Super Bowl XXXIX

Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2004 season. The Patriots defeated the Eagles by the score of 24–21. The game was played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium (now EverBank Stadium) in Jacksonville, Florida, currently the only Super Bowl hosted in the city. The Patriots would not win another Super Bowl until a decade later in Super Bowl XLIX (2015).

The Patriots, who entered the Super Bowl after compiling a 14–2 regular season record, became the then-most recent team to win consecutive Super Bowls (until the Kansas City Chiefs did in 2023). The Patriots also became the second team after the Dallas Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in four seasons, cementing their status as the NFL dynasty of the 2000s. The Eagles were making their second-ever Super Bowl appearance after posting a 13–3 regular season record.

The game was close throughout, with the teams battling to a 14–14 tie by the end of the third quarter. The Patriots then scored 10 points in the 4th quarter with Corey Dillon's 2-yard touchdown run and Adam Vinatieri's 22-yard field goal. The Eagles then cut their deficit to 24–21, with quarterback Donovan McNabb's 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Greg Lewis, with 1:48 remaining in the game but could not sustain the comeback. Overall, the Patriots forced four turnovers, while Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch was named Super Bowl MVP for recording 133 receiving yards and tied the Super Bowl record with 11 catches.

To avoid the possibility of an incident similar to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show the previous year, the league selected Paul McCartney as a "safe" choice to perform during Super Bowl XXXIX's halftime. The broadcast of the game on Fox was watched by an estimated 86 million viewers.

The Eagles and Patriots would face off in Super Bowl LII thirteen years later, with the Eagles defeating the Patriots 41-33.

Background

Host selection process

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXXIX to Jacksonville during their November 1, 2000, meeting held in Atlanta. It marked the first and to-date, only Super Bowl held in Jacksonville, and the third metropolitan area in the state of Florida to host a Super Bowl, after Miami and Tampa. Three cities submitted bids: Jacksonville (Alltel Stadium), Miami (Pro Player Stadium), and Oakland (Oakland Coliseum). Three Super Bowls host sites were selected during the meeting, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XL. However, XXXIX was the only one of the three that involved a competitive voting process. The city of Jacksonville was awarded the 30th NFL franchise in November 1993. The expansion Jacksonville Jaguars began play in 1995, and would play their home games in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The facility was essentially a brand new stadium, built on the former site of the Gator Bowl. Almost all of the former Gator Bowl was demolished, except for the west upper deck, and ramping. Jacksonville had bid for the Super Bowl several times prior, specifically for XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, but they were rejected for various reasons including the aging condition of the Gator Bowl, and not having an NFL franchise at the time.

In May 1999, Jacksonville submitted their initial bid for XXXIX. Miami, Atlanta, and Oakland also submitted proposals. Atlanta, however, dropped out before the final bids were due on September 8. Rumors of bids by New Orleans and Kansas City never materialized. Oakland's bid in particular, was considered a long shot, and it did not even have the support of Raiders owner Al Davis. Miami was thought be the favorite to land the game, based on its experience having hosted the Super Bowl eight previous times. Jacksonville was an underdog, but garnered interest and attention as they represented a new market for the game. While the stadium had the capacity to host the game, area attractions were plentiful, and weather was acceptable, the greater Jacksonville area lacked the necessary number of premium-level hotel rooms needed to satisfy the NFL's requirements. The host committee's solution, though controversial, was to dock several cruise ships on the St. Johns River near downtown to serve as temporary hotels. The plan was expensive, and would require roughly 800 buses to shuttle attendees back-and-forth to the various events and activities throughout the week.

A city would win the vote if they received 3⁄4 of the ballots during any of the first three rounds. If no city won during the first three rounds, the fourth round would revert to a simple majority. Only 31 of the 32 team owners took part; expansion Houston did not vote. Oakland was eliminated on the second ballot. Jacksonville won on the fourth ballot. Houston was awarded XXXVIII, and Detroit was awarded XL. Officials from the Miami contingent, which included Don Shula and Dan Marino, expressed displeasure over the results. Dolphins president Eddie Jones said "[Jacksonville] will do a good job, but it's not the best place." Miami would ultimately land the next available game (XLI).

New England Patriots

The Patriots finished the regular season with a record of 14–2, bested only by the Pittsburgh Steelers' 15–1 mark, and ranking seventh in yards gained (5,773) and fourth in points scored (437).

The Patriots' major acquisition prior to the season was veteran running back Corey Dillon, who joined the team after playing seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Dillon was acquired in exchange for a second-round draft pick. Dillon became a significant offensive weapon for the 2004 Patriots, recording a franchise record 1,635 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, and was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his career.

Another weapon in the Patriots' offensive backfield was running back Kevin Faulk, who rushed for 255 yards, had 248 receiving yards, and scored three total touchdowns. Fullback Patrick Pass also emerged as a big contributor, rushing for 141 yards and catching 28 passes for 215 yards.

Pro Bowl quarterback Tom Brady remained at the helm of the Patriots offense, with 3,692 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Although wide receiver Deion Branch, the Patriots' major deep threat, missed most of the season because of injuries, he recorded 454 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver David Givens was the team's leading receiver with 874 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver David Patten also contributed 800 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and tight end Daniel Graham had 364 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. 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)

On defense, the Patriots were plagued by injuries, especially in their secondary. Cornerbacks Tyrone Poole and Ty Law suffered season ending injuries, while safety Eugene Wilson, who led the team with four interceptions, missed several games. With their patchwork secondary, the Patriots ranked 17th in passing yards allowed (3,400), However, they did rank seventh in interceptions (20) and 10th in fewest passing touchdowns allowed (18). Most importantly, the Patriots continued to win despite the injuries. Converted wide receiver Troy Brown turned out to be very effective playing as a defensive back, ranking second on the team with three interceptions. Safety Rodney Harrison was also an impact player, leading the team with 138 tackles while also recording three sacks and two interceptions.

Up front, the Patriots' defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowler Richard Seymour, who recorded five sacks. The Patriots also still had their trio of impact veteran linebackers: Pro Bowler Tedy Bruschi (122 tackles, three and a half sacks, three interceptions), Willie McGinest (nine and a half sacks, one interception), and Mike Vrabel (71 tackles and five and a half sacks), along with Ted Johnson. Vrabel also frequently played at the tight end position during offensive plays near the opponent's goal line, recording two touchdown receptions.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles earned the NFC Super Bowl berth after three consecutive defeats in the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles hired Andy Reid as their head coach in 1999 following two straight losing seasons. That same year, they used their first-round pick in the NFL draft (the second overall) to select quarterback Donovan McNabb. 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.

Owens joined the team after eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. Owens became the Eagles' deep-ball threat, finishing the season with 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. McNabb had the best season of his career in 2004, passing for 3,875 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, making him the first quarterback to ever throw for more than 30 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season. He also rushed for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Todd Pinkston was also a reliable target, recording 36 catches for 676 yards.