Super Bowl XXXIX — 2004 Season

Result

Super Bowl MVP

Deion Branch (WR, New England Patriots)

Starting lineups

Starting offense

Starting defense

Note: Rosevelt Colvin is listed at left defensive end by the source; he is more commonly described elsewhere as an outside linebacker within New England's 3-4 that season — reported as sourced rather than silently reassigned to OLB without a confirming second source.

Box score

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Game context

Super Bowl XXXIX gave the New England Patriots their third championship in four seasons, a tightly contested 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles that completed the franchise's transformation into a bona fide dynasty. The game was close throughout, tied at 7-7 after the first half's early scoring and 14-14 entering the fourth quarter, before New England scored the go-ahead touchdown and held on as Philadelphia mounted a late rally that ultimately came up short, with Donovan McNabb throwing an interception in the final minutes that sealed New England's win. Wide receiver Deion Branch was named MVP after tying a Super Bowl record with 11 receptions for 133 yards, repeatedly moving the chains and keeping drives alive against a Philadelphia defense that had been among the league's best during the regular season. Tom Brady, seeking his third Super Bowl title in four years, completed 23 of 33 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns, continuing his string of efficient, mistake-limited championship-game performances, while running back Corey Dillon added a rushing touchdown and 75 yards on the ground to complement New England's balanced attack. Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, playing through what was later revealed to be a rib injury and reported illness during the game, threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted three times, including the decisive pick with just over a minute remaining. Terrell Owens, playing despite a severely injured ankle that had required surgical repair with screws and a plate just weeks earlier and that many doctors had said would keep him out for the season, delivered a courageous 122-yard receiving performance, becoming, along with Branch, one of two players in the game to top 100 receiving yards, only the third time that had happened for both teams in a single Super Bowl. A significant point of criticism afterward centered on Philadelphia's offensive tempo in the fourth quarter, as the Eagles, trailing and needing to move quickly, were perceived by many analysts and fans to have operated too slowly in the final minutes, a criticism that became a lasting talking point about the game and reportedly frustrated some Eagles players and coaches for years afterward. New England's defense, which forced four total turnovers, made the plays necessary to hold on down the stretch even as Philadelphia's offense generated real yardage. The victory made New England, alongside Dallas, one of only two franchises to win three Super Bowl championships within a four-season span, firmly establishing the Brady-Belichick Patriots as one of the great dynasties in NFL history. For Philadelphia, the loss was a heartbreaking end to a season defined by Owens's return from injury, and the Eagles would not make it back to the Super Bowl for another twelve years, finally winning their first championship in 2017 by defeating these same Patriots 41-33.

Sources

• Pro-Football-Reference: Super Bowl Index
• Wikipedia: Super Bowl XXXIX