-
2001 BCE
Super Bowl XXXVI
The New England Patriots win their first of three Super Bowls in the early 2000s, defeating the St. Louis Rams on a last-second 48-yard field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri. The Rams' high-octane offense outgains the Pats in total yardage, 427 to 267, but three untimely St. Louis turnovers lead to 17 of New England 20 points in the Patriots' narrow 20–17 victory. -
Super Bowl XXIV
San Francisco crushes Denver 55–10 to join Pittsburgh as the only NFL franchises to win four Super Bowls. For Denver, the game marks a third crushing Super Bowl defeat in a four-year span. For San Francisco, the win caps a 1980s dynasty and gives quarterback Joe Montana a record-setting third Super Bowl MVP trophy. 49ers coach Bill Walsh, whose innovative passing game revolutionized NFL offenses in the 1980s, announces his retirement following the game. -
Super Bowl XXV
The New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills 20–19 in Super Bowl XXV after Bills' kicker Scott Norwood's potential game-winning field goal try sails wide right as the clock expires. For the Bills, it will be the first of four consecutive heartbreaking Super Bowl losses. -
Super Bowl XXVI
The Washington Redskins roll to an easy 37–24 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. Washington's defense stymies Buffalo's offensive stars, holding running back Thurman Thomas to just 13 yards on 10 carries and pressuring quarterback Jim Kelly into throwing four interceptions -
Super Bowl XXVII
The Dallas Cowboys win their first of three Super Bowls in four years, crushing the Buffalo Bills by a score of 52–17 in Super Bowl XXVII. Dallas' defense forces nine turnovers and Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman throws for four touchdowns to lead his club to a comprehensive victory. -
Super Bowl XXVIII
Dallas defeats Buffalo in the Super Bowl for the second straight year to become just the third team in NFL history to win four Super Bowls, rallying from a 13–6 halftime deficit to win by a final score of 30–13. Running back Emmitt Smith wins MVP honors after rushing for 102 yards and two touchdowns. The Bills, meanwhile, set a record they don't want by losing their fourth Super Bowl in four years -
Big Cities Lose Teams
In a two month-span, both of Los Angeles' NFL teams flee the nation's second largest city for new locations. The Rams move to St. Louis, while the Raiders return to their original home of Oakland -
Super Bowl XXIX
The San Francisco 49ers become the first franchise to win five Super Bowls by routing the San Diego Chargers, 49–26. San Francisco quarterback Steve Young—who served as Joe Montana's backup for several seasons in the early 1990s—breaks Montana's Super Bowl record by throwing six touchdown passes. -
Super Bowl XXXII
An AFC team wins the Super Bowl for the first time in 14 years when the Denver Broncos defeat the defending champion Green Bay Packers 31–24 in Super Bowl XXXII. The victory comes as a huge relief for Broncos quarterback John Elway, who led his team through three blowout Super Bowl defeats in the late 1980s -
Super Bowl XXXIII
Playing in his final game before retirement, quarterback John Elway wins MVP honors after leading his Denver Broncos to a 34–19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII. Behind the strong play of Elway and running back Terrell Davis, Denver builds up a 31–6 lead early in the fourth quarter before Atlanta scores twice late to make the score respectable. -
Super Bowl XXXIV
The St. Louis Rams hold on to win one of the most thrilling Super Bowls in recent memory, 23–16 over the Tennessee Titans. On the game's final play, Rams linebacker Mike Jones makes a brilliant open-field tackle to bring down Tennessee receiver Kevin Dyson just one yard short of a potential game-tying touchdown. -
Super Bowl XXXV
The dominant defense of the Baltimore Ravens throttles an anemic New York Giants offense as the Ravens roll to a 34–7 victory in Super Bowl XXXV. Baltimore's D, led by ferocious linebacker Ray Lewis, tallies four sacks and five turnovers while holding the Giants to just 152 yards of offense. -
Super Bowl XXXVI
The New England Patriots win their first of three Super Bowls in the early 2000s, defeating the St. Louis Rams on a last-second 48-yard field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri. The Rams' high-octane offense outgains the Pats in total yardage, 427 to 267, but three untimely St. Louis turnovers lead to 17 of New England 20 points in the Patriots' narrow 20–17 victory -
Super Bowl XXVI
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, long one of the NFL's most woebegone franchises, win their first Super Bowl by blowing out the Oakland Raiders, 48–21. After Oakland scores a field goal to open the scoring just four minutes into the game, Tamba Bay puts up 34 unanswered points to put the game far out of reach by the middle of the third quarter -
Super Bowl XXXVIII
a great game featuring an exciting 32–29 win by New England over Carolina—is largely overshadowed by its halftime show. A musical performance by Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson ends in an infamous so-called "wardrobe malfunction," exposing Jackson's naked breast to 144 million viewers watching on live television
