document_title: P.S. I Love You (film)

question_text: who sends the letters in ps i love you

question_tokens: who sends the letters in ps i love you

text: P.S. I Love You (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Holly and Gerry are a married couple who live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They are deeply in love, but they fight occasionally. By winter that year, Gerry suddenly dies of a brain tumor, and Holly realizes how much he meant to her as well as how insignificant their arguments were.

text: Deeply distraught, Holly withdraws from her family and friends out of grief until they descend upon her on her 30th birthday. They are determined to prod the young widow to face the future and explore what her life choices should be. As they rally around Holly and help organize her apartment, a cake is delivered, and with it is a message from Gerry. It proves to be the first of several meaningful messages — all ending with "P.S. I Love You" — which he had arranged to have delivered to her after his death.

text: As the seasons pass, each new message fills her with encouragement and sends her on a new adventure. Holly's mother believes that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past. But they are, in fact, pushing her into the future. With Gerry's words as her guide, Holly slowly embarks on a journey of rediscovery.

text: Gerry arranged for Holly and her friends Denise and Sharon to travel to his homeland of Ireland. They arrive at their destination, a house in the beautiful Irish countryside where they find letters from Gerry for Sharon & Denise, one asking Denise to take Holly to his favorite pub. While there, they meet William, a singer who strongly reminds Holly of her deceased husband. He asks her to stay to see him after his last song ("Galway Girl"), which he dedicates to her. Upon hearing it, she is overcome with emotion and walks out, because it was the song Gerry sang to her shortly after they first met.

text: During the vacation, while on a fishing trip, they lose the boat's oars, leaving the three women stranded in the middle of a lake. During their wait for help, Sharon announces that she is pregnant and Denise reveals she is getting married. This news causes Holly to relapse emotionally and again withdraw into herself. They are eventually rescued by William, whom Sharon and Denise invite to stay the night because of the pouring rain.

text: Unable to deny their feelings for each other, they kiss, and William and Holly have sex. They begin a conversation about her deceased husband and Holly asks William to drive her to visit her in-laws. Upon Holly revealing their names, William realizes she is the widow of his childhood best friend. Revealing this to Holly causes her to panic, but William calms her down and starts to tell stories about his and Gerry's childhood. The next day, Holly visits Gerry's parents and while there, she also receives a letter from Gerry reminding her of their first meeting.

text: Arriving home, Holly again withdraws from family and friends. As she continues to become more and more lost, she is inspired by Gerry after finding one of his suspender clips next to one of her shoes and realizes she has a flair for designing women's shoes; she enrolls in a class that teaches how to actually make the shoes she has designed. A new found self-confidence allows her to emerge from her solitude and embrace her friends' happiness.

text: While on a walk with her mother, she learns that her mother was the one whom Gerry asked to deliver his letters after his death and receives the last letter. As the film ends with Holly taking her mother on a trip to Ireland, we see that Holly has opened herself up to the journey beginning with the next chapter of her life, and wherever it takes her she has the hope of falling in love again.

text: Differences between novel and film adaptation[edit]

text: The major difference between the novel and its film adaptation is that, in the novel, the main characters Holly and Gerry Kennedy are Irish. In the film, only Gerry is Irish, Holly and her family are Irish Americans, and the two live in New York. Also in the novel, Holly has numerous siblings, but in the film she has one. The film adds a character called William, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Another change is that in the books, the letters arrive all in a package together and Holly is expected to open them once a month. In the movie, the letters are delivered by mail. The film remains fairly true to the novel, and all of Gerry's letters are virtually unchanged.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Hilary Swank – Holly Reilly-Kennedy
Gerard Butler – Gerry Kennedy
Lisa Kudrow – Denise Hennessey
Gina Gershon – Sharon McCarthy
James Marsters – John McCarthy
Harry Connick, Jr. – Daniel Connelly
Jeffrey Dean Morgan – William Gallagher
Nellie McKay – Ciara Reilly, Holly's sister
Kathy Bates – Patricia Reilly, Holly and Ciara's mother
Anne Kent – Rose Kennedy, Gerry's mother
Brian McGrath – Martin Kennedy, Gerry's father

text: Production[edit]

text: In A Conversation with Cecilia Ahern, a bonus feature on the DVD release of the film, the author of the original novel discusses the Americanization of her story — which was set in Ireland — for the screen and her satisfaction with the plot changes which screenwriter/director Richard LaGravenese had to make in order to fit the book into the screen.

text: The film was shot on locations in New York City and County Wicklow, Ireland.[1]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
P.S. I Love YouSoundtrack album by Various ArtistsReleased
December 3, 2007[2]Genre
PopLength
56:44Label
Atlantic

text: The soundtrack for the film was released on December 3, 2007.

text:
"Love You Till the End" – The Pogues
"Same Mistake" – James Blunt
"More Time" – Needtobreathe
"Carousel" – Laura Izibor
"Fortress" – Hope
"Last Train Home" – Ryan Star
"Rewind" – Paolo Nutini
"My Sweet Song" – Toby Lightman
"No Other Love" – Chuck Prophet
"Everything We Had" – The Academy Is...
"In the Beginning" – The Stills
"If I Ever Leave This World Alive" – Flogging Molly
"P.S. I Love You" – Nellie McKay
"Kisses and Cake" – John Powell
"Trouble" – performed by Greg Dulli and Kerry Brown

text: The film also includes "Fairytale of New York" performed by The Pogues,  "Got Me Like Oh" by Gia Farrell, "No Other Love" by Chuck Prophet, "Mustang Sally" performed by Gerard Butler and "Galway Girl" written and originally released by Steve Earle, performed by Gerard Butler, Nancy Davis, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  Camera Obscura's "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" also plays in the opening credits.  None of songs are included on the official soundtrack.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text:
The film received negative reviews from critics, with most of the criticism being focused on Hilary Swank's performance. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives a score of 24% based on 99 reviews.[3]
At Metacritic the film received a weighted average score of 39%, based on 24 reviews.[4]

text: Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said the film "looks squeaky clean and utterly straight and very much removed from the shadow worlds in which Ms. Swank has done her best work. Yet as directed by Richard LaGravenese ... it has a curious morbid quality ... [It] won't win any awards; it isn't the sort of work that flatters a critic's taste. It's preposterous in big and small matters ... and there are several cringe-worthy set pieces, some involving Mr. Butler and a guitar. The film is not a beautiful object or a memorable cultural one, and yet it charms, however awkwardly. Ms. Swank's ardent sincerity and naked emotionalism dovetail nicely with Mr. LaGravenese's melodramatic excesses."[5]

text: David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "This is a movie that will leave you stunned and stupefied from beginning to end, if you don't head for the exits first. The only good things in it are Lisa Kudrow and Swank's wardrobe. The plot is unbelievable, although a competent script could have fixed that. The direction is flabby and uninspired, the casting is wrongheaded, and the performances run the gamut from uninteresting to insufferable ... the film wants terribly to be Ghost without a potter's wheel, but it just succeeds at being terrible."[6]

text: John Anderson of Variety also had a negative review: "The question of love after death has been asked frequently enough in the movies, but seldom with the high ick factor found in P.S. I Love You ... this post-life comedy will have the sentimentally challenged weeping openly, while clutching desperately to the pants-legs of boyfriends and husbands who are trying to flee up the aisle. Richard LaGravenese's trip into Lifetime territory may define the guilty pleasure of the genre ... As an exercise in chick-flickery, P.S. I Love You wants to possess the soulfulness of harsh reality and the lilt of romantic fantasy at the same time. In this case, at least, it simply can't be done."[7]

text: Stephen Whitty of The Oregonian wrote, "On a week when many people just want a good reason to put down their packages and smile for a couple of hours, P.S. I Love You arrives – signed, sealed and delivered just on time."[8]

text: Irish reviewers were particularly critical of Butler's Irish accent.[9][10][11] Butler later jokingly apologized for his poor effort at an Irish accent.[12]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film opened on 2,454 screens in North America and earned $6,481,221 and ranked #6 on its opening weekend. It eventually grossed $53,695,808 at the North American box office and $91,370,273 in the rest of the world for a total worldwide box office of $156,835,339.[13]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: Hilary Swank won the 2008 People's Choice Irish Film and Television Award for Best International Actress.

text: Cultural influence[edit]

text: Dialogue between Connick's and Swank's characters inspired Reba McEntire's 2011 single "Somebody's Chelsea".[14]


document_title: Sam & Cat

question_text: who plays the robots in sam and cat

question_tokens: who plays the robots in sam and cat

root

text: Sam & Cat

text: Plot[edit]

text: Ever since Carly Shay moved to Italy with her father (in the series finale of iCarly), Sam Puckett has been touring the West Coast on her motorcycle and stops in Venice, Los Angeles. She witnesses Cat Valentine being thrown into the back of a garbage truck and rescues her. They become friends and Cat convinces her to become roommates after Cat's cheerful and supportive grandmother Nona moves to a retirement home called Elderly Acres. To make money rather than getting traditional after-school jobs, Sam and Cat form an after-school babysitting business called "Sam and Cat's Super Rockin' Funtime Babysitting Service", which leads them into a series of comical adventures. Besides Nona, other people involved in their lives are Dice, their next door neighbor who is notorious for aiding people for money, and Goomer, a dim-witted professional MMA fighter whom Dice manages.[11]

tag: p

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text: Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett, who is rude, aggressive, loves pranks, and hates working. After her best friend Carly Shay moved to Italy to live with her dad, Sam tours the west coast on her motorcycle until she saves Cat from a garbage truck. She becomes friends with Cat and joins her in the babysitting job they start. She secretly has a heart of gold and a soft spot for Cat, but will threaten violence on anyone who harms her friends. Sam is not afraid of anything and is handy at fighting or bossing her way out of any situation.

tag: ul

text: Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine, who is sweet, naive, bubbly and almost always happy. She has a playful nature, often takes things literally, and faints when she is frightened. She has a short attention span and has bright red hair dyed to resemble her favorite snack, a red velvet cupcake. Cat has been living with her grandmother Nona since her parents went away to visit her brother. She can be emotional and does not take criticism well. Despite her ditziness, she is actually very intelligent and empathetic. In the earlier parts of the show, Ariana Grande dyed her hair red when playing Cat Valentine (which she also did when playing the character on Victorious) until it was changed to her wearing a red-haired wig in later episodes.

text: Cameron Ocasio as Dice, is Sam and Cat's neighbor who lives with his mom and his weird Aunt Ferjeen (who is notorious for having "night gas"). Dice is cool, calm and collected, and he knows all the tenants and gossip. He makes extra money by wheeling and dealing, often selling unusual items like hair cuttings from celebrities (including some he obtained from Sam), hats with misspelled logos, and odd gadgets. He is a talented pitchman. Dice manages a mixed martial arts fighter named Goomer who is not bright.[12]

text: Maree Cheatham as Nona, Cat's cheerful, supportive, and independent grandmother. Fun-loving and young at heart, Nona prefers the company of people her own age. Although she is always around whenever Sam and Cat need her, she has moved out of the apartment she shared with Cat and into Elderly Acres to be nearer to her friends, allowing Sam to move in permanently. She is criticized for not being in touch with the younger generation, and tells stories which fail to interest them.[13]

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Zoran Korach as Goomer, a professional mixed martial artist who trains at Punchy's Gym. He is 27 years old but has the mental ability of someone much younger. He is very dim-witted and easily confused. Despite his childish nature, he is very good at fighting. Dice took over his management after his original manager claimed Goomer was "too stupid to manage".
Dan Schneider as the voice of Tandy, a red robot that works at the restaurant "Bots" as a waiter.
Lisa Lillien as the voice of Bungle, a blue female robot that works at the restaurant "Bots" as a waitress.
Nick Gore as Randy, a kid who appeared numerous times in the show and is constantly introducing himself. Randy was originally supposed to appear in one episode, but the creator of the show, Dan Schneider, found him funny so he became a recurring character.[14]
Ronnie Clark as Herb, a man who appears to be homeless, but he is in fact rich and owns a condo.

text: Special guest stars[edit]

text:
Eric Lange as Mr. Sikowitz, Cat's acting teacher at Hollywood Arts, an eccentric aging hippie who occasionally doesn't wear shoes. His teaching methods are often unconventional, such as when he throws a ball at Cat while she is performing, but they are sometimes effective.[15]  He is a recurring character in Victorious and appeared in "#MommaGoomer".
Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as Sylvia Burke and Janice Dobbins, the original creators of the puppet show Salmon Cat, a TV show from the 1970s. Marshall and Williams are famous for playing Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, respectively, on Laverne & Shirley.[16]
Kel Mitchell, as Peezy B, a huge rap star who has rejected Cat's music video audition.[17]
Abby Wilde as Stacey Dillsen, a college student previously seen in Zoey 101 who is injured during a bicycle incident and loses one of her shoes, which Cat finds, leading her to find the second shoe.
Scott Baio as Officer Kelvin, a police officer who arrests Sam and Cat for "stealing money" from an ATM at the Handy Quick when Yokvish catches on to Cat's activity.
Elizabeth Gillies as Jade West, Cat's friend from Hollywood Arts. She is mean, aggressive, violent, and often offends Cat. She befriends Sam when they discover that they have a lot in common.
Nathan Kress as Freddie Benson, Sam's friend from Seattle and ex-boyfriend. He likes technological stuff, and served as technical producer of the iCarly web show on iCarly. Cat brings him to her house in order to flirt with him at the time when Sam was hanging out with Jade.
Matt Bennett as Robbie Shapiro, Cat's friend and love interest. He is a nerd who carries a puppet named Rex (who he makes speak as a ventriloquist). He kissed Cat in one of the final episodes of Victorious. When Cat hits on Freddie out of jealousy of Sam's friendship with Jade, Robbie is brought in by Jade so that Sam can hit on him.
Michael Eric Reid as himself, he plays Sinjin Van Cleef in Victorious. Michael appears in "#BlooperEpisode" and tells Zoran Korach that he knows what it's like to be left out for not being a main character.
Danielle Morrow as Nora Dershlit, an old enemy of Carly, Sam, and Freddie. In "#SuperPsycho," her pet chicken Maurice helps Nora escape from the prison somewhere near Seattle so that she can exact her revenge.
Reed Alexander as Nevel Papperman, an old enemy of Carly, Sam, and Freddie. In "#SuperPsycho," Nevel is seen in a Peter Sinai hospital for the very sick upon contracting Porcupox (a disease which somehow comes from a porcupine). Sam and Cat visit him in order to get advice on how to find Nora Dershlit.
Noah Munck as Gibby Gibson, a friend of Carly, Sam, and Freddie. After he is visited by Nora during his date with a girl at a movie theater, Gibby tips off Sam that Nora has escaped from prison.
Jessica Chaffin as Coco Wexler, a character from Zoey 101 whom Sam and Cat meet at the airport. Coco was once married to Carl, then they divorced. Coco is devastated when Carl proposes to her mother.
Josh Server as Agent Partridge, an airport agent who interrogates Dice and Goomer after they are mistaken for a terrorist plot.

text: Guest stars[edit]

text:
Griffin Kane and Emily Skinner[18] as Max and Chloe, a brother and sister who, alongside their baby brother Darby, were among the less rambunctious kids babysat by Nona; Sam and Cat babysit them now. They appear in episodes "#Pilot","#NewGoat", and "#PeezyB".
Sophia Grace Brownlee & Rosie McClelland as Gwen and Ruby, British girls whom Sam and Cat babysit in the episode "#TheBritBrats". At first they seem polite, but later they behave quite rudely. They are experienced con artists who bilk Dice out of $500 and Cat out of her bicycle. In a loose parody of The Sting, Sam concocts a rigged bingo game to trick the British brats into surrendering Dice's money and Cat's bike.[19][20] They also were in "#RevengeOfTheBritBrats" where they return and drive a wedge between Sam and Cat. This plan failed when Sam and Cat caught onto their plans.[21]
Cyrus Arnold as BJ Malloy, a boy who loves to eat eggs and call Dice "Diceberg", because it rhymes with "iceberg" and this attitude stresses Dice. He considers Dice as his friend.
Steve Lewis as Brody, a spear fisherman that always boasts his job and is often seen with a speargun in his hand.
Ryan P. Shrime as Yokvish, a clerk at the Handy Quick who enjoys taking selfies and grooming himself.

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: In August 2012, Nickelodeon announced that Dan Schneider, the creator of iCarly and Victorious, would be making a spin-off of both shows called Sam & Cat, and ordered the pilot episode.[11] The series was then picked up for 20 episodes in November, with the premiere planned for 2013. Production began in January 2013,[22] and on June 8, 2013, Sam & Cat premiered in the United States. Several weeks later, on July 11, Nickelodeon doubled the season one order of 20 episodes, to 40.[1] Filming was scheduled to resume in early September 2013 to finish the second half of the first season.[1]

text: Schneider originally aimed for a March 23, 2013, premiere of Sam & Cat, following the Kids' Choice Awards;[23] however, Nickelodeon intended for the show to make its debut in the fall.[24] On April 18, 2013, the show's two stars Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande, via Twitter, announced its premiere was set for June.[25]

text: Cancellation[edit]

text: On April 2, 2014, Nickelodeon announced the series would be on hiatus.[26] Although they insisted the series was not cancelled, many speculated that it was. This was due to a rumored dispute between McCurdy and the network, Grande's rising musical career, and both actresses' desires to move on to other projects. On July 13, 2014, it was announced that the last episode would be "#GettinWiggy," which aired four days later.[6]

text: Controversy[edit]

text: In March 2014, Jennette McCurdy became the subject of scandal after the leak of photographs revealing McCurdy in various states of undress. Her absence was noted at the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, where Sam & Cat won "Favorite Show" and Ariana Grande won "Favorite Actress." McCurdy claimed that Nickelodeon was treating her unfairly and that was the sole purpose for her failure to attend the awards.[27] On April 2, 2014, despite reports of a second season and with four episodes yet to be produced, Nickelodeon abruptly put the series on hiatus. Rumors were that McCurdy and Grande were having problems with the network over their salaries, with McCurdy accusing Nickelodeon of paying Grande more money. Grande later took to social media to deny the allegations.[28] The network stated that the hiatus was planned and said the series was not canceled.[29] However, three months later on July 13, 2014, Nickelodeon announced that the series had been canceled.[6]

text: For months in between, rumors of a feud between Grande and McCurdy ran high, and continued to after the series' cancellation.[30] However, McCurdy stated in a 2015 interview with E! Online: "I just feel that Ariana and I were and are extremely close and extremely like-minded in a lot of different ways, and then sort of as the show dissolved everybody wanted to find some sort of hidden meaning in our relationship and some like drama, and I think we butted heads at times but in a very sisterly way. Like she knows me so well and I know her so well that I think it was unfortunate that things got misconstrued."[31]

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: The series airs on Nickelodeon worldwide. It premiered in Canada on August 12, 2013, on YTV and on September 7, 2013, on the original channel.[32] The show previewed on September 1, 2013, and premiered on October 14, 2013, in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[33] It previewed on September 30, 2013, and premiered on October 7, 2013, and October 11, 2013, in New Zealand[34][35] and Australia,[36][37] respectively. In Southeast Asia it started airing on October 19, 2013.[38]

text: Home media release[edit]

text: Sam & Cat: The Complete Series, containing all 35 episodes, was released on DVD in Region 1 on October 8, 2015.[39]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text: The pilot episode debuted on Nickelodeon June 8, 2013, to an audience of 4.2 million viewers.[40] The second episode, one week later, drew 2.6 million viewers.[41] The most watched episode is "#TheKillerTunaJump: #Freddie #Jade #Robbie," which aired January 18, 2014, to 4.8 million viewers;[42] the second most watched episode is the pilot (4.2 million), while the least watched is "#SecretSafe" (2.0 million, on October 5, 2013).[43] In the United Kingdom the series premiere delivered 340,000 viewers, the most for that week. The Halloween episode premiere on October 26, 2013, brought 210,000 viewers staying in the same place.[44]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year
Association
Category
Nominee
Result
Ref.

2014
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite TV Show
Sam & Cat
Won
[45]

Teen Choice Awards
Choice Comedy TV Show
Sam & Cat
Nominated

Kids' Choice Awards Colombia
International Program Favorite
Sam & Cat
Nominated

Kids' Choice Awards Mexico
International Program Favorite
Sam & Cat
Won
[46]

Kids' Choice Awards Argentina
International Program Favorite
Sam & Cat
Nominated
[47]

Meus Prêmios Nick
Favorite TV Series
Sam & Cat
Won
[48]

tag: table


document_title: Super Bowl XXXIX

question_text: when did patriots and eagles last play in superbowl

question_tokens: when did patriots and eagles last play in superbowl

text: Super Bowl XXXIX

text: Background[edit]

text: NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXXIX to Jacksonville during their November 1, 2000 meeting held in Atlanta.[8]

text: Patriots seek to become a dynasty[edit]

text: New England finished the regular season with a record of 14–2, bested only by the Steelers' 15–1 mark, and ranking 7th in yards gained (5,773) and fourth in points scored (437).

text: The Patriots' major acquisition prior to the season was veteran running back Corey Dillon, who joined the team after playing 7 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.[9] In his first 6 seasons in the league, Dillon averaged over 1,250 rushing yards per year, including setting a single-game rushing record (278 yards, but has since been broken) against the Denver Broncos on October 22, 2000. In 2003, however, injuries, conflicts with the Bengals' management and coaching staff, and other off-field problems limited him to just 541 yards during the season. By the end of the 2003 season, Dillon had lost his starting job to running back Rudi Johnson, and thus demanded to be traded. [10] Although many observers questioned how effective the 30-year-old Dillon would be after recovering from his injuries as well as his ability to function in a team environment, the Patriots decided to sign the running back in exchange for a second-round draft pick.[10]

text: Dillon became a significant offensive weapon for the 2004 Patriots, recording 1,635 rushing yards (franchise record) and 12 touchdowns, both career highs, and was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his career.[10] He also caught 15 passes for 103 yards and another touchdown.[10] His contributions helped lead the team to break the NFL record for the most consecutive regular season victories (18), the record for the most consecutive overall victories (21) and earned the second best regular season record during the year at 14–2.[10] The team's only losses during the year were to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who ended up with the league's best regular season record at 15–1, and a 29–28 loss to the Miami Dolphins on ABC's Monday Night Football.[10]

text: Another weapon in the Patriots' offensive backfield was running back Kevin Faulk, who rushed for 255 yards, recorded 26 receptions for 248 yards, returned 20 punts for 113 yards, returned 4 kickoffs for 73 yards, and scored 3 total touchdowns.[10] Fullback Patrick Pass also emerged as a big contributor, rushing for 141 yards, catching 28 passes for 215 yards, and gaining another 115 yards on kickoff returns.[10]

text: Pro Bowl quarterback Tom Brady remained at the helm of the Patriots offense, completing 288 out of 474 (60.8 percent) of his passes for 3,692 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.[10] Although wide receiver Deion Branch, New England's major deep threat, missed most of the season because of injuries, he did record 35 receptions for 454 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver David Givens ended up being the team's leading receiver with 56 catches for 874 yards and 3 touchdowns.[10] Wide receiver David Patten also contributed with 44 receptions for 800 yards and 7 touchdowns, and tight end Daniel Graham had 30 receptions for 364 yards and 7 touchdowns.[10] On special teams, pro bowl kicker Adam Vinatieri had the best season of his career, leading the NFL in field goals made (31), field goal percentage (93.9) and scoring (141 points)

text: On defense, the Patriots were plagued by injuries, especially in their secondary. Defensive backs Tyrone Poole and Ty Law suffered season-ending injuries, while safety Eugene Wilson, who led the team with 4 interceptions, missed several games.[10] In order to compensate for the losses, the following players were promoted to starters:

text:
Rookie cornerback Randall Gay, who did not play at all in the first 3 games of the season, and did not start until the 6th week.[10]
Cornerback Asante Samuel, who normally only played in dime formations.[10]
Safety Earthwind Moreland, who came off of the team's practice squad and had only played in three games in his entire 5-year NFL career.[10]
Veteran wide receiver Troy Brown.[10] Head Coach Bill Belichick used Brown in the secondary during training camp, gave him playing time there during the preseason and saw Brown did very well.

text: With their patchwork secondary, the Patriots ranked just 17th in passing yards allowed (3,400) and 22nd in completions allowed (315).[10] However, they did rank 7th in interceptions (20) and 10th in fewest passing touchdowns allowed (18).[10] Most importantly, New England continued to win despite the injuries. Brown actually turned out to be very effective playing as a defensive back, ranking second on the team with 3 interceptions. Safety Rodney Harrison was also an impact player, leading the team with 138 tackles while also recording 3 sacks and 2 interceptions.[10]

text: Up front, the Patriots' defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowler Richard Seymour, who recorded 5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.[10] New England also still had their trio of impact veteran linebackers: Pro Bowler Tedy Bruschi (122 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 70 return yards), Willie McGinest (9.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception), and Mike Vrabel (71 tackles and 5.5 sacks), along with Ted Johnson.[10] Vrabel also frequently played at the tight end position during offensive plays near the opponent's goal line, recording 2 touchdown receptions. [10]

text: Eagles return to the Super Bowl[edit]

text: The Eagles gained the 2004 NFC Super Bowl berth after 3 consecutive defeats in the NFC Championship Game to the St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who won Super Bowl XXXVII that year), and Carolina Panthers, respectively. The Eagles hired Andy Reid as their head coach in 1999 following two straight losing seasons.[10] That same year, they used their first-round pick in the NFL draft (the second overall) to select quarterback Donovan McNabb.[10] Although they finished the 1999 regular season with a 5–11 record, they became a playoff team in 2000, with McNabb throwing for 3,365 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 629 yards and another 6 touchdowns.[10]

text: The Eagles achieved the best regular season record in the conference during the combined 2001, 2002, and 2003 seasons with a total of 35 wins out of 48 games, but lost the NFC Championship Game in each of those 3 years. Prior to the 2004 season, the Eagles traded for wide receiver Terrell Owens to be the impact player to help get them to the Super Bowl.[10]

text: Owens joined the team after 8 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. [10] He was considered one of the top receivers in the league, but he was also widely considered a troublemaker because of controversial touchdown celebrations and his tendency to berate his teammates during media interviews. Nevertheless, Owens became the Eagles' deep-ball threat, finishing the season with 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns.[10]

text: McNabb had the best season of his career in 2004, completing 300 out of 469 (64 percent) passes for 3,875 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, making him the first quarterback to ever throw for more than 30 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season.[11] He also rushed for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Todd Pinkston was also a reliable target, recording 36 catches for 676 yards.[12]

text: Philadelphia's running game was not as strong as their passing attack, ranking just 24th in the league in rushing yards (1,639).[10] Running back Brian Westbrook led the team with 812 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, however he also led all NFL running backs in receiving with 73 receptions for 706 yards and 6 touchdowns.[10] Veteran running back Dorsey Levens was also a big contributor with 410 rushing yards. The Eagles' offensive line was led by Pro Bowl tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan and center Hank Fraley.[10]

text: Three of their four starters in the defensive secondary were named to the Pro Bowl: Cornerback Lito Sheppard (1 sack, 5 interceptions, 172 return yards and 2 touchdowns), safety Michael Lewis (88 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack, and 1 interception) and safety Brian Dawkins (3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 4 interceptions for 40 return yards), while their fourth starter, cornerback Sheldon Brown, also enjoyed a solid year (89 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 interceptions).[10] Their defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Corey Simon (5.5 sacks) and defensive ends Jevon Kearse (7.5 sacks, Pro Bowl) and Derrick Burgess. Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who only started 9 games, recorded 69 tackles and 1 sack.[10]

text: The Eagles started the 2004 regular season with seven straight wins before suffering a loss to the 15-1 Steelers. After that, they finished the season with a 13–3 record.[10] Their only other 2 losses were in their last 2 games of the season, when they decided to rest all of their starters because they had already clinched the NFC #1 seed, and thus home-field advantage in the playoffs. However, during a December 19, 12–7 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Owens was seriously injured on a "horse-collar tackle" by Cowboys defensive back Roy Williams and had to miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.[10]

text: Playoffs[edit]

text: Despite the loss of Owens, the Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings, 27–14, and the Atlanta Falcons, 27–10, in the playoffs with relative ease. McNabb recorded 21 out of 33 completions for 286 yards and two touchdowns, while receiver Freddie Mitchell scored two touchdowns in the victory over the Vikings. Although Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw for 316 yards, the Eagles defense recorded 2 interceptions, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. McNabb then completed 17 out of 26 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Falcons.[10] The Eagles defense held dual-threat quarterback Michael Vick to only 136 passing yards, 26 rushing yards, and no touchdowns, while also recording an interception, 4 sacks, and a forced fumble on Vick. McNabb had an average passer rating of 111.3 in the two games, with 466 passing yards, 35 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns, and no turnovers. Safety Brian Dawkins was also an important player, recording a sack and a forced fumble against the Vikings, followed by an interception and a forced fumble against the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.

text: Meanwhile, the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 20–3, holding the league's highest scoring team with 522 total points to just one field goal, Indianapolis' lowest point total since their opening game of the 2003 season. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 4,557 yards during the regular season, and set NFL records for most touchdown passes in a regular season (49) and highest quarterback rating (121.4). [10] Running back Edgerrin James gained 2,031 combined rushing and receiving yards and scored 9 touchdowns. Wide receivers Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Stokley each recorded over 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. However, the Patriots limited Manning to 238 passing yards with 1 interception and no touchdowns, and James to just 39 rushing yards. [10] The Patriots also held possession of the ball for 37:43, including 21:26 in the second half, and recorded three long scoring drives that each took over 7 minutes off the clock. One reason New England was able to hold the ball so long was because of Dillon's rushing. He finished the game with 23 carries for 144 yards and 5 receptions for 17 yards. [10]

text: The Patriots then defeated the first seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, 41–27. Although Pittsburgh had beaten New England, 34–20, during the regular season and led the league in fewest total yards allowed, they could not stop the Patriots. Brady threw for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns; Dillon rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown; and Branch, who was coming off of his injuries, recorded 4 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown, along with 37 rushing yards and another touchdown on 2 carries. [10] Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (who had struggled the previous week against the New York Jets) was intercepted 3 times, and running back Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh's leading rusher, was held to just 64 yards. [10]

text: Super Bowl pregame news[edit]

text: Owens was cleared to play in Super Bowl XXXIX, defying doctors orders by playing on his injured ankle containing 2 screws and a metal plate.[10]

text: The other major story was the Patriots' potential loss of both their offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator at the end of the season, and how it might affect the team in 2005. On December 12, 2004, about a month and a half before the game, New England offensive coordinator Charlie Weis signed a contract to become the head coach of Notre Dame starting in the 2005 season. [10] Rumors were also circulating that defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel would also leave the team to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns (which ended up being true as Crennel and the Browns agreed to a contract a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl).[10]

text: Due to injuries at the tight end spot, the Eagles were forced to sign Jeff Thomason, a former tight end who was working construction at the time, to a one-game contract for the Super Bowl. Thomason saw time during several plays, although never had a ball thrown his way. This was his third Super Bowl, playing in two with the Green Bay Packers during Andy Reid's days as a Packer assistant.[10]

text: With this appearance the Patriots became the 8th team to make it to the Super Bowl for the 5th time.[10] They joined the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.[10] They would be joined by the Green Bay Packers in 2011 and the New York Giants in 2012.

text: The Eagles were trying to win their first NFL title since 1960 and the first championship for the city of Philadelphia since Moses Malone's "fo', fi', fo'" during the 76ers run to the 1983 NBA Championship.[13][14] With President George W. Bush being inaugurated for a second time in January, the Eagles were also trying to end a losing streak—teams in the city of Philadelphia had lost six straight championships during presidential inauguration years, beginning with the 76ers loss in 1977.[14] The streak included the Eagles in Super Bowl XV in 1981.[14] 1989 was not included in that streak, but 1977, 1981, 1985 (Flyers), 1993 (Phillies), 1997 (Flyers), and 2001 (76ers) were.

text: Television and entertainment[edit]

text: The game was televised in the United States by Fox, with play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and color commentators Cris Collinsworth and Troy Aikman. Pam Oliver (Patriots sideline) and Chris Myers (Eagles sideline) served as sideline reporters. This marked the first time since Super Bowl I that none of the network commentators had ever called a Super Bowl game before (although Collinsworth had worked three prior Super Bowl telecasts as a pregame analyst). This was the last game that Cris Collinsworth broadcast as a member of the Fox NFL team, as he chose to sign with NBC in the following off-season.

text: James Brown hosted all the events with help from his fellow Fox NFL Sunday cast members Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson. Jillian Barberie served as weather and entertainment reporter.

text: Following the game, Fox aired a special episode of The Simpsons ("Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass") and the series premiere of American Dad! ("Pilot"), except in Philadelphia and Boston, where local newscasts delayed the premieres by an hour.

text: Pregame ceremonies[edit]

text: Before the game, performances came from the Black Eyed Peas, Earth Wind & Fire, Charlie Daniels, John Fogerty, and Gretchen Wilson. Shortly before kickoff, Alicia Keys sang "America the Beautiful," paying tribute to Ray Charles, who died in June 2004. The combined choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (including members of The Idlers) sang the national anthem accompanied by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets. This was the first time in more than 30 years that all four service academies sang together—the last time was at the second inauguration of President Richard Nixon in 1973.[10][15][16]

text: The traditional military missing man formation flyby was this year performed by a pair of F/A-18 Super Hornets from VFA-106 at NAS Oceana and a pair of the Air Force's newest fighters, the F-22 Raptor, flying from Tyndall AFB, the training base for the Raptor. The earlier military flyby during the veterans' salute was conducted by 2 T-6 Texan trainers and a B-25 Mitchell bomber.

text: The coin toss ceremony featured youth football players from Jacksonville: Tyler Callahan, Tyler Deal, Lawrence McCauley, and Jacob Santana; and New Orleans NFL Junior Player Development coach Tamaris Jackson.[10] They were billed as the first non-celebrities to participate in the coin toss.

text: For the third straight year, each team took the field en masse, following a tradition the Patriots had started in Super Bowl XXXVI. In prerecorded video segments, Andover, Massachusetts native Michael Chiklis introduced the Patriots, and Philadelphia-born Will Smith introduced the Eagles.

text: Halftime show[edit]

text: Paul McCartney performed during the halftime show; his selection by the NFL, the show's producers, Don Mischer Productions, and the show's sponsor, Ameriquest Mortgage, was considered to be a "safe" choice, as it avoided the possibility for an incident similar to that which sparked the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy the previous year. McCartney's set consisted of these songs:

text:
"Drive My Car"
"Get Back"
"Live and Let Die" from his career with Wings.[10]
"Hey Jude"

text: Theme[edit]

text: Taking the concept a step further, for the first time, a theme was tied to the event: Building Bridges, as symbolized by the theme logo, represented by the Main Street Bridge, one of the seven bridges that crosses over the St. Johns River in the host city, and according to the League, symbolized the bridging of a nation under the NFL football umbrella. The theme was also used by Jacksonville-area nonprofit Fresh Ministries in a major event entitled "Bridges of Peace," featuring city officials asking the people to unite for the Super Bowl and heal the wounds of segregation.[10]

text: Presidential appearances[edit]

text: Former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton appeared in support of their bipartisan effort to raise money for relief of the December 26, 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia through the USA Freedom Corps, an action which former President Bush described as "transcending politics."

text: Game summary[edit]

text: First Quarter[edit]

text: On the first drive of the game, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb fumbled while being sacked by New England linebacker Willie McGinest, and the Patriots recovered the ball at Philadelphia's 34-yard line. Fortunately for the Eagles, coach Andy Reid's instant replay challenge overruled the fumble; officials ruled that McNabb had been down by contact before the ball came out of his hands. Later in the quarter after each team had punted twice, McNabb completed a 30-yard pass to Terrell Owens, with a roughing the passer penalty adding 9 yards, moving the ball inside the Patriots 20-yard line. However, linebacker Mike Vrabel sacked McNabb for a 16-yard loss on the next play. On the following play, the Eagles once again appeared to turn the ball over: McNabb's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Patriots defensive back Asante Samuel, but it was nullified by an illegal contact penalty on linebacker Roman Phifer, moving the ball back inside the 20 and giving the Eagles a first down. However, McNabb's second chance was wasted as he threw an interception to safety Rodney Harrison on the next play. This was Donovan McNabb's first red zone interception of the season.

text: The Eagles defense then forced New England to a three-and-out on their ensuing possession, and Philadelphia got great field position by receiving the punt at the Patriots 45-yard line. But once again, they gave up another turnover: tight end L. J. Smith lost a fumble while being tackled by defensive back Randall Gay, and Eugene Wilson recovered the ball at the 38.

text: Second Quarter[edit]

text: The Eagles defense once again forced New England to punt, and got the ball back at their own 19-yard line. Aided by a pair of completions from McNabb to wide receiver Todd Pinkston for gains of 17 and 40 yards, the Eagles drove 81 yards in nine plays and scored on McNabb's six-yard touchdown pass to Tight End LJ Smith, taking a 7–0 lead with 9:55 left in the second quarter. It was the first time New England trailed during the entire postseason. On their ensuing drive, the Patriots moved the ball to the Eagles four-yard line, mainly on plays by running back Corey Dillon, who caught two screen passes for 29 yards and rushed for 25. But quarterback Tom Brady fumbled the ball on a fake handoff Play-action pass and Philadelphia defender Darwin Walker recovered it. However, the Eagles could not take advantage of the turnover and had to punt after 3 plays. Eagles punter Dirk Johnson's punt went just 29 yards, giving the Patriots the ball at Philadelphia's 37-yard line. The Patriots then drove 37 yards to score on Brady's 4-yard pass to receiver David Givens with 1:10 remaining in the period, tying the game 7–7 by halftime. It was only the second halftime tie in Super Bowl history and the first time both of the game's first two quarters ended tied.

text: Third Quarter[edit]

text: On the opening drive of the second half, Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch caught 4 passes for 71 yards on a drive that ended with Brady's 2-yard touchdown pass to Vrabel, who lined up at the tight end spot on the play. The Eagles later tied the game with 3:39 left in the third period with a 74-yard, 10-play drive that was capped by McNabb's 10-yard touchdown pass to running back Brian Westbrook. For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game was tied going into the fourth quarter.

text: Fourth Quarter[edit]

text: Early in the final period, the Patriots put together a 9-play, 66-yard scoring drive that was keyed by 3 plays from running back Kevin Faulk, who caught 2 passes for 27 combined yards and rushed once for 12. Dillon capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Patriots a 21–14 lead. Then after forcing another Eagles punt, Branch made a spectacular catch, taking the ball out of the hands of cornerback Sheldon Brown. The 19 yard gain, and a roughing-the-passer penalty on Philadelphia defensive lineman Corey Simon on the same play, set up kicker Adam Vinatieri's 22-yard field goal with 8:43 left in the game to increase the score 24–14 in favor of New England. In all three Patriots' Super Bowl wins in the decade, they held a double digit lead in the 4th quarter.

text: The Eagles responded with a long McNabb completion to Owens. However, after reaching the New England 36-yard line, McNabb fired a pass over the head of Dorsey Levens, where Tedy Bruschi was waiting to intercept it at the Patriots 24-yard line. At this point, there was only 7:20 to play in the game, with the Patriots still up by 10 points.

text: The Eagles did force New England to punt, and got the ball back at their own 21-yard line, but with 5:40 left in the game. The Eagles then drove 79 yards in 13 plays, however they used a full huddle for the entire drive. McNabb's 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Greg Lewis cut the deficit to 24-21. Because the Eagles used a full huddle, the drive consumed 3:52 of the clock, and only 1:48 remained in the game by the time Lewis scored. Because of this, many sportswriters later criticized the Eagles for not immediately going to a no-huddle offense at the start of the possession. Anecdotal reports later came out alleging that McNabb was suffering from dry-heaves, and teammates Jon Ritchie[17] and Lito Sheppard[18] have gone on record years later that McNabb was suffering from dry-heaves or vomiting, though no video evidence exists and the stories have not been confirmed. Hank Fraley said in an interview the day after the game that McNabb was "almost puking" due to two large hits from Tedy Bruschi and Jarvis Green on back-to-back plays.[19] McNabb himself denies that he was vomiting or dry-heaving during the final drive, and Brian Westbrook later claimed that McNabb was merely "coughing."[17]

text: The Eagles failed to recover their ensuing onside kick attempt, with Christian Fauria catching the ball cleanly and sliding down to seal possession for New England. The Patriots then played it safe by running the ball 3 times and forcing Philadelphia to use all of its timeouts. New England punter Josh Miller then pinned the Eagles back at their own 4-yard line with just 46 seconds left in the game. Philadelphia then tried one last desperate drive to win or tie the game. But on first down, McNabb was pressured into making a rushed pass to Westbrook at the line of scrimmage. Instead of dropping the pass to stop the clock, Westbrook made the mistake of catching the ball and was immediately tackled for no gain, keeping the clock running and forcing the Eagles to run back to the line of scrimmage for their next play with no huddle. On second down, McNabb threw an incomplete pass intended for Owens. Finally on third down, McNabb threw a pass that deflected off of the outstretched fingertips of Smith and into the arms of Harrison for an interception with nine seconds left. Tom Brady took a knee to run out the clock, clinching the 3rd Super Bowl title in 4 years for the Patriots, and in the eyes of many establishing themselves as a dynasty.

text:
Adam Vinatieri warms up before the game

An Eagles offensive play

Philadelphia kicks off after scoring a touchdown

Brian Westbrook's touchdown catch (photo 1 of 2)

Brian Westbrook's touchdown catch (photo 2 of 2)

text: Box score[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Patriots (AFC)
0
7
7
10
24

Eagles (NFC)
0
7
7
7
21

text: at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

text:
Date: February 6, 2005
Game time: 6:38 p.m. EST
Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), clear[20]

text:
[hide]Scoring summary

Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score

Plays
Yards
TOP
NE
PHI

2
9:55
9
81
4:36
PHI
L. J. Smith 6-yard touchdown reception from Donovan McNabb, David Akers kick good
0
7

2
1:10
7
37
3:15
NE
David Givens 4-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady, Adam Vinatieri kick good
7
7

3
11:04
9
69
3:56
NE
Mike Vrabel 2-yard touchdown reception from Brady, Vinatieri kick good
14
7

3
3:35
10
74
4:17
PHI
Brian Westbrook 10-yard touchdown reception from McNabb, Akers kick good
14
14

4
13:44
9
66
4:51
NE
Corey Dillon 2-yard touchdown run, Vinatieri kick good
21
14

4
8:40
8
43
3:49
NE
22-yard field goal by Vinatieri
24
14

4
1:48
13
79
3:52
PHI
Greg Lewis 30-yard touchdown reception from McNabb, Akers kick good
24
21

"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.
24
21

text: Statistical overview[edit]

text: McNabb completed 30 out of 51 passes for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns, but threw 3 interceptions and was sacked four times. McNabb's 357 yards are tied with Joe Montana for the fifth most in Super Bowl history and third most of any quarterback, as Tom Brady holds the top spot with 505 yards in Super Bowl LII and Kurt Warner holds the following 3 spots. Westbrook was the Eagles leading rusher with 44 yards, while also catching 6 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown and returning 3 punts for 19 yards. Pinkston caught 4 passes for 82 yards, while Owens was the Eagles' top receiver with 9 catches for 122 yards, however neither of them scored a touchdown.

text: Brady completed 23 out of 33 passes for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dillon was the top rusher of the game with 75 yards and a touchdown, and had 3 catches for 31 yards. Running back Kevin Faulk contributed 38 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards.

text: Branch's Super Bowl record 11 catches tied Cincinnati Bengals' Dan Ross in Super Bowl XVI and San Francisco 49ers' Jerry Rice in Super Bowl XXIII. Coincidentally, all three would later be traded to the Seattle Seahawks: Ross in 1985, Rice in 2004 and Branch in 2006. Branch's combined 21 catches in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX are the most in back-to-back Super Bowls. Branch also became the third offensive player ever to win Super Bowl MVP honors without scoring a touchdown or throwing a touchdown pass. The other two players were Joe Namath in Super Bowl III and Fred Biletnikoff in Super Bowl XI.[5]

text: Branch and Terrell Owens each had 100 yards receiving, marking the third time in Super Bowl history, one player from each team had over 100 yards in a Super Bowl. Michael Irvin and Andre Reed were the first in Super Bowl XXVII, and Branch and Muhsin Muhammad the second a year earlier in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Branch also became the fourth player to have at least 100 yards receiving in back-to-back Super Bowls, joining John Stallworth, Jerry Rice and Antonio Freeman. Also, Mike Vrabel and David Givens became just the 14th and 15th players to score a touchdown in consecutive Super Bowls. Vrabel is the most surprising person on this list because he is a linebacker and he scored his on offense. They also became just the 7th and 8th players to catch a touchdown in back-to-back Super Bowls.

text: With the victory, Tom Brady became just the fourth quarterback to win at least three Super Bowls, along with Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Troy Aikman. Brady also became the fourth quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in three different Super Bowls. Other quarterbacks to do it were Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and John Elway, with Kurt Warner later accomplishing the feat during Super Bowl XLIII.

text: The Patriots joined the Dallas Cowboys as the only teams in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a span of four years.

text: Aftermath[edit]

text: The Patriots' Super Bowl win was the third championship for Boston-area sports teams in 12 months, following the Patriots winning Super Bowl XXXVIII the year before and the Red Sox winning the World Series–first in 86 years–three months earlier. This marked the first time since 1989–1990 in the San Francisco Bay Area that the same market has had 2 Super Bowl and World Series winners in 12 months.[13] The Patriots would later appear in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, losing both to Eli Manning's New York Giants, before winning Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, 28–24, ten years later and Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, two years later. The latest Super Bowl win for the Patriots makes it ten titles among the four Boston teams (5 by the Patriots, 3 by the Red Sox, and one each by the Celtics and Bruins) since 2002.

text: For the Eagles, with the loss, the city of Philadelphia would not see its first championship since the 76ers swept the 1983 NBA Finals until the next time their city's teams played for a championship, when the Phillies won the 2008 World Series.[14] The Eagles did not return to the Super Bowl until 2017, also with a 13-3 record, and defeating the Falcons and Vikings in the playoffs.

text: The Eagles and the Patriots met again in Super Bowl LII, following the 2017 season, with the Eagles taking their revenge 41–33.

text: This is the last time that a team has won back-to-back Super Bowls, with the Patriots losing their second playoff game a year later and then, for the next eight years, every team either losing their first playoff game or missing them altogether. The streak was broken in 2014 when the Seahawks defeated the Panthers and ultimately advanced to the Super Bowl, only to lose to a Patriots goal line stand. The next year, the Patriots, having faltered down the stretch, entered those playoffs as the second seed behind the Broncos, who then defeated New England in the AFC Title Game that year en route to a title of their own in Super Bowl 50. Two years later, the Patriots, defending champions themselves from Super Bowl LI, returned to repeat their title only to lose the aforementioned Super Bowl LII.

text: Final statistics[edit]

text: Sources: NFL.com Super Bowl XXXIX, Super Bowl XXXIX Play Finder NE, Super Bowl XXXIX Play Finder Phi

text: Statistical comparison[edit]

text:
New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles

First downs
21
24

First downs rushing
6
4

First downs passing
14
18

First downs penalty
1
2

Third down efficiency
4/12
9/16

Fourth down efficiency
0/0
0/0

Net yards rushing
112
45

Rushing attempts
28
17

Yards per rush
4.0
2.6

Passing – Completions–attempts
23/33
30/51

Times sacked–total yards
2–17
4–33

Interceptions thrown
0
3

Net yards passing
219
324

Total net yards
331
369

Punt returns–total yards
4–26
3–19

Kickoff returns–total yards
4–63
5–114

Interceptions–total return yards
3–5
0–0

Punts–average yardage
7–45.1
5–42.8

Fumbles–lost
1–1
2–1

Penalties–yards
7–47
3–35

Time of possession
31:37
28:23

Turnovers
1
4

text: Individual leaders[edit]

text:
Patriots Passing

C/ATT1
Yds
TD
INT
Rating

Tom Brady
23/33
236
2
0
110.2

Patriots Rushing

Car2
Yds
TD
LG3
Yds/Car

Corey Dillon
18
75
1
25
4.17

Kevin Faulk
8
38
0
12
4.75

Patrick Pass
1
0
0
0
0.00

Tom Brady
1
−1
0
−1
-1.00

Patriots Receiving

Rec4
Yds
TD
LG3
Target5

Deion Branch
11
133
0
27
12

Corey Dillon
3
31
0
16
4

David Givens
3
19
1
13
7

Kevin Faulk
2
27
0
14
2

Troy Brown
2
17
0
12
2

Daniel Graham
1
7
0
7
1

Mike Vrabel
1
2
1
2t
1

David Patten
0
0
0
0
4

text:
Eagles Passing

C/ATT1
Yds
TD
INT
Rating

Donovan McNabb
30/51
357
3
3
75.4

Eagles Rushing

Car2
Yds
TD
LG3
Yds/Car

Brian Westbrook
15
44
0
22
2.93

Dorsey Levens
1
1
0
1
1.00

Donovan McNabb
1
0
0
0
0.00

Eagles Receiving

Rec4
Yds
TD
LG3
Target5

Terrell Owens
9
122
0
36
14

Brian Westbrook
7
60
1
15
11

Todd Pinkston
4
82
0
40
7

Greg Lewis
4
53
1
30t
5

L. J. Smith
4
27
1
9
8

Freddie Mitchell
1
11
0
11
4

Josh Parry
1
2
0
2
1

Dorsey Levens
0
0
0
0
1

text: 1Completions/attempts 2Carries 3Long gain 4Receptions 5Times targeted

text: Starting lineups[edit]

text: Hall of Fame‡

text:
New England
Position
Position
Philadelphia

Offense

David Givens
WR
Todd Pinkston

Matt Light
LT
Tra Thomas

Joe Andruzzi
LG
Artis Hicks

Dan Koppen
C
Hank Fraley

Stephen Neal
RG
Jermane Mayberry

Brandon Gorin
RT
Jon Runyan

Daniel Graham
TE
L. J. Smith

Deion Branch
WR
Terrell Owens‡

Tom Brady
QB
Donovan McNabb

Corey Dillon
RB
Brian Westbrook

Patrick Pass
FB
Josh Parry

Defense

Rosevelt Colvin
OLB
LDE
Derrick Burgess

Vince Wilfork
NT
LDT
Corey Simon

Jarvis Green
RE
RDT
Darwin Walker

Mike Vrabel
OLB
RDE
Jevon Kearse

Tedy Bruschi
ILB
WLB
Keith Adams

Roman Phifer
ILB
MLB
Jeremiah Trotter

Willie McGinest
OLB
SLB
Dhani Jones

Randall Gay
LCB
Lito Sheppard

Asante Samuel
RCB
Sheldon Brown

Rodney Harrison
SS
Michael Lewis

Eugene Wilson
FS
Brian Dawkins‡

text: Commercials[edit]

text: As usual, the television coverage of this year's Super Bowl was the showcase for the most expensive commercials in television—both to produce and to buy airtime (at the rate of $2.4 million US for 30 seconds).[10]

text: One ad that drew the ire of many—including the NFL—was for the internet domain provider Go Daddy, which tweaked the controversial halftime of the previous year's game with a mock censorship hearing featuring a comely woman, Nikki Cappelli (played by WWE Wrestler Candice Michelle), having a "wardrobe malfunction". Fox pulled the second airing of the ad, scheduled for the two-minute warning of the fourth quarter, along with a five-second plug, and it was replaced with a promo for The Simpsons. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based World Wide Web domain registration company got a refund on the second ad.[10]

text: Another popular ad was made by the NFL. It featured players who were not in the Super Bowl, headlined by Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger being at a beach resort, depressed he did not make it in. Joe Montana comforted Roethlisberger, and soon both Montana and Roethlisberger joined many other players in different locations in an off-key yet rousing edition of "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie. The commercial ended with the tagline: "Tomorrow, we're all undefeated again." Roethlisberger went on to lead the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XL the very next season.

text: The top ad, as chosen by the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter was for Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light featuring a timid skydiver making his first jump getting enticed with a six-pack of the product.[10] This ad was ranked second on ADBOWL. The highest ranked commercial by ADBOWL was Anheuser-Busch's "Applause."

text: For the first time since the campaign started in Super Bowl XXI, no "I'm going to Disney World!" ad aired following Super Bowl XXXIX.[10]

text: Player bonuses[edit]

text: Each member of the Patriots received a payment of $68,000 for winning the game. The Eagles each received $36,500. When adjusted for inflation, the Patriots salary was actually less than the $15,000 paid to members of the Green Bay Packers for winning Super Bowl I in 1967. That amount of money in 1967 equated to approximately $85,000 in 2005.[22]

text: Officials[edit]

text:
Referee: Terry McAulay #77 first Super Bowl
Umpire: Carl Paganelli #124 first Super Bowl
Head Linesman: Gary Slaughter #30 first Super Bowl
Line Judge: Mark Steinkerchner #84 second Super Bowl (XXXVII)
Field Judge: Tom Sifferman #118 third Super Bowl (XXXVII, XXXVIII)
Side Judge: Rick Patterson #15 second Super Bowl (XXXV)
Back Judge: Tony Steratore #112 first Super Bowl
Alternate Referee: Ed Hochuli #85 (referee for XXXII, XXXVIII)
Alternate Umpire: Garth DeFelice #53
Alternate Field Judge: Larry Rose #128[10]