
Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins
Jeff Wilkins
For the American basketball player, see Jeff Wilkins .Jeffrey Allen Wilkins nicknamed "Money" is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St Louis Rams. He played college football at Youngstown State University...
made a 55-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28-17 on the last play of the second quarter, but the Falcons dominated the second half. First they forced the Rams to punt, and Rossum returned the ball 39 yards to the St. Louis 32-yard line. Five plays later, Vick threw a touchdown pass to Peerless Price
Peerless Price
Peerless Jilo Price is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
. Then Rossum returned the Rams next punt 45 yards to the Rams 13-yard line, setting a 38-yard field goal by Jay Feely
Jay Feely
Thomas James "Jay" Feely is an American football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. Jay played for the Temple Terrace Spirit Soccer team that won the National Championships when he was 16....
. Throughout the rest of the game, the Falcons intercepted a pass from Bulger, forced him to lose a fumble, and sacked him in the end zone for a safety. After the safety, Atlanta running back T. J. Duckett scored the final point of the game on a 4-yard run.
Bulger finished with 292 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Curtis caught 7 passes for 128 yards. Duckett rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown.
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
The Eagles advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the fourth consecutive year on the strength of quarterback Donovan McNabbDonovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
(21 out of 33 completions for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns). Meanwhile, the Vikings repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with penalties (including 3 pass interference calls for 78 yards), turnovers (including two third quarter interceptions), and other miscues. The most notable was a blown fake field goal attempt which failed because they did not send the right personnel onto the field.
Midway through the first quarter, McNabb scored the first points of the game with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Lee Mitchell, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League for four seasons. A four-sport athlete at Kathleen High School, Mitchell committed to the University of California, Los Angeles to play football for the Bruins...
. The next time the Eagles got the ball, McNabb completed a 52-yard pass to receiver Greg Lewis, setting up his second touchdown pass on a 7-yard toss to Brian Westbrook
Brian Westbrook
Brian Collins Westbrook is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at Villanova...
. Mewelde Moore
Mewelde Moore
Mewelde Jaem Cadere Moore is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to his own 42-yard line, and two plays later, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
threw a 40-yard completion to Marcus Robinson. After that, he finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 14-7. But the Eagle struck right back on their next drive. First, J. R. Reed returned the kickoff 48 yards to the Vikings 46-yard line. After two penalties against Minnesota gave them 33 yards, McNabb completed two passes to tight end L. J. Smith. Smith fumbled the ball on the second pass, but Mitchell recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, increasing the Eagles' lead to 21-7.
The Vikings responded with a drive to Philadelphia's 3-yard line. On fourth down, coach Mike Tice
Mike Tice
Michael Peter Tice is an American football National Football League coach, best known as the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He is currently the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.-Playing career:...
called a fake field goal that was supposed to involve backup quarterback Gus Frerotte
Gus Frerotte
Gustave Joseph "Gus" Frerotte is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tulsa....
passing the ball. But the lineman next to the long snapper didn't hear the call. He remained in and Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
, who was supposed to receive the pass, had to run off the field to avoid a penalty. When the ball was snapped, a confused Frerotte had no receivers to pass too, and was forced to throw the ball away. The Eagles then drove 93 yards the Vikings 4-yard line, but were unable to stop the clock from running out before they could score.
After a scoreless third quarter, Philadelphia kicker David Akers
David Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
kicked two field goals in the final period. The Vikings managed to respond with an 80-yard drive capped by Culpepper's 32-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, but they could not recover the onside kick and the Eagles ran out the rest of the clock.
Culpepper threw for 354 yards and 1 touchdown, but was intercepted twice. Robinson caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Westbrook rushed for 70 yards and caught five passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
In a snowstorm, the Patriots dismantled the league's highest scoring team by forcing three turnovers and holding them to just 276 yards and 3 points, their lowest point total since their opening game of the 2003 season. Peyton Manning suffered his seventh loss in FoxboroughFoxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
, even though he had more yards passing than Brady did in the game. The Patriots limited Manning to 238 passing yards with 1 interception and no touchdowns, and Edgerrin James to just 39 rushing yards. The Patriots also held possession of the ball for 37:43, including 21:26 in the second half and recording three long scoring drives that each took over 7 minutes off the clock. New England running back Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
, playing in his first career playoff game after suffering through 7 losing seasons as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, rushed for 144 yards and caught 5 passes for 17 yards.
Both teams defenses dominated early, as the first five possessions of the game ended in punts. But after that, the Patriots put together a 16-play, 78 yards scoring drive that took 9:07 off the clock. They lost a touchdown when Dillons' 1-yard score was overturned by a penalty, but Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
kicked a 24-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead. The next time New England got the ball, a 42-yard run by Dillon set up another Vinatieri field goal, increasing the Patriots lead to 6-0. The Colts responded with a drive to New England's 39-yard line, but linebacker Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
ended it by forcing and recovering a fumble from running back Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Dondrell Rhodes is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He attended Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
. After a Patriots punt, Manning led the Colts 67 yards to a Mike Vanderjagt
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John "Mike" Vanderjagt , is a professional American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League and National Football League...
field goal, cutting the score to 6-3 going into halftime.
But the Patriots dominated the second half, holding the ball for nearly all the time in regulation with two long drives. After an exchange of punts, they drove 87 yards in 15 plays on a drive that consumed 8:16 and ended with Brady's 5-yard touchdown pass to David Givens
David Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. At the end of the Colts next drive, Hunter Smith
Hunter Smith
Hunter Dwight Smith is an American football punter, currently a free agent and most recently for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
's 54-yard punt pinned New England back at their own 6-yard line. But it didn't stop them. The Patriots stormed down the field on a 14-play, 94-yard drive that ate up another 7:24. Dillon rushed for 35 yards and caught a pass for 9 on the drive, including a 27-yard run on third down and 8, while Brady finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run, gving the Patriots a 20-3 lead with just over 7 minutes left in the game. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, safety Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
stripped the ball from Reggie Wayne
Reggie Wayne
Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...
and Bruschi recovered it, allowing his team to take more time off the clock. Indianapolis responded with a drive to the Patriots 20-yard line, but Harrison intercepted Manning's pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left.
NFC Championship: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
Despite a game-time temperature of 17 °F (-8.3 °C) and a swirling wind that sent wind chillWind chill
Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind. The wind chill temperature is always lower than the air temperature, and the windchill is undefined at the higher temps...
s into sub-zero temperatures, the Eagles finally succeeded in advancing to the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
in their fourth consecutive NFC Championship Game appearance. The Eagles' defense held Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
to a combined total of 162 yards, sacking him four times. Tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Chad Lewis
Chad Lewis
Chad Wayne Lewis is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams.-Early life:...
caught two touchdown passes of three and two yards from Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
; however, he suffered a Lisfranc
Lisfranc
Lisfranc may refer to:*Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin*Lisfranc fracture*Lisfranc joint*Lisfranc ligament...
injury to his foot in the process of catching the second touchdown, and would miss the Super Bowl.
On their first drive of the game, the Eagles drove to Atlanta's 32-yard line. But they turned the ball over after trying to convert a fourth down with a fake field goal attempt. The next time they got the ball, a 36-yard run by Brian Westbrook
Brian Westbrook
Brian Collins Westbrook is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at Villanova...
and a 21-yard catch by L. J. Smith set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Dorsey Levens
Dorsey Levens
Herbert Dorsey Levens is a retired American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame and later Georgia Tech.In his career, Levens also played for the...
, giving them a 7-0 lead. Atlanta responded with a drive to the Eagles 3-yard line, but was forced to settle for a Jay Feely
Jay Feely
Thomas James "Jay" Feely is an American football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. Jay played for the Temple Terrace Spirit Soccer team that won the National Championships when he was 16....
field goal after Vick was sacked on third down. Six plays after the ensuing kickoff, Greg Lewis' 45-yard reception moved the ball to the Falcons 4-yard line, setting up McNabb's 3-yard touchdown pass to Chad Lewis one play later. Atlanta struck right back on their next drive, moving the ball 70 yards in just five plays and scoring with Warrick Dunn
Warrick Dunn
Warrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back, and current minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State...
's 10-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left in the first half.
The Eagles dominated the second half, forcing Atlanta to punt on every possession except one which resulted in an interception, and their last one, which ended when they turned the ball over on downs. Philadelphia also added 13 points to their lead with two David Akers
David Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
field goals and another touchdown pass from McNabb to Lewis.
McNabb threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards. Westbrook rushed for 96 yards and caught five passes for 39.
AFC Championship: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
The game-time temperature of 11 °F (-11.7 °C) made it the second-coldest game ever in Pittsburgh and the coldest ever in Steel City playoff annals. However, it was the Patriots that handed Ben RoethlisbergerBen Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
his first loss as a starter after a 14-game winning streak, the longest by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, as the Steelers became the second NFL team ever to record a 15-1 record and fail to reach the Super Bowl. The Patriots converted four Pittsburgh turnovers into 24 points, while committing no turnovers themselves. The Patriots' win also prevented an all-Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Super Bowl from being played.
The Steelers never recovered from their poor performance in the first quarter. Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson intercepted Roethlisberger's first pass of the game on his own 48-yard line, setting up Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
's 48-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a drive to the Patriots 39-yard line. But then running back Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
lost a fumble while being tackled by Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue....
and linebacker Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
recovered it. On the next play, Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to receiver Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
.
With 1:28 left in the first quarter, the Steelers cut their deficit to 10-3 with Jeff Reed's 23-yard field goal. But after an exchange of punts, Branch caught a 45-yard reception on Pittsburgh's 14-yard line. Two plays later, Brady threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to David Givens
David Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Then on the Steelers ensuing drive, safety Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 24-3 halftime lead.
In the second half, the teams scored three consecutive touchdowns. New England was forced to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He attended Indiana University, after turning down a Major League Baseball draft selection by the Chicago Cubs in 1997...
returned the ball 9 yards to the Steelers 44-yard line. Then on the Steelers ensuing possession, he caught two passes for 46 yards as they drove 56 yards in five plays. Bettis finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, cutting their deficit to 24-10. New England responded by moving the ball 69 yards in seven plays and scoring with Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
's 25-yard touchdown run. But Pittsburgh stormed right back, driving 60 yards in ten plays and scoring with Roethlisberger's 30-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...
. Then after forcing a punt, Randle El returned the ball 22 yards to the Steelers 49-yard line. On their ensuing drive, Ward's 26-yard reception on the last play of the third quarter set up Reed's second field goal, making the score 31-20 with 13:32 left in the game.
However, the Patriots took over the rest of the quarter. They responded with a 49-yard drive that took 5:26 off the clock and ended with Vinatieri's 31-yard field goal. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Wilson intercepted another pass from Roethlisberger at New England's 45-yard line. The Patriots subsequently marched down the field on another long scoring drive, taking 5:06 off the clock. Branch capped it off with a 23-yard touchdown run on a reverse play, giving the Patriots a 41-20 lead. The Steelers responded with Roethlisberger's 7-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
on their next drive, but by then there was only 1:31 left in the game.
Brady completed 14 of 21 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dillon rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown. Branch caught 4 passes for 116 yards, rushed for 37 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Roethlisberger threw for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 45 yards, but was intercepted 3 times. Ward caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.