PART SEVEN - SECOND HALF

Defense dominated the 3rd quarter. Carolina looked have seized the momentum, when after forcing the Pats to go 3 and out they crossed midfield thanks to back to back catches from ex-Patriot TE Jermaine Wiggins. But a big hit from Ty Law on Mushin Muhammed forced an incompletion and a Panther punt.

Although the Pats would punt on their next possession they were beginning to win the field position battle, pinning the Panthers back on their 10 yard line. A Rodney Harrison sack forced a quick punt.

Tom Brady drops back to pass as his offensive line once again keeps the Panthers vaunted front four at bay.

#12 quickly got the Pats across midfield by hitting Deion Branch for 16 and 8 yard gains.

The drive temporarily stalled when a bemused Joe Andruzzi (#63) found he had been called for holding.

In the stands it was priceless listening to all the Pats fans moan about the officiating ...

But Brady fired straight back, hitting TE Daniel Graham down the middle for a 33 yard catch and run play to the 9 yard line.

End of 3Q: 14-10 PATS

Then on the 2nd play of the 4th quarter RB Antowain Smith barreled over right guard for a 4 yard TD.

PATS 21 CATS 10

Just when you thought that might spell the end for the Panthers, back came Delhomme who found his Smith (Steve), and the wide receiver responded by making leaping first down catches for 18 and 22 yards.

And then on 2nd and 10 from the Pats 33, the forgotten man in the Cats attack, RB Deshaun Foster (#20) showed what he was capable off.

He burst up the middle on a hand-off, breaking away from big Ted Washington and the Pats LB's.

Then when it appeared that Tyrone Poole and Eugene Wilson had him cornered, Foster somehow steamed through their attempted tackles and burst down the left sideline for one of the best TD runs in SB history.

It was only his 2nd touch of the game, and after the score he disappeared from view again, before Stephen Davis hauled him out of the end zone padding! The Cats were back in the game!

CATS 21 PATS 16

With just under 13 mins left, it didn't appear that the Panthers 'had' to go for 2. However coach John Fox did - and the pass fell incomplete. His decision would ultimately come back to haunt the Cats.

It didn't appear too crucial at first however, as on the next drive Brady and the Pats effortlessly moved down the field and a TD seemed likely. But on 3rd and goal from the the 9, Brady floated a horrible pass to Panthers CB Reggie Howard who ran it back out the end zone and kept Carolina in the game!

With less than 8 mins left Carolina were faced with a 3rd and 10 on their 15 yard line.

Delhomme couldn't find anyone open at first and rolled out to buy himself more time. Then he launched a deep pass down the left sideline where Mushin Muhammed had beaten Eugene Wilson deep.

Muhammed catches the ball at full stretch on the Pats 35 and then stiff arms Wilson to the ground on his way to the end zone. The 85 yard TD was the longest scrimmage play in SB history and suddenly the stunned Patriots were behind for the 1st time since mid November. However it was only by a single point as another 2 point conversion fell incomplete.

CATS 22 PATS 21

Brady had the Pats on the move against a gassed Cats D and they were quickly in FG range. Then on 3rd and 9 hit found David Givens (#87) who broke away from Ricky Manning for a 18 yard gain to the 3 yard line.

On 2nd and goal from the Panthers 1, the Pats had their goal line offense in. This consists of DL Richard Seymour at fullback (who had made a key block on Antowain Smith's TD) and linebacker Mike Vrabel at tight end.

As Brady drops back to throw, Vrabel cuts right across the end zone. It appears the two Panther defenders covering the TE's collide, and Vrabel is running free.

Brady makes the short throw to Vrabel for the TD and the Pats are ahead again with less than 3 mins to play!

PATS 27 CATS 22

A 5 point lead with only 3 mins to go is the obvious time to go for two - and the Pats did. And they easily got it was feeling, fooling the tired Panthers D. Kevin Faulk takes the shotgun snap as Tom Brady fakes a bad snap. Faulk runs in to the endzone untouched!

PATS 29 CATS 22

But Delhomme continued to shred the Patriots 'vaunted' secondary just as Kurt Warner had at the end of SB XXXVI. A 19 yard out to Mushin Muhammed got the ball to the Pats 45 at the 2 minute warning. On the play, Pats S Rodney Harrison broke his arm. (Karma? Harrison was engaging in plenty of after the whistle stuff all game - witness him flailing at Delhomme after his long TD).

Without Mr Cheap Shot in the secondary, as well as Eugene Wilson sidelined it was easy pickings for Delhomme and Ricky Proehl. First a 31 yard catch over the middle, and then 3 plays later a 12 yard TD score. Unbelievable!

Proehl had done the exact same thing 2 years tying SB XXXVI with a dramatic score in the last 2 mins. Would the result be the same?

PATS 29 CATS 29

The stadium was electric! The Panthers fans were delirious. Each time it looked to be over they had come back. The Patriots fans were tense and as quiet as they had been all day. And then Panthers K John Kasay kicked off ... and his shank sailed out of bounds! So the ball was placed at the Pats 40 and time stood still at 1:08!

It might only have cost the Panthers 10-15 yards field position, but what it did was give New England the momentum back. Suddenly in the stands the Pats fans came to life - sure that this little gift was all Brady needed ...

And they were right. He hit Troy Brown for 13 yards to cross midfield. A dubious penalty on Brown made it 1st and 20, but Brady hit Brown again for 13, Graham for 4 and then on 3rd and 3 was given time to loft a perfect pass to the left sideline where Deion Branch hauled it in for 17 yards at the 23 yard line with 8 seconds left. Their last time out was called and out trotted kicker Adam Vinatieri again ...

The former Admirals kicker has made a living out of his postseason dramatics, and even though he was 0 for 2 today, there were in the crowd who believed he wouldn't come good on the 41 yard kick.

And as flashbulbs went off around the stadium, the snap was good and the kick was true.

The Pats had won! Actually they hadn't yet as the officials correctly stopped the clock when the FG went though (unlike 2 years ago). However He Hate Me went nowhere on the kick return and time this time did expire ...

Final

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 32

CAROLINA PANTHERS 29

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