Patriots hold off Eagles, solidify place in history

By Mike Lopresti
Gannett News Service

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the New England Patriots, the glory rolls on, as dazzling as the event in which they have come to nearly own. Another Super Bowl, another Lombardi Trophy, another step up to the place where only the most celebrated teams get to go.

New England wide receiver Deion Branch, right, pulls in a fourth-quarter pass over Philadelphia cornerback Sheldon Brown. Carlos Osorio • Associated Press

Is the only thing left to do now is to talk dynasty?

"We didn't look at it that way two days ago, and we don't look at it that way now," said coach Bill Belichick. "I'll leave the comparisons and historical perspectives to everybody else."

"We've never really self-proclaimed ourselves anything," said quarterback Tom Brady. "That's not our style."

This time, the MVP was not Brady and his immaculate quarterbacking, but receiver Deion Branch, one of the endless line of Patriot heroes who tormented the Eagles secondary and tied a Super Bowl record with 11 receptions for 133 yards.

"It doesn't matter who gets what," said Branch, who had five catches in the two other postseason games combined. "Our plans were just to come in and win the game."

This time Brady was, well, Brady. That meant 23 for 33 and 236 yards of passing for two touchdowns. That meant no interceptions. That meant a 9-0 postseason record, to tie Bart Starr from Green Bay's magical days for the most consecutive postseason wins by a quarterback. He is Mr. January. Mr. February. Mr. Super Bowl. At the age of 27.

"It's a relief," he said. "It's been a long year."

This time, the Patriots' defense turned the game with four turnovers, and had to stand its ground with kids, the injury-ravaged secondary down to two rookies and a second-year player in the second half.

"We believe that someone is going to make the play," said safety Rodney Harrison, the veteran glue who had two interceptions.

The Patriots withstood 357 passing yards and three touchdown passes from Donovan McNabb, and nine catches by Terrell Owens, who returned from his injury as he vowed he would.

But they allowed McNabb few spectacular runs, sacked him four times with a pass rush intensified by changing from their usual 3-4 defense to 4-3, and intercepted him three times, the third to finish off Philadelphia's last gasp from its own 4.

"We just had to keep guys coming at him at all times," linebacker Willie McGinest said. "They key was to confuse him."

"I don't look at the touchdowns. I look at the interceptions," said McNabb, who put up 51 passes and completed 30. "This game could have been a blowout. You take away those three interceptions and we're probably ahead two or three touchdowns. It's woulda, coulda, shoulda."

And so the Patriots pile more mystique upon their aura. The 34 wins in two seasons that would set one record. The nine straight postseason wins that would tie another. The three titles in four years, a glowing quadrennial matched only once before, by Dallas in the 1990s.

The Super Bowl Roman numerals come and go and the Patriots supremacy remains the same. Three titles, all won by three points. Only the halftime shows change.

It has been domination, somehow, without perception of many stars, but accomplished by attacking in waves. Overachievers, they were once called.

"We're the most ring-fingered overachievers I've ever seen," said receiver Troy Brown.

"We play Patriots ball," said cornerback Asante Samuel. "All we do is win."

"It sounds almost cliche-ish after awhile," Brady said. "We're a team, we're a team. But after four years, I've never had a receiver complain about not getting a ball, I've never had a running back complain about not getting enough carries."

They needed all their togetherness yesterday in a historically close fight. At 7-7, it was only the second halftime tie ever in the Super Bowl. At 14-14, it was the first Super Bowl to be tied after three quarters.

It was also only the third game in 405 NFL postseason contests to be even at the end of all three periods.

But the tie lasted barely a minute into the fourth quarter, when Corey Dillon's 2-yard touchdown run put the Patriots ahead, 21-14.

The 66-yard drive, a direct response to the Eagles just scoring to tie, was an exhibition of New England purpose.

The last big play on the drive came with Philadelphia's defenders clearly heard on television shouting "Watch out for the screen!"

Brady threw a screen pass, anyway, to Kevin Faulk for 14 yards. The night was beginning to inexorably tilt New England's way after a shaky start. The Patriots did not have a first down their first four possessions.

Moments later, the Patriots were back at the Philadelphia 4, and eventually kicked a field goal for a 24-14 lead.

By the time McNabb threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Greg Lewis to make it 24-21, there was only 1:48 left. The 79-yard march had taken 13 plays and 3:52. A splendid drive. But not for a team 10 points behind.

An onside kick failed. When the Eagles got the ball back, there was virtually no time, and virtually no chance.

McNabb's numbers, Owens' return, none of it was enough.

New England won a championship despite losing its two top cornerbacks at mid-season. The Patriots then lost safety Eugene Wilson late in the first half yesterday.

That meant rookie Randall Gay at one corner, rookie Dexter Reid at safety, second-year Samuel at another corner.

They bent — Reid was beaten by Lewis on the last touchdown — but McNabb could not break them. Nobody breaks the Patriots this time of year.

"I have all the respect in the world for them," McGinest said of the Eagles. "But we were not going to be denied."