Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003): Carolina Panthers face New England Patriots at Reliant Stadium. Kickoff time: 6:25pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003) is the season's final accounting for 2003. Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots arrive at Reliant Stadium 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 Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 2003 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
Carolina Panthers versus New England Patriots in the Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003). 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 Carolina Panthers-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 |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 14-2 | W12 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 12-4 | W3 |
| Houston Texans | 5-11 | L4 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 13-3 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 12-4 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 10-6 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-12 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 | L3 |
| New York Giants | 4-12 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 10-6 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 11-5 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | W2 |
No archived broadcast on file for this game yet. If you find one, please report it.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 19 | 010102929 |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 014143232 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Deion Branch 5 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 0-7 |
| Panthers | Steve Smith Sr. 39 yard pass from Jake Delhomme ( John Kasay kick) | 7-7 |
| Patriots | David Givens 5 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 7-14 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 50 yard field goal | 10-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Antowain Smith 2 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 10-21 |
| Panthers | DeShaun Foster 33 yard rush (pass failed) | 16-21 |
| Panthers | Muhsin Muhammad 85 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (pass failed) | 22-21 |
| Patriots | Mike Vrabel 1 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Kevin Faulk run) | 22-29 |
| Panthers | Ricky Proehl 12 yard pass from Jake Delhomme ( John Kasay kick) | 29-29 |
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal | 29-32 |
| Panthers | Patriots | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 17 | 29 |
| Total Yards | 387 | 481 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 16/33 | 32/48 |
| Pass yards | 323 | 354 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 28 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 295 | 354 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 16 | 35 |
| Rush yards | 92 | 127 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 12 | 8 |
| Penalty yards | 73 | 60 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | |||||
| Jake Delhomme | 16/33 | 323 | 3 | 0 | |
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 32/48 | 354 | 3 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | ||||
| Stephen Davis | 13 | 49 | 0 | 21 |
| DeShaun Foster | 3 | 43 | 1 | 33 |
| NWE | ||||
| Antowain Smith | 26 | 83 | 1 | 9 |
| Kevin Faulk | 6 | 42 | 0 | 23 |
| Tom Brady | 2 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Troy Brown | 1 | -10 | 0 | -10 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | ||||
| Muhsin Muhammad | 4 | 140 | 1 | 85 |
| Steve Smith Sr. | 4 | 80 | 1 | 39 |
| Ricky Proehl | 4 | 71 | 1 | 31 |
| Jermaine Wiggins | 2 | 21 | 0 | 15 |
| DeShaun Foster | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Kris Mangum | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| NWE | ||||
| Deion Branch | 10 | 143 | 1 | 52 |
| Troy Brown | 8 | 76 | 0 | 13 |
| David Givens | 5 | 69 | 1 | 25 |
| Daniel Graham | 4 | 46 | 0 | 33 |
| Kevin Faulk | 4 | 19 | 0 | 7 |
| Mike Vrabel | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
New England Patriots defeated Carolina Panthers 32-29 at Reliant Stadium in the Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003). The final scoring play was Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; New England Patriots won by 3. Top line of the day: Tom Brady: 354 pass yards on 32-of-48, 3 TD, 1 INT. New England Patriots take home the Lombardi Trophy.
New England Patriots walked out of Reliant Stadium as the team that survived a Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003) Carolina Panthers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 32-29. 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 41 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 32, Carolina Panthers 29. Round: Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003). Attendance: 71525. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q4: 6 scoring plays. Top performers: - Tom Brady: 354 pass yards on 32-of-48, 3 TD, 1 INT - Antowain Smith: 83 rush yards on 26 carries - Deion Branch: 10 catches for 143 yards
Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003), played at Reliant Stadium. Final: Carolina Panthers 29, New England Patriots 32, with New England Patriots taking the result by 3. **Second quarter**
- Patriots: Deion Branch 5 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) - Panthers: Steve Smith Sr. 39 yard pass from Jake Delhomme ( John Kasay kick) - Patriots: David Givens 5 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) - Panthers: John Kasay 50 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Patriots: Antowain Smith 2 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) - Panthers: DeShaun Foster 33 yard rush (pass failed) - Panthers: Muhsin Muhammad 85 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (pass failed) - Patriots: Mike Vrabel 1 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Kevin Faulk run) - Panthers: Ricky Proehl 12 yard pass from Jake Delhomme ( John Kasay kick) - Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Tom Brady: 354 pass yards on 32-of-48, 3 TD, 1 INT - Antowain Smith: 83 rush yards on 26 carries - Deion Branch: 10 catches for 143 yards
A 3-point margin in Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003) is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.