February 3, 2002

Superdome, New Orleans

St. Louis 3 0 0 14-17

N. England 0 14 3 3-20
Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal as time expired gave the New England Patriots their first Super Bowl title.

The Patriots forced three turnovers to build a 17-3 lead after three quarters. In the middle of the second quarter, Ty Law returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

With 1:33 left in the first half, New England’s Antwan Harris forced Ricky Proehl to fumble and Terrell Buckley returned the recovery to the St. Louis 40. Four plays later QB Tom Brady hit David Patten with an 8-yard touchdown pass for a 14-3 halftime lead over the two-touchdown favorite Rams.

New England scored another field goal late in the third quarter following Otis Smith’s 30-yard interception return to the St. Louis 33.

Kurt Warner’s 2-yard sneak with 9:31 left, pulled St. Louis within 17-10. After holding the Patriots, the Rams got the ball back at their own 45 and needed only 21 seconds to tie it on a 26-yard pass from Warner to Proehl with 1:30 left.

New England started the ensuing drive on its own 17. MVP Tom Brady engineered a 53-yard, nine-play drive to the St. Louis 30 to set up Vinatieri’s field goal

At right: Vinatieri and Ken Walter celebrate.