Super Bowl XXXIX
On February 6, 2005, Jacksonville Florida’s ‘Jacksonville Municipal Stadium’ became host to Super Bowl XXXIX. This would be the first time Jacksonville played host to one of the largest annual economic booms in America.
The game pitted the favored New England Patriots against the Philadelphia Eagles. Super Bowl XXXIX offered the Patriots an opportunity to win their second super bowl in a row, an event that last occurred in 1998. Going in to the game, the Patriots had a 17-2 season while the Eagles showed 15 wins and 4 losses in their regular season.
Super Bowl XXXIX would also be the first time the New England Patriots played a Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium, and the first super bowl they would play east of the Mississippi. Fresh from their 2004 super bowl win, the Patriots had a great season and were determined to catch their third super bowl in four years.
The Philadelphia Eagles, having only appeared in one other super bowl (1980), Super Bowl XXXIX would give them a chance to win their first super bowl title. Unfortunately, Deion Branch’s super bowl record 11 receptions for 133 yards and the Patriots’ exceptional defense would not allow Philadelphia this honor. Even with the Eagles 10-play, 74-yard drive late in the 3rd quarter, and a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, the Patriots scored early in the 4th and again with 8:43 left on the clock, putting the score at 24-14.
With 5:40 left on the clock, the Eagles made a 79-yard, 13-play touchdown pass to Greg Lewis to bring the score up to 24-21. Having only 1:55 left in the game, The Eagles were hopelessly attempting to gain possession and make a play to at least tie the game. With barely 46 seconds left, Philadelphia’s McNabb made a rushed pass to Westbrook at the line of scrimmage, Westbrook, instead of dropping the ball to stop the clock, caught it and was promptly tackled. This move kept the clock running as Philadelphia scrambled to the second down with no huddle, where McNabb threw an incomplete pass. On the third down, McNabb’s pass just missed Smith and was intercepted by the Patriot’s Harris, leaving 9 seconds in the game and a certain victory for New England with a final score of 24-21.
Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXIX was New England wide receiver Deion Branch, who chalked up 133 receiving yards and tied the Super Bowl record with 11 catches.
