Super Bowl XXXVI (2001): St. Louis Rams face New England Patriots at Louisiana Superdome. Kickoff time: 6:40pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XXXVI (2001) is the season's final accounting for 2001. St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots arrive at Louisiana Superdome carrying every snap they have played since training camp. Championship games strip the rest of the schedule away; what is left is whichever team executes its identity longest under the brightest light. The narrative that wins is the one with the trophy attached. Lose, and the season collapses into a footnote no matter how it was played.
The whole league is watching St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 2001 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
St. Louis Rams versus New England Patriots in the Super Bowl XXXVI (2001). The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of St. Louis Rams-New England Patriots cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 13-3 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7-9 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 7-9 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6-10 | W2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | W6 |
| New York Jets | 10-6 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-10 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 10-6 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-10 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-11 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 14-2 | W6 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | L4 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1-15 | L15 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 13-3 | W4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 12-4 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-11 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-14 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 7-9 | -- |
| New York Giants | 7-9 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-11 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3331717 |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 014172020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 50 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Ty Law 47 yard interception return ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 3-7 |
| Patriots | David Patten 8 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 3-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 37 yard field goal | 3-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Kurt Warner 2 yard rush ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 10-17 |
| Rams | Ricky Proehl 26 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 17-17 |
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 48 yard field goal | 17-20 |
| Rams | Patriots | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 26 | 15 |
| Total Yards | 427 | 267 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 28/44 | 16/27 |
| Pass yards | 365 | 145 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 28 | 11 |
| Net pass yards | 337 | 134 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 22 | 25 |
| Rush yards | 90 | 133 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 39 | 31 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | |||||
| Kurt Warner | 28/44 | 365 | 1 | 2 | |
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 16/27 | 145 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | ||||
| Marshall Faulk | 17 | 76 | 0 | 15 |
| Kurt Warner | 3 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Az-Zahir Hakim | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| James Hodgins | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| NWE | ||||
| Antowain Smith | 18 | 92 | 0 | 17 |
| David Patten | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Kevin Faulk | 2 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| Marc Edwards | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Tom Brady | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| J.R. Redmond | 1 | -4 | 0 | -4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | ||||
| Az-Zahir Hakim | 5 | 90 | 0 | 29 |
| Ricky Proehl | 3 | 71 | 1 | 30 |
| Isaac Bruce | 5 | 56 | 0 | 22 |
| Marshall Faulk | 4 | 54 | 0 | 18 |
| Torry Holt | 5 | 49 | 0 | 18 |
| Jeff Robinson | 2 | 18 | 0 | 12 |
| Yo Murphy | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| James Hodgins | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Ernie Conwell | 2 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| NWE | ||||
| Troy Brown | 6 | 89 | 0 | 23 |
| J.R. Redmond | 3 | 24 | 0 | 11 |
| Jermaine Wiggins | 2 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| David Patten | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Marc Edwards | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Antowain Smith | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Kevin Faulk | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
New England Patriots defeated St. Louis Rams 20-17 at Louisiana Superdome in the Super Bowl XXXVI (2001). The final scoring play was Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 48 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; New England Patriots won by 3. Top line of the day: Kurt Warner: 365 pass yards on 28-of-44, 1 TD, 2 INT. New England Patriots take home the Lombardi Trophy.
New England Patriots walked out of Louisiana Superdome as the team that survived a Super Bowl XXXVI (2001) St. Louis Rams will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 20-17. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 48 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New England Patriots hoist the Lombardi.
New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17. Round: Super Bowl XXXVI (2001). Attendance: 50301. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 3 scoring plays. Top performers: - Kurt Warner: 365 pass yards on 28-of-44, 1 TD, 2 INT - Antowain Smith: 92 rush yards on 18 carries - Az-Zahir Hakim: 5 catches for 90 yards
Super Bowl XXXVI (2001), played at Louisiana Superdome. Final: St. Louis Rams 17, New England Patriots 20, with New England Patriots taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Rams: Jeff Wilkins 50 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Patriots: Ty Law 47 yard interception return ( Adam Vinatieri kick) - Patriots: David Patten 8 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
**Third quarter**
- Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 37 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Rams: Kurt Warner 2 yard rush ( Jeff Wilkins kick) - Rams: Ricky Proehl 26 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Jeff Wilkins kick) - Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 48 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Kurt Warner: 365 pass yards on 28-of-44, 1 TD, 2 INT - Antowain Smith: 92 rush yards on 18 carries - Az-Zahir Hakim: 5 catches for 90 yards
A 3-point margin in Super Bowl XXXVI (2001) is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.