Their chance was gone in a flash
Late in the third quarter of Super Bowl XXXI at the Superdome, it seemed the Patriots had taken the best body blows the heavily favored Green Bay Packers could offer and somehow remained standing. Curtis Martin's 18-yard run and Adam Vinatieri's extra point pulled New England within 27-21 with 3:27 left in the quarter. Suddenly there was hope. Maybe they could pull this off after all. The Patriots were right back in the game.
For 17 seconds.
That's how long it took Packers speedster Desmond Howard to field the ensuing kickoff and put a 99-yard pin in New England's balloon. Howard's record return -- and the 2-point conversion that followed -- made it 35-21 and essentially sealed the Patriots' place in Green Bay's rearview mirror.
"We just let that play get away," said Patriots special teamer Ray Lucas. "They were probably saying, `Hey, it's 27-21, what's going on?' Next thing you know, Des is running down the field, killing us. That one play killed us."
Trailing by 14 with little more than a quarter to play, the Patriots had to turn exclusively to the air and the Packers knew it. Green Bay turned up the pressure on 24-year-old quarterback Drew Bledsoe, and Reggie White had sacks on consecutive plays. As desperation set in, Bledsoe threw two interceptions on balls he never should have thrown.
The 35-21 score held up, and the NFC had its 13th consecutive Super Bowl win. Defensive coordinator Al Groh summed up the sentiments of New England fans best: "Desmond Howard ruined a perfectly good game."
Howard had a Super Bowl-record 244 return yards (154 on four kickoffs, 90 on six punts) and was the first special teams player to be named the game's MVP. The Patriots' special teams had been a key to the team's success, but they picked an inopportune time to break down.
"This was the first time this year we've been outplayed on special teams," said coach Bill Parcells.
The Patriots came in to the 1997 Super Bowl as big underdogs (14 points) against a team that seemed to be a dynasty in the making. Green Bay had been the preseason team of choice and lived up to the hype, scoring the most points in the league and allowing the fewest.
It didn't take long for Brett Favre to show why he was the league's MVP as he threw a 54-yard TD pass to Andre Rison on Green Bay's second play from scrimmage. The Packers then converted an interception of Bledsoe into a 37-yard field goal by Chris Jacke and it appeared the rout -- a Super Bowl staple -- was on.
Instead, Bledsoe showed poise beyond his years as the fourth-year QB bounced back with a vengeance. He carved up the vaunted Packers defense with precision passing and unexpected mobility, softening it with outlet passes to Keith Byars and Martin, then burning it with a 44-yard strike to Terry Glenn.
Bledsoe finished the first quarter hitting 8 of a Super Bowl-record 15 attempts for 123 yards and two touchdowns (a 1-yard play-action pass to Byars and a 4-yard rollout to Ben Coates), and after the highest-scoring first quarter in the game's history, the Patriots led, 14-10.
That, too, would be short-lived. Less than a minute into the second quarter, Favre again went deep, hooking up with Antonio Freeman for an 81-yard score. Freeman eluded a bump from rookie strong safety Lawyer Milloy off the line, and when free safety Willie Clay was late helping out, Freeman was home free. That was a springboard for the Green Bay offense, which scored on its next two possessions and led, 27-14, at halftime.
In the end, the Packers' superior playoff experience was a huge factor. Both of Favre's long touchdown passes came on audibles, and the Patriot defenders were slow to react.
"In a big game, if you fail to concentrate on one play, that play can make the difference," said Parcells.
Added Bledsoe, "You watch, year in and year out, Super Bowls are won on big plays. The Packers made more big plays than we did."
