20 years ago, a dynasty was born in Super Bowl XXXVI as the New England Patriots took on the St. Louis Rams. As Super Bowl 56 and another chance for the Rams to capture the Lombardi Trophy nears, we head back to 2002 to recap what took place and the moments and players who made the game what it was.
Looking back at Super Bowl XXXVI
In Week 2, when a hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis knocked out Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe for a few weeks, no one knew what was coming. Rookie QB Tom Brady was not the player we knew today. He was a massive question mark. All anyone knew was this quarterback out of Michigan taken at pick No. 199 was now the starting QB. From there, well, the rest is history. Brady led the Patriots to an 11-3 record as a starter and propelled them into the playoffs.
This was not without some controversy. In their Divisional Round contest against the Oakland Raiders in the Foxborough snow, Brady went to throw the ball but pulled it back, then was knocked out and ruled a fumble. Thanks to a little-known rule, the call was overturned, forever to be known as “The Tuck Rule Game.” The Patriots took care of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, setting up a meeting with the Rams in the Super Bowl.
While we remember this as the beginning of the Brady-era and the start of the NFL’s next dynasty, the Rams were the team to beat. Kurt Warner was the league’s best QB that season. Warner came out of nowhere in 1999 to win league MVP and brought the Rams their first Super Bowl title. He threw for 4,830 yards with 36 touchdowns and won his second MVP heading into Super Bowl XXXVI.
The Rams were as stacked as their 13-3 regular-season record reflected. Their 513 points scored were 90 points clear of the second-place Indianapolis Colts. Even the Rams’ 230 point differential was almost laughable. No other team was over 140 in 2001. The Rams were “The Greatest Show on Turf,” and it showed.
Super Bowl XXXVI results
Initially scheduled for January 27, the game was pushed back a week after the NFL delayed the season following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Played at the then-named Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was also the last Super Bowl played on the site before Hurricane Katrina devastated the region.
Brady almost didn’t even get the starting nod. An ankle injury suffered against the Steelers in the AFC Championship allowed Bledsoe to come in and seal the game. In the days leading up to Super Bowl XXXVI, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was non-committal to who would start. Even Rams head coach Mike Martz felt the veteran Bledsoe would be the guy. Cleary Belichick made the right choice.
The Patriots held The Greatest Show on Turf to just 3 points for the first three quarters of play. St. Louis’ only score came from a 50-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins on the opening drive. Thanks to some fortunate turnovers and solid offensive play, the Patriots led 17-3 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Rams nearly completed a historic comeback
Then the Rams woke up and remembered they were playing in the Super Bowl. The Rams scored 14-unanswered points to make it 17-17 with 1:21 left in the contest. This is truly where Brady’s legacy began.
With the ball on their own 16-yard line, even NFL legend John Madden said the Patriots risked doing something “stupid.” After a 5-yard completion to J.R. Redmond, Madden said, “I don’t agree with what the Patriots are doing here. I would play for overtime.”
What happened next was a series of smart play calls with better execution. The Patriots drove down the field to the Rams 30-yard line and clocked the ball with seven seconds remaining on the clock.
Well, you know the rest of the story from here. Adam Vinatieri steps up and delivers the most clutch kick in Super Bowl history, connecting on a 48-yard field goal to win Super Bowl XXXVI 20-17. It was the first time a Super Bowl had been won on the game’s final score.
Top highlights and memories from the Patriots vs. Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI
The most memorable play, aside from Vinatieri’s kick, is one that didn’t even happen. Down 17-3 in the fourth, the Rams finally were deep in New England territory. With the ball on the 3-yard line, Warner scrambled on fourth down but was hit and fumbled. The Patriots’ Tebucky Jones picked up the ball and raced 98 yards for a touchdown that looked to ice the improbable victory.
Instead of celebrating, Jones was left gassed as a holding penalty on LB Willie McGinest negated the play. What would have been a 24-3 lead ended up a 17-10 game after Warner scored two plays later.
The Patriots’ defense had other highlight-worthy plays earlier in the game and honestly dominated. With 8:49 left in the second quarter, a blitzing Mike Vrabel led Warner to miss his intended WR, Issac Bruce. Instead, it was intercepted by CB Ty Law for a 47-yard pick-six to put the Patriots on the board 7-3.
Then, inside the two-minute warning, New England generated another turnover, this time forcing a fumble from WR Ricky Proehl. Pats DB Terrell Buckley would recover the ball and give it back to Brady and the offense. An 8-yard TD to David Patten capped off the drive and gave them a surprising 14-3 lead. It was the first time in the entire 2001 season that the Rams fell behind by more than eight points in a game.
Top players from Super Bowl XXXVI
The list of players and individuals involved in Super Bowl XXXVI is almost a who’s who of NFL royalty. For starters, the guys in the booth. Pat Summerall and John Madden were, and are still to this day, the greatest NFL broadcasting duo in history. Super Bowl XXXVI was Summerall’s 26th and final Super Bowl and was the eighth for the pair.
Even the coin flip was special. Dallas Cowboys great and United States Naval Academy graduate Roger Staubach participated, as did President George H. W. Bush. He became the first president, past or present, to participate in a Super Bowl coin toss in person.
Then we get to the players. Obviously, for the Patriots, we have Brady and Vinatieri. Brady is the greatest QB of all time, without question. Likewise, Vinatieri is the greatest kicker of all time. He holds basically every record aside from the longest kick. Vinatieri is the NFL’s all-time leading scorer at 2,673 points. He also owns the NFL records for field goals made (599), postseason points (238), and overtime field goals made (12).
On offense, the Patriots also had WR Troy Brown, who had 142 targets on the season. Plus, RB Antowain Smith had a combined 1,349 yards and 13 TDs on the season. Yet, the defense got them there and came up clutch when needed the most. LBs Tedy Bruschi and current Titans head coach Vrabel led the unit. Lawyer Milloy paroled deep at safety while CBs Law and Otis Smith handled the perimeter work. Law is the only member of this team enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Brady and Vinatieri will surely join him soon.
The Rams featured five would-be Hall of Famers
Then we get to the Rams, who have five members of their Super Bowl XXXVI roster in Canton, Ohio. One of which being Warner. A two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP, Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient, and considered the greatest undrafted player of all time.
Sharing the backfield with him was RB Marshall Faulk. The 2000 NFL MVP, Faulk is one of only three NFL players to reach at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. Furthermore, he is the only one to amass 12,000 yards rushing and 6,000 yards receiving. Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
LA’s receiving duo was almost unstoppable
Also enshrined (class of 2020) is receiver Isaac Bruce. A second-team All-Pro (1999) and four-time Pro Bowl selection, Bruce recorded 15,208 receiving yards in his career (fifth all-time). In their 2001 season alone, Bruce had 64 receptions with 1,106 yards and 6 TDs. Yet, he was not the best WR on the team that season.
That honor goes to Torry Holt, who had 81 receptions on 133 targets for 1,363 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and retired with the 10th-most receiving yards, including a record six consecutive seasons with 1,300 yards. Holt is once again up for Hall of Fame enshrinement for the class of 2022.
Pace and Williams anchored their respective positional groups
The offensive line was anchored by Orlando Pace, widely considered not just the cornerstone of the line but one of the best ever at his position. A 2016 Hall of Fame inductee, Pace retired as a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection.
As for the Rams defense, DB Aeneas Williams was their star player. Drafted in 1991 by the Cardinals, Williams spent his final four years in St. Louis. In their 2001 season, Williams posted 73 tackles (53 solo), 18 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 2 pick-sixes. A member of eight Pro Bowl selections, Williams held three first-team All-Pro honors and was on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.