How it unfolded
St. Louis, the 'Greatest Show on Turf,' scored 503 regular-season points and were 14-point favourites against a Patriots team that lost starter Drew Bledsoe early in the year and rode second-year Tom Brady. New England refused individual introductions — the whole team entered together, a Super Bowl first. The defence pressured Kurt Warner; Ty Law returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and David Patton's eight-yard TD with 31 seconds left in the half made it 14–3. Adam Vinatieri's third-quarter field goal stretched it to 17–3, but the Rams tied 17–17 on Warner's one-yard run and a 26-yard TD pass to Ricky Proehl with 1:30 left. With no timeouts, New England drove from its 17 to the Rams' 30 in nine plays, and Vinatieri hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired. Brady went 16-of-27 for 145 yards, one TD, and MVP.
Why it still matters
The game that opened the Patriots dynasty and the Brady era. Belichick choosing to drive rather than kneel for overtime defined the team's personality. Beating the league's best offence with pressure and situational football became the 2000s template.