Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3 , 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 2001 regular season . The American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion New England Patriots ( 14 – 5 ) won their first Super Bowl by defeating the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion St . Louis Rams ( 16 – 3 ) , 20 – 17 , as kicker Adam Vinatieri made a game - winning 48 - yard field goal as time expired . The Rams had been 14 - point favorites to win the game , making the Patriots ' victory one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history . Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady , who completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and marched his team down the field for the game winning score , was named Super Bowl MVP . Due to the September 11 attacks and the NFL schedule being moved one week later , Super Bowl XXXVI was rescheduled from the original date of January 27 to February 3 . On December 16 , 2002 , the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) designated each subsequent Super Bowl a National Special Security Event ( NSSE ) . By 2004 , the league had restored the traditional pre - Super Bowl bye week that had been abolished prior to the 2001 NFL season , to reduce the possibility of the Super Bowl being unexpectedly delayed again ( as it turned out , the league never intended to permanently abolish the bye week , only being removed for 2 seasons due to the NFL shifting the opening weekend to after Labor Day ) . Background . St . Louis Rams . After their Super Bowl - winning 1999 season , the Rams offense again dominated the league in 2000 , leading the NFL in passing , scoring , and total yards . However , the Rams had one of the worst defenses in the league , ranking second to last in points allowed . This , along with injury problems and a coaching change ( Super Bowl winning coach Dick Vermeil left the team and was replaced by Mike Martz ) , caused the team to slip to a 10 – 6 record in 2000 . The season ended with a loss to the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round of the playoffs . After signing several new defensive players in the offseason , and hiring new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith , the Rams finished the 2001 season with the NFL ' s best regular season record at 14 – 2 , and advanced to their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons . In 2001 , they led the league in both total offensive yards ( 6 , 930 ) and scoring ( 503 ) . This was the Rams ' third consecutive season with over 500 points , an NFL record . On defense , they only allowed 271 points , improving their 31st ranking from last season to 7th . The Rams ' 1999 – 2001 offense , nicknamed " The Greatest Show on Turf , " is widely considered one of the best in NFL history . The team possessed an incredible amount of offensive talent at nearly every position . In 2001 , quarterback Kurt Warner was awarded his second NFL Most Valuable Player Award after throwing for 4 , 830 yards and 36 touchdowns , with 22 interceptions , and earned a league high 101 . 4 passer rating . Wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce each amassed over 1 , 100 receiving yards , combining for 142 receptions , 2 , 469 yards , and 13 touchdowns . Wide receiver Ricky Proehl caught 40 passes for 563 yards and 5 touchdowns . Tight end Ernie Conwell caught 38 passes for 431 yards and 4 touchdowns . Wide receiver Az - Zahir Hakim caught 39 passes for 374 yards , and added another 333 yards returning punts . Running back Marshall Faulk won NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award for the third year in a row . He rushed for 1 , 382 yards , caught 83 passes for 765 yards , scored 21 touchdowns , and became the first NFL player ever to gain more than 2 , 000 combined rushing and receiving yards for 4 consecutive seasons . Running back Trung Canidate was also a major contributor , rushing for 441 yards , catching 17 passes for 154 yards , returning kickoffs for 748 yards , and scoring 6 touchdowns . Up front , their offensive line was led by guard Adam Timmerman and offensive tackle Orlando Pace , who was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row . The Rams also had a solid defense , ranking third in the league in fewest yards allowed ( 4 , 733 ) . The line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive end Leonard Little , who led the team with 14 . 5 sacks and recovered a fumble , and defensive end Grant Wistrom , who recorded 9 sacks , 2 interceptions , and 1 fumble recovery . Behind them , the Rams linebacking core was led by London Fletcher , who had 4 . 5 sacks and 2 interceptions . St . Louis also had an outstanding secondary , led by Dre ' Bly ( 6 interceptions , 150 return yards , and 2 touchdowns ) , Pro Bowler Aeneas Williams ( 4 interceptions , 69 return yards , 2 touchdowns ) , and Dexter McCleon ( 4 interceptions , 66 yards ) . New England Patriots . The Patriots ' chances for a Super Bowl appearance seemed bleak shortly after the season had begun . Before the season even started , quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein died of a heart attack . The Patriots , coached by Bill Belichick , lost their first two games . In the second loss , at home to the New York Jets , starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered a sheared blood vessel on a hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis that would cause him to miss several weeks . His replacement was second - year quarterback Tom Brady , a sixth - round draft pick who had thrown only 3 passes in 2000 . Also , during the fourth game of the year , wide receiver Terry Glenn , the team ' s leading receiver in 2000 , was benched due to off - the - field problems . Upon assuming the role of starting quarterback , Brady enjoyed immediate success in the regular season , leading New England to an 11 – 5 record . He completed 63 . 9 percent of his passes for 2 , 843 yards and 18 touchdowns with 12 interceptions and was selected to the Pro Bowl . Veteran Pro Bowl wide receiver Troy Brown was the main receiving threat , recording 101 receptions for 1 , 199 yards and 5 touchdowns , while also adding another 413 yards and 2 touchdowns returning punts . Wide receiver David Patten also was productive , catching 51 passes for 749 yards and 4 touchdowns . Running back Antowain Smith provided the team with a stable running game , rushing for 1 , 157 yards , catching 19 passes for 192 yards , and scoring 13 touchdowns . New England was good on defense as well . Up front , linemen Bobby Hamilton ( 7 sacks , 1 fumble recovery ) , and rookie Richard Seymour excelled at pressuring quarterbacks and stuffing the run . Behind them , the Patriots had 3 outstanding linebackers : Mike Vrabel ( 2 interceptions , 3 sacks ) , Willie McGinest ( 5 sacks ) , and Tedy Bruschi ( 2 interceptions ) . The secondary also featured outstanding talent such as defensive back Otis Smith , who led the team with 5 interceptions for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns . Cornerback Ty Law intercepted 3 passes , returning them for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns . Safety Lawyer Milloy had 2 interceptions during the season , and was selected along with Law to represent the New England defense in the Pro Bowl . The defense ended the season ranked 6th in scoring , but 24th in total defense . During the 2001 regular season , the Patriots hosted the Rams in a nationally televised ESPN Sunday night game on November 18 . Although the Patriots jumped out to an early lead , a critical turnover before the end of the first half that led to a Rams score proved costly . In the second half , the Rams wore New England down and won 24 – 17 . The Rams lost four of their defensive players with injuries . The Patriots ' physical play led Rams coach Mike Martz to say after the game that the Patriots were " a Super Bowl – caliber team . " After the loss , the Patriots dropped to 5 – 5 , but would not lose again the rest of the season . Coincidentally , this was the third straight time that the New England Patriots Super Bowl appearance was hosted in New Orleans . The Patriots did not appear in a Super Bowl hosted by another city until the team played in Super Bowl XXXVIII two years later in Houston , Texas . Playoffs . The Rams began their postseason run with a 45 – 17 win over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round . Expected to be a close shootout between Warner and Packers quarterback Brett Favre , the Rams defense dominated the Packers by intercepting a playoff record 6 passes from Favre and returning 3 of them for touchdowns . The Rams offense also racked up 24 points on 2 touchdown passes by Warner , a touchdown run by Faulk , and a field goal by Jeff Wilkins , helping St . Louis put the game away by the end of the third quarter . One week later , the Rams advanced to the Super Bowl with a 29 – 24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game . Philadelphia managed to build a 17 – 13 halftime lead , but St . Louis scored 16 consecutive second half points ( 2 touchdown runs by Faulk and a Wilkins field goal ) to earn the win . Warner finished the game with 22 of 33 pass completions for 212 yards and a touchdown , with no interceptions , while Faulk rushed for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns . In the AFC , the Patriots defeated the Oakland Raiders 16 – 13 in the final game at Foxboro Stadium played in a driving New England snowstorm . The signature moment of the game was a controversial ruling by referee Walt Coleman in the fourth quarter that would cause this game to commonly be known as the " tuck rule game " . While the Patriots possessed the ball , trailing the Raiders 13 – 10 with under two minutes left in regulation and no time outs , Tom Brady was sacked by defensive back Charles Woodson , and appeared to fumble the ball . The fumble was recovered by Raiders linebacker Greg Biekert , presumably ending the game with a Raiders victory . After reviewing the play using instant replay , Coleman reversed the call on the field pursuant to the " tuck rule " , where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward motion . Brady then led his team to the Raiders 27 - yard line , where kicker Adam Vinatieri made a 45 - yard field goal which barely cleared the crossbar to send the game into overtime . The Patriots won the toss in overtime and would win on another Vinatieri field goal from 23 yards . Oakland ' s offense never regained possession . In the AFC title game , the Patriots traveled to Heinz Field to face the Pittsburgh Steelers , who were coming off a 27 – 10 win over the previous season ' s Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens . New England scored first with a 55 - yard punt return touchdown by Troy Brown , but in the second quarter , Brady was knocked out of the game with a sprained ankle . He would be replaced by Drew Bledsoe in Bledsoe ' s first game action since being injured in September . Upon entering the game , Bledsoe quickly moved the Patriots down the field and threw an 11 - yard touchdown pass to David Patten to give the Patriots a 14 – 3 halftime lead . Early in the second half , the Steelers moved from their own 32 to the New England 16 , where they lined up for a field goal by Kris Brown . However , Brandon Mitchell blocked the kick , Troy Brown picked up the ball at the 40 and ran 11 yards before lateraling to Antwan Harris , who took it 49 yards for a touchdown that made the score 21 – 3 . But Pittsburgh scored two third quarter touchdowns to make the score 21 – 17 . The Patriots ended the comeback attempt by scoring a field goal in the fourth quarter and intercepting 2 passes from Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart in the final 3 minutes of the game . Effect of the September 11 , 2001 attacks . Preparations for Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans were planned ever since the city was awarded the game during the NFL ' s October 1998 meetings . However , the September 11 , 2001 attacks led the league to move both the playoffs and the Super Bowl back by one week . Rescheduling the game from January 27 to February 3 proved extraordinarily difficult . In addition to rescheduling the game itself , all related events and activities had to be accommodated . This marked the first time in NFL history that the Super Bowl was played in the month of February ; however , all subsequent Super Bowls ( excluding Super Bowl XXXVII ) would be played in February . Historically , the NFL made allowance for an open weekend between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl . However , there wasn ' t one scheduled for 2001 , due to the NFL ' s decision beginning in the 1999 season to move the opening week of games to the weekend after Labor Day . Because the date of the Super Bowl had been set through 2003 , the bye week before the Super Bowl would not return until 2004 . The NFL and New Orleans officials worked diligently to put together a deal to reschedule the game . The league considered a number of options , including shortening the regular season , shortening the playoffs , condensing the three playoff rounds in two weeks , and moving the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena , California . It was eventually decided to make every effort to maintain a full regular season and playoff , and push the Super Bowl back to February 3 . One of the most significant logistical challenges was accommodating the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention , which was originally slated to occupy the Superdome on February 3 . On October 3 , 2001 , the NFL announced its intentions to hold the game on February 3 , even though no agreement was in hand with NADA . Several weeks later , the three parties reached an agreement , where the NADA would move its convention date to the original Super Bowl week in exchange for financial and other considerations , including promotional spots shown during selected regular season NFL games . This agreement permitted the NFL to move the game back to February 3 , and allowed for a full standard playoff tournament . Initially , the original logo for Super Bowl XXXVI had a style that reflected the host city . The original logo was distributed on some memorabilia items during 2001 . However , after the 9 / 11 attacks , a new logo reflecting American pride was designed , featuring the shape of the 48 contiguous states ( see the top of this article ) . Venue . This was the last Super Bowl played on AstroTurf . From 2000 to 2005 , NFL stadiums phased out AstroTurf in favor of natural grass or other surfaces that closely simulate grass , such as FieldTurf . Prior to Super Bowl XXXVI , Superdome officials considered installing natural grass for the game . The proposed system was comparable to what had been used at the Silverdome during the 1994 World Cup , and at Giants Stadium from 2000 – 2002 . Large trays of grass would be grown and cultivated outdoors , then brought inside the dome and placed on the field of play . In the end , cost and quality concerns prompted stadium and league officials to abandon the project . Television and entertainment . The game was broadcast in the United States by Fox television , with the broadcast team of play - by - play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John Madden . Pam Oliver and Ron Pitts served as sideline reporters . This was Summerall ' s 26th and ( to date ) final Super Bowl broadcast on television or radio , as well as the eighth and final Super Bowl telecast ( and final NFL telecast of any kind ) for Summerall and Madden as a team ; the two had been paired since 1981 ( dating back to their days at CBS ) . Madden would move to ABC following Summerall ' s retirement , which would make him the first person to announce Super Bowls on different networks in consecutive years when he called Super Bowl XXXVII with Al Michaels . James Brown hosted all the events with help from his then - fellow " Fox NFL Sunday " cast members Terry Bradshaw , Howie Long and Cris Collinsworth . Jillian Barberie served as the weather and entertainment reporter during the pre - game show . Pregame ceremonies . Before the game , an ensemble of singers Barry Manilow , Yolanda Adams , James Ingram , Wynonna and Patti LaBelle performed Manilow ' s song " Let Freedom Ring . " In a video segment , past and present NFL players read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence . Former U . S . presidents Gerald Ford , Jimmy Carter , George H . W . Bush , and Bill Clinton appeared in another videotaped segment and recited some of the speeches by Abraham Lincoln . Because Ronald Reagan had Alzheimer ' s disease , his wife Nancy appeared on the segment instead . Singers Mary J . Blige and Marc Anthony , along with the Boston Pops Orchestra , performed " America the Beautiful " . Paul McCartney then sang his post - 9 / 11 song " Freedom " . Afterwards , singer Mariah Carey , accompanied by the Boston Pops Orchestra , performed the national anthem . George H . W . Bush became the first president , past or present , to participate in a Super Bowl coin toss in person ( Ronald Reagan participated in the Super Bowl XIX coin toss via satellite from the White House in 1985 ) . Bush was joined by hall of fame and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach , who played at the United States Naval Academy and was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI , played 30 years prior at New Orleans ' Tulane Stadium . Patriots entrance into the Superdome . As was customary at the time , the Rams ' offensive starters were introduced first , as the Rams were considered the visitors . However , when it came time to introduce the Patriots ' starters , Pat Summerall , making the public address announcement , revealed that the Patriots chose " to be introduced as a team . " According to David Halberstam ' s book , " The Education of a Coach " , Belichick was given a choice by the NFL to introduce either the offense or defense . Belichick chose neither , asking that the team be introduced all at once in the spirit of unity . Although this was initially rejected by the NFL , Belichick held his ground and the NFL honored his request . This event set a precedent , and today both Super Bowl contestants are introduced as a team . Halftime show . The halftime show featured a three - song set from Irish rockers U2 , who had just completed their successful Elevation Tour . After a rendition of " Beautiful Day " , the band launched into " MLK " and " Where the Streets Have No Name " , both featuring two backdrops with the names of victims of the 9 / 11 attacks floating into the sky behind the band . While singing " Where the Streets Have No Name , " Bono replaced the lyrics ' take shelter from the poison rain ' to ' dance in the Louisiana rain ' and ' high on a desert plain ' with ' where there ' s no sorrow or pain ' . At the conclusion of the song , Bono opened his jacket to reveal an American flag printed into the lining . In 2009 , SI . com ranked it as the best halftime show in Super Bowl history , and the second greatest by " Askmen . com " . Commercials . Memorable television commercials that aired during the game included Sony Pictures trailer for " Spider - Man " and Budweiser ’ s “ Picking a Card . ” ADBOWL ranked M & M ’ s “ Chocolate on our Pillow ” as the best commercial of the year . Game summary . The Rams scored first midway through the first quarter , with Kurt Warner completing 6 of 7 passes for 43 yards on 48 yard , 10 play drive to set up a 50 - yard field goal by kicker Jeff Wilkins . At the time , the field goal was the third longest in Super Bowl history . The rest of the quarter was scoreless . Early in the second quarter , the Rams drove to New England ' s 34 - yard line , but quarterback Kurt Warner threw an incompletion on third down , and Wilkins ' subsequent 52 - yard field goal attempt sailed wide left . With 8 : 49 left in the second quarter , New England defensive back Ty Law intercepted a pass intended for receiver Isaac Bruce and scored on a 47 - yard return to give the Patriots a 7 – 3 lead . With less than two minutes left in the first half , Warner completed a pass to receiver Ricky Proehl at the Patriots 40 - yard line , but New England defensive back Antwan Harris forced a fumble while tackling him , which was recovered by Patriots defensive back Terrell Buckley . New England quarterback Tom Brady started off the Patriots drive with a 16 - yard completion to Troy Brown and finished it with an 8 - yard touchdown pass to receiver David Patten with 31 seconds left in the half to give New England a 14 – 3 halftime lead . This was the first time in the 2001 season that St . Louis fell behind in a game by more than eight points . The Patriots took the opening kickoff of the second half , but could only reach the St . Louis 43 - yard line before being forced to punt . Aided by a 20 - yard reception by wide receiver Az - Zahir Hakim , a 22 - yard reception by Bruce , and a defensive pass interference penalty on Patriots defensive back Otis Smith , the Rams advanced to the New England 41 - yard line . However , on the next play , linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive lineman Richard Seymour sacked Warner for a 9 - yard loss . Warner then threw 2 consecutive incomplete passes , which resulted in the Rams punting . Later in the third quarter , Otis Smith intercepted a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Torry Holt after Holt slipped while coming off the line of scrimmage , and returned the ball 30 yards to the Rams 33 - yard line . Though St . Louis ' defense did not give up a touchdown to the Patriots , kicker Adam Vinateri made a 37 - yard field goal to increase New England ' s lead to 17 – 3 . The Rams responded by driving to the Patriots ' 3 - yard line on their ensuing drive . On fourth - and - goal , the Rams attempted to score a touchdown , calling for a quarterback sneak by Warner . Warner fumbled the ball while being tackled by linebacker Roman Phifer , which was recovered by defensive back Tebucky Jones who returned it 97 yards for a touchdown that would have increased the Patriots lead to 23 – 3 . However , the play was nullified by a holding penalty on linebacker Willie McGinest , who illegally hugged Rams running back Marshall Faulk and prevented him from becoming an eligible receiver , which in turn gave the Rams a first down on the 1 - yard line instead . On second down , Warner scored on a 2 - yard touchdown run to make the score 17 – 10 , Patriots . After Warner ' s touchdown , the Rams defense forced the Patriots to a three - and - out . St . Louis then drove from their own 7 - yard line to the New England 36 - yard line , aided by a 30 - yard reception by Proehl . However , McGinest sacked Warner for a 16 - yard loss on second down , pushing the Rams back to their 46 - yard line . St . Louis ended up punting after Warner ' s third down pass was incomplete . The Rams forced New England to another three - and - out , and got the ball back on their own 45 - yard line with 1 : 51 left in the game . Warner threw three consecutive completions : an 18 - yard pass to Hakim , an 11 - yard one to receiver Yo Murphy , and finally a 26 - yard touchdown completion to Proehl that tied the game 17 – 17 with 1 : 30 left in the fourth quarter . Two years later , Ricky Proehl would do the same thing with the Carolina Panthers against the Patriots . The Patriots had no timeouts left for their ensuing drive , which resulted in color commentator John Madden initially suggesting that the Patriots should run out the clock and attempt to win in overtime . Instead , New England attempted to get the winning score in regulation on the final drive . Brady opened the drive with three completions to running back J . R . Redmond , which moved the ball to their 41 - yard line with 33 seconds left . After an incomplete pass , Brady completed a 23 - yard pass to wide receiver Troy Brown , and followed it up with a 6 - yard completion to tight end Jermaine Wiggins to advance to the Rams ' 30 - yard line . Brady then spiked the ball with seven seconds left , which set up Vinatieri ' s 48 - yard field goal attempt . Vinatieri ' s game - winning kick was successful , marking the first time in Super Bowl history that a game was won by a score on the final play . Final statistics . Overview . Warner finished the game with 28 completions out of 44 passes for 365 yards , 1 touchdown , and 2 interceptions , and rushed 3 times for 6 yards and a touchdown . Warner ' s 365 passing yards were the second highest total in Super Bowl history behind his own record of 414 yards set in Super Bowl XXXIV . Hakim was the top receiver of the game with 5 catches for 90 yards , and also rushed once for 5 yards . Faulk led the team with 76 rushing yards , and also caught 4 passes for 54 yards . Patriots running back Antowain Smith was the top rusher of the game with 92 yards , and caught a pass for 4 yards . Troy Brown was the Patriots leading receiver with 6 catches for 89 yards . Brown also had a 15 - yard kickoff return , and a 4 - yard punt return , which gave him 108 total yards . Although the Rams outgained the Patriots 427 – 267 in total yards , New England forced three turnovers that were converted into 17 points . The Patriots committed no turnovers .