Patriots and Rams Super Bowl History
Super Bowl XIV: Pittsburgh 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
In their first Super Bowl appearance, the 9-7 Los Angeles Rams were heavy underdogs against the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Terry Bradshaw threw for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns while Franco Harris ran a pair of touchdowns in himself. The Steelers were able to pull away in the final quarter when Bradshaw threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to John Stallworth giving them a 24-19 lead.
Super Bowl XX: Chicago 46, New England 10
The New England Patriots first Super Bowl appearance was definitely not ideal. In the second largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history, the Bears beat the Patriots by 36. Perhaps one of the best NFL teams ever, the 1985 bears scored 44 unanswered points on the Patriots and cruised to their first Super Bowl victory.
Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay 35, New England 21
In January of 1997 the Brett Favre-led Packers capped off their first Super Bowl win in 29 years. Favre totaled three touchdowns, two of which came on pass plays of over 50 yards. Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe did not help the cause by throwing four interceptions. The play of Desmond Howard was notable, as he ran a kick return 99 yards back for a touchdown in the third quarter to halt the Patriots attempt at their first Super Bowl win.
Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
The Rams beat the Titans by seven points in a close and exciting football game. Kurt Warner led the Rams all game throwing for close to 300 yards in the first half still only scoring nine points. He opened the second half with a touchdown to give the Rams a 16-point lead. Steve McNair still didn’t give up, leading the Titans to consecutive scores and tying the game late in the fourth quarter. Kurt Warner answered with a 73-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce giving them the lead yet again. McNair proceeded to lead the Titans down the field and the game relied on one last play. McNair hit Kevin Dyson on a crossing route inside the 10-yard line only to get tackled one yard short of the goal line. Game over, Rams win.
Super Bowl XXXVI: New England 20, St. Louis 17
Super Bowl LIII will actually be the second time the Rams and the Patriots play each other in the Super Bowl. The first matchup saw the Rams labeled “the greatest show on turf,” take on the heavy underdog New England Patriots in Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl appearance. The Patriots held a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Kurt Warner led back to back scoring drives to tie the game. On the final drive, Brady led the offense into field goal range where Adam Vinatieri hit the game winning field goal as time expired.
Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England 32, Carolina 29
Tom Brady and the Patriots were back in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. In a very offensive packed game, Brady threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns while leading another game winning drive. The game was tied at 29 in the final minute, and with no timeouts, Brady got them in field goal range, setting up the winning kick off the foot of Vinatieri.
Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24, Philadelphia 21
The defending champion New England Patriots were back in the Super Bowl for another year. This time, taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens were the spark to the Eagles’ offense, but didn’t gain momentum until it was too late. The Eagles had the ball deep in their own territory with under a minute left. McNabb threw an interception to Rodney Harrison, which was his second of the game, to seal the win for the Patriots.
Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
The juggernaut New England Patriots came into the 42nd Super Bowl undefeated and looking for a perfect season. The Giants had a 10-6 regular season and were considered huge underdogs. New York’s defense kept Brady in check, but the Giants were down four with under two minutes left when David Tyree made the “helmet catch.” What followed was a game-clinching touchdown catch from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress.
Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17
The Patriots had to wait a few years to get their revenge on the Giants. The only problem is that they never did. Eli Manning became the first quarterback to defeat Brady in the Super Bowl and he did it a second time. The only other quarterback to beat Brady in a Super Bowl is Nick Foles. Ahmad Bradshaw scored a late-game touchdown and Tom Brady’s final hail mary attempt was incomplete securing the win for the Giants.
Super Bowl XLIX: New England 28, Seattle 24
The Seattle Seahawks found their way to the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year. The Seahawks gained a 10-point lead in the third quarter, motivating Brady to throw for two touchdowns the next quarter to give the Patriots a four-point lead. Russell Wilson got the Seahawks down to New England’s one yard line where Pete Carroll opted not to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch and passed instead. Malcolm Butler intercepted the ball at the goal line to give Tom Brady his fourth championship.
Super Bowl LI: New England 34, Atlanta 28
The Patriots set the record for largest comeback in Super Bowl history with their win over the Atlanta Falcons. Down 28-3 at one point, Brady and the Patriots offense scored 31 unanswered points to win 34-28 in overtime. With this win, Brady has trailed in all of his five championship victories.
Super Bowl LII: Philadelphia 41, New England 33
Tom Brady’s attempt at a sixth championship ring proved unsuccessful in the Patriots loss against the Eagles. Philadelphia lost Carson Wentz and rode backup quarterback Nick Foles all the way to the Super Bowl. The conclusion saw the Philadelphia Eagles winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Joseph Muscente is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jjm6725@psu.edu.
