Super Bowl XXXV Super Bowl XXXV was played on January 28 , 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa , Florida to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 2000 regular season . The American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Baltimore Ravens ( 16 – 4 ) defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion New York Giants ( 14 – 5 ) , 34 – 7 . The Ravens became the third wild card team to win the Super Bowl and the second in four years . Also , the city of Baltimore had its first Super Bowl title in 30 years . Baltimore allowed only 152 yards of offense by the Giants ( the third lowest total ever in a Super Bowl ) , recorded 4 sacks , and forced 5 turnovers . All 16 of the Giants possessions ended with punts or interceptions , with the exception of the last one which ended when time expired in the game . Linebacker Ray Lewis made 11 tackles , 6 assists , and blocked 4 passes and was named Super Bowl MVP . Lewis became the second linebacker to win the Super Bowl MVP award ( see also Chuck Howley ) . The Ravens are the first NFL team created after the 1970 AFL - NFL merger to appear in and win the Super Bowl . They were established in 1996 as a result of the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy , using players and personnel from the Browns , which legally suspended operations for 3 years ( thus the Ravens aren ' t a " true " expansion team , only a legal one ) . The first " true " expansion team to win came two years later , when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII . Background . NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XXXV to Tampa during their October 31 , 1997 meeting in New Orleans . Tampa became the fourth metropolitan area to host the game at least three times , joining New Orleans , Miami , and Los Angeles . Baltimore Ravens . The Ravens entered the game with the second best defense in allowing yards in the league , with the fewest points allowed ( 165 ) and the fewest rushing yards allowed ( 970 ) during the regular season . At the time they were the only team in NFL history ( in a 16 game schedule ) to hold the opposition to under 1000 yards rushing for the season . Baltimore ' s 165 points allowed broke the record set by the 1986 Chicago Bears , who had given up 187 points . The defense was led by a trio of outstanding linebackers : Peter Boulware , Jamie Sharper , and Ray Lewis . During the regular season , Boulware recorded 7 sacks , while Sharper forced 5 fumbles and caught one interception . Lewis was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by recording 3 sacks , making 138 tackles , and intercepting 2 passes . Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sam Adams and veteran Tony Siragusa anchored the defensive line , along with Defensive Ends Rob Burnett ( 10 . 5 sacks ) and Pro Bowler Michael McCrary . Baltimore also had an outstanding corps of defensive backs led by Pro Bowl veteran safety Rod Woodson , who along with Kim Herring , Duane Starks , and Chris McAlister combined for 17 interceptions . On offense , the Ravens ' main strength was rushing , led by running backs Jamal Lewis ( 1 , 364 yards , 6 rushing touchdowns , 27 receptions , 298 yards ) and Priest Holmes ( 588 yards , 32 receptions , 221 yards ) . Also , tight end Shannon Sharpe recorded 67 receptions for 810 yards and 5 touchdowns . Receiver Qadry Ismail added 49 receptions for 655 yards and four touchdowns . The offensive line was anchored by tackle Jonathan Ogden , who was named to the Pro Bowl for the 4th consecutive season . However , the Baltimore offense was mediocre , ranking only 13th in the league in scoring ( 333 points ) , 16th in total yards ( 5 , 301 ) , and 23rd in passing yards ( 3 , 102 ) . The team had a lot of trouble scoring , and at one point they went through five games without making an offensive touchdown ( although they managed to win two of those games ) . But they managed to regroup , as head coach Brian Billick forbade anyone to use the " P - word " ( presumably " postseason " or " playoffs " ) until the team actually played in it . The Ravens ' outspoken defensive lineman Tony Siragusa did utter the word " playoffs " on two separate occasions and was fined , albeit a measly sum of $ 500 . Since the fine ( and Billick ' s ban ) were clearly symbolic and playful , Billick explained himself by saying , " He got a $ 400 fine for doing it on national television and $ 100 for doing it on his radio show . The reason being because no one listens to his show anyway . " In place of the " P - word , " the word " Festivus " was used , the secular holiday featured in an episode of the popular American television sitcom " Seinfeld " . ( The Ravens organization played along with this theme for that year ' s playoffs by showing a clip of Cosmo Kramer saying " A Festivus miracle ! " on the stadium screen during the team ' s only home playoff game that year . ) The Super Bowl was thereafter referred to as " Festivus Maximus . " The Ravens eventually won their last seven regular season games to finish in second place in the AFC Central with a 12 – 4 record and entered the playoffs as a wild - card team . New York Giants . The Giants advanced to Super Bowl XXXV after posting a 7 - 9 record in the previous year . Their big draft acquisition during the offseason was running back Ron Dayne , the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner . The plan was to have his power running style complement running back Tiki Barber ' s speed and pass - catching ability . The two would be called the Giants ' " Thunder and Lightning " backfield . Although Dayne had a solid rookie year by rushing for 770 yards , the breakout star during the regular season was Barber . Barber had 1 , 006 rushing yards in 213 attempts , caught 70 receptions for 719 yards , and scored 10 touchdowns . He also returned 44 punts for 506 yards and gained 266 yards returning kickoffs , giving him 2 , 495 total yards . Kerry Collins entered the season as the Giants ' unquestioned starting quarterback . Although he helped lead the Carolina Panthers to the 1996 NFC Championship Game , problems with alcohol , conflicts with his teammates , and questions about his character led to his release from the Panthers in 1997 . After spending the 1998 season with the New Orleans Saints , Collins was signed in 1999 as the Giants ' second - string quarterback , but soon claimed the starting job . In leading the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV , Collins recorded 311 out of 529 completions for 3 , 610 yards and 22 touchdowns during the regular season . His favorite targets , in addition to Barber , were wide receivers Amani Toomer ( 78 receptions , 1 , 094 yards , 7 touchdowns ) , and Ike Hilliard ( 55 receptions , 787 yards , 8 touchdowns ) . The Giants also had a powerful defense , led by Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan , who recorded 9 . 5 sacks , and defensive tackle Keith Hamilton who recorded 10 . Defensive backs Jason Sehorn , Emmanuel McDaniel , Reggie Stephens , and Shaun Williams combined for 14 interceptions . But the Giants fell to a 7 - 4 record midway through the season and their playoff prospects seemed dim at best . In what would be his defining moment , head coach Jim Fassel , at a press conference following the Giants ' loss to the Detroit Lions , guaranteed that his team would make the playoffs . The Giants responded by winning their last 5 regular season games to reach 12 - 4 and win the NFC East . Playoffs . With an explosive defense and a " play - it - safe " offense , the Ravens became the seventh wild - card team to reach the Super Bowl , and third in four seasons , after allowing only a combined one touchdown and three field goals in their playoff wins over the Denver Broncos , the Tennessee Titans , and the Oakland Raiders . Meanwhile , the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles , 20 - 10 , and shut out the Minnesota Vikings , 41 - 0 . Pre - game news . Before the game , there was a lot of resentment from Cleveland Browns fans , as the Ravens were playing in the Super Bowl only five years removed from the 1995 Cleveland Browns relocation controversy , in which following legal action , the Browns ' existing player and staff contracts became the new Ravens franchise ; and the Browns ' name , history , and archives would stay in Cleveland , and a new Browns team would begin play in 1999 after a three - year period of " deactivation " . As the Browns finished with a 3 - 13 record in 2000 , many Browns fans were upset that the Ravens were in the Super Bowl , although Matt Stover , Rob Burnett , and Larry Webster were the only players from the Cleveland days remaining with the Ravens when they won the Super Bowl . Officially , the win made the Ravens the quickest expansion team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl , although much like the 1950 Browns winning the NFL Championship in their first season in the NFL after coming over from the All - America Football Conference , the Ravens were not an expansion team in the true sense of the term . Television and entertainment . The game was broadcast in the United States by CBS ( their first since Super Bowl XXVI in 1992 ) . Play - by - play announcer Greg Gumbel became the first African - American announcer to call a major sports championship . He was joined in the broadcast booth with color commentator Phil Simms . Armen Keteyian and Bonnie Bernstein roamed the sidelines . Jim Nantz hosted all the events with help from his then - fellow cast members from " The NFL Today " : Mike Ditka , Craig James , Randy Cross , and Jerry Glanville . The desk reporting was done aboard the famous " Buccaneer Cove " pirate ship at the endzone of Raymond James Stadium . The broadcast featured the brand - new EyeVision instant - replay system , which provided rapid - fire sequential shots from a series of cameras positioned around the top of the stadium . It allowed for bullet time effects , similar to those used in the movie " The Matrix " . It was extremely unusual for CBS to debut a major new technology system at an event the size of the Super Bowl . The EyeVision system proved its mettle when it helped to uphold a replay challenge on a Jamal Lewis fourth quarter touchdown . EyeVision was also used during the broadcast of the Super Bowl XXXV half - time show , which was directed by " Saturday Night Live " director Beth McCarthy - Miller . CBS also produced a separate HDTV broadcast of the game in the 1080p format , with Kevin Harlan and Daryl Johnston announcing . It was the second year that the game was televised in both standard - definition TV ( NTSC ) and HDTV . As previously mentioned , this was the first Super Bowl to be aired on CBS in nine years ( XXVI ) . Following the 1993 season , Fox bought the rights to air the NFC package leaving CBS without the NFL for the next four years until 1998 , when they began broadcasting the AFC package , bringing an end to NBC ' s 33 year stint . Along with being the first African - American to be the play - by - play announcer for a Super Bowl , Greg Gumbel also became the third person to both host a Super Bowl pre - game show and call the game . Gumbel was the host during his first stint with CBS for Super Bowl XXVI and he was the pre - game host for Super Bowls XXX and XXXII when he was with NBC . He joined Dick Enberg and Al Michaels . Pregame ceremonies . Before the game , a pregame show titled " Life ' s Super in Central Florida " was held , featuring Sting , Styx , and PYT . To honor the 225th anniversary of the birth of the United States , singer Ray Charles performed " America the Beautiful " . The song was signed ( ASL ) by Tom Cooney . To honor the 10th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War , 10 military veterans from the conflict including former general Norman Schwarzkopf were introduced on the field . The pop group ( and Florida natives ) The Backstreet Boys then sang the national anthem . The coin toss ceremony honored the two previous Super Bowls that were played in Tampa . Representing the New York Giants win in Super Bowl XXV was the game ' s MVP Ottis Anderson and former head coach Bill Parcells . Representing the Los Angeles Raiders win in Super Bowl XVIII was that game ' s MVP Marcus Allen and former head coach Tom Flores . Halftime show . The halftime show was produced by MTV , then a sister network of CBS , and featured Aerosmith , ' N Sync , Britney Spears , Nelly , Mary J . Blige , and Tremors featuring The Earthquake Horns . The show featured a back - and - forth medley between Aerosmith and ' N Sync , featuring the songs " Jaded " and " I Don ' t Want to Miss a Thing " by Aerosmith ( the former song was from their then - upcoming album " Just Push Play " ) and " Bye Bye Bye " and " It ' s Gonna Be Me " by ' N Sync . The show ended with all of the performers singing Aerosmith ' s " Walk This Way " . Game summary . Both defenses dominated early in the first quarter as the first five possessions of the game ended in punts . On the fifth punt , Ravens kickoff / punt returner Jermaine Lewis returned the ball 33 yards to the New York 31 - yard line . Although a holding penalty on the return moved the ball back to the 41 - yard line , Baltimore took only two plays to score on quarterback Trent Dilfer ' s 38 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Stokley . Early in the second quarter , a holding penalty against the Giants nullified linebacker Jessie Armstead ' s 43 - yard interception return for a touchdown that would have tied the game . Later in the period , Dilfer completed a 44 - yard pass to receiver Qadry Ismail to set up a 47 - yard field goal by Ravens kicker Matt Stover to extend Baltimore ' s lead , 10 - 0 . With the aid of a 27 - yard run from running back Tiki Barber , the Giants advanced all the way to the Ravens ' 29 - yard line on their ensuing drive , but Baltimore defensive back Chris McAlister intercepted a pass from Kerry Collins to keep New York scoreless at halftime . The Giants forced the Ravens to punt on the opening drive of the second half . Five plays later , Baltimore safety Kim Herring intercepted Collins at the New York 41 - yard line . The Ravens then advanced to the 24 - yard line , but the drive stalled and Stover missed a 41 - yard field goal attempt . After an exchange of punts , Baltimore defensive back Duane Starks intercepted a pass from Collins and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown , setting off a chain of events unseen before in Super Bowl history : three touchdowns on three consecutive plays in 36 seconds . On the ensuing kickoff , Ron Dixon returned the ball 97 yards for the Giants ' first and only score of the game . But Jermaine Lewis returned the next kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown , making the score 24 - 7 for the Ravens . It was the first time in history two kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the same Super Bowl game , and on back - to - back kickoffs . The Giants gained only one first down on their final four possessions , and were never able to move the ball into Baltimore territory . Meanwhile the Ravens added 10 more points to their lead , making the final score 34 - 7 . A few possessions after Jermaine Lewis ' touchdown , New York punter Brad Maynard ' s 34 - yard punt from his own 4 to the 38 - yard line and tight end Ben Coates ' 17 - yard reception set up a 3 - yard touchdown run by running back Jamal Lewis early in the fourth quarter . Dixon fumbled the ensuing kickoff to Baltimore defender Robert Bailey , setting up Stover ' s 34 - yard field goal with 5 : 27 left in the game . Final statistics . Overview . Dilfer threw for 153 yards and a touchdown , with no interceptions . Jamal Lewis rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown ( only the second rookie to rush for 100 yards in the Super Bowl , joining Timmy Smith in Super Bowl XXII , while also being the first rookie to score a rushing TD in a Super Bowl since Smith in 1988 ) , and caught a pass for 4 yards . Stokley was the top receiver of the game with 3 receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown . Jermaine Lewis recorded 152 total offensive yards ( 111 kickoff return yards , 34 punt return yards , 7 receiving yards , 1 rushing yard ) and a touchdown . Collins threw four interceptions ( tying a Super Bowl record that has since been surpassed by Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon ' s five INTs in Super Bowl XXXVII ) and completed only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards . Barber was the Giants ' leading rusher with 49 yards , also catching 6 passes for 26 yards and returning 2 punts for 13 yards , while Dixon tallied 6 kickoffs for 154 yards and a touchdown with a 16 - yard pass catch . While Giants punter Brad Maynard set an undesirable Super Bowl record with 11 punts , Baltimore punter Kyle Richardson had 10 punts , which would have set the record . Overall , both teams combined for only 396 total yards , the lowest in Super Bowl history . The Ravens joined Super Bowl XVIII ' s Los Angeles Raiders in the record books as the only teams to score offensive , defensive and special teams touchdowns in the same Super Bowl . All the main contributors for the Ravens on offense , defense , and special teams were Lewises . Jamal Lewis was the top rusher of the game , Jermaine Lewis notched 145 yards and a touchdown on special teams , and linebacker Ray Lewis was named Super Bowl MVP . In addition , the Ravens defense was coached by Marvin Lewis . The Ravens defense has since been considered among the greatest of all time . The New York Giants started a trend of seven different NFC Champions in seven years . The Giants would go to the Super Bowl again in 2007 , ending the current trend at the time , but starting a new one . Beginning with the 2001 St . Louis Rams , there have now been ten different NFC Champions in ten years . Surveillance . The American Civil Liberties Union criticized a test of a system used at the event to monitor the people in attendance . A group of four companies installed a face recognition system to scan the faces of fans entering the stadium and compare them with a database of criminals . Attendees were not told that they were subject to this surveillance . Tampa Bay police reported that the system identified nineteen criminals , but due to complaints and trouble with false positive results , it was not re - used the next year . Super Bowl XXXVI and all subsequent Super Bowls have been designated as a National Security Special Event , qualifying for extra security detail from the Secret Service .