Howard gets picked off

For a short while, Reggie Howard stood in line to be the hero. His end zone interception of a Tom Brady pass not only halted a scoring threat that could have put the game away, it led to a Carolina touchdown -- Jake Delhomme throwing 85 yards to Muhsin Muhammad -- that put the Panthers on top, 22-21. But in a whirlwind of late-game offense, the Patriots prevailed to win their second Super Bowl in three seasons.

Howard most certainly didn't feel like a hero.

"I just feel really bad right now," said the veteran cornerback. "To come so close and for the game to end the way it did is tough. Hats off to New England. They made more plays than we did and they ended up winning the game on us."

Howard, like virtually every other player on both teams, was covered in bruises.

"They hit us in the mouth and then we hit them in the mouth," he said. "And then they came back and we did, too. The problem is: They had the final punch."

Double trouble

Kris Jenkins, Carolina's All-Pro defensive tackle, got hit with a double whammy midway through the second quarter. On a play in which he was flagged for being offside -- the second penalty of the half against him -- Jenkins also hurt his left hand and had to be taken out of the game.

He sat out just three plays, however, and returned in time to help the Panthers make what appeared to be a gallant stand as twice the Patriots appeared to get nothing when they needed inches for a first down. The second time, however, Antowain Smith reached the mark to keep the drive alive.

Coach John Fox, who was 9 of 13 on challenges this year, tossed the red beanbag, arguing that the ball shouldn't have been at the 37, but back at the 38. Referee Ed Hochuli ruled, however, that Smith's forward progress got him to the 37, but Carolina dodged a bullet when Adam Vinatieri's field goal attempt was blocked by Shane Burton a few plays later.

Honoring comrades

Beneath their uniforms, every member of the Panthers wore a white T-shirt with Nos. 58 and 51 on it. They represented linebacker Mark Fields (No. 58) and linebackers coach Sam Mills (who wore No. 51 in his playing days with Carolina). Fields and Mills are both in battles with cancer and they were with the team for the Super Bowl . . . The Panthers had allowed three playoff foes an average of 91 yards rushing per game before New England went for 127 . . . After going penalty-free in their wild-card win over the Cowboys, the Panthers were flagged 18 times for 92 yards in NFC playoff wins over St. Louis and Philadelphia, then were hit 12 times for 73 last night . . . Backup linebacker Brian Allen had a tough night on special teams, twice being called for penalties on punt returns that helped contribute to a night in which the Panthers consistently had poor field position . . . Defensive end Michael Rucker led the Panthers with 12 sacks this season and while he was without one last night, he did get one bruising shot in late in the third quarter. It came as Brady tried to go deep to Bethel Johnson down the left sideline, Rucker knocking the Patriot quarterback to the turf as he let go of the ball . . . The next time the Patriots got the ball, Brady was rocked by middle linebacker Dan Morgan just as he let go with a pass . . . More than anything, Delhomme wanted to get down from the podium, away from the reporters, and get into the locker room. So after finishing his postgame interviews, Delhomme started to make a hasty exit through the crowd, but then stopped, looked to his right, and made a quick dart toward Willie McGinest. The ensuing handshake said a lot about how hard the teams competed. For his part, Delhomme acquitted himself well. He was 1 of 6 for 1 yard in the first quarter, 15 of 27 for 322 yards thereafter . . . The Patriots bottled up Rod "He Hate Me" Smart quite effectively. Having averaged 23.1 yards per kickoff return during the regular season, he went for just 18.5 on four attempts . . . Todd Sauerbrun displayed his All-Pro form, punting seven times for a 44.3 average.

Long gone

Maybe Carolina checked out the 1986 Super Bowl film because like the Bears did that year, the Panthers put up a long touchdown drive against the Patriots. Chicago's 96-yard drive that year remains the longest in Super Bowl history, but the Panthers went 95 late in the second quarter for the second longest . . . The Panthers failed to give up a point in the first quarter, something they did 12 of 16 times during the regular season. It halted a stretch of six straight games in which New England had scored in the first . . . The Panthers hadn't allowed a touchdown through the air in their three postseason games before Brady hit them up for two in the first half . . . When McGinest sacked Delhomme on third and 14 in the second quarter, it gave him at least one in each of his three Super Bowls . . . Former Boston College offensive lineman Doug Brzezinski was among the list of players inactive for the game. The others: cornerback William Hampton, safety Travares Tillman, tight end Marco Battaglia, offensive lineman Tutan Reyes, defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead, and receiver Eugene Baker. As he has been all season, former Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke was the emergency quarterback.

Civic pride

Emptying out the Delhomme file: OK, he is the rage in his hometown of Breaux Bridge, La., these days, but the folks back there aren't exactly new to this fanfare. They will quickly, and proudly, tell you that Miss USA 1996, Ali Landry, hails from that fair town. So, too, does Domanick Davis of the Houston Texans, who last week was voted NFL Rookie of the Year in an online competition sponsored by Pepsi. Davis played at Louisiana State, and this past season, the Tigers' national championship team featured three players from Breaux Bridge. So you could say the town's image is at an all-time high these days . . . Speaking of Breaux Bridge, true to his low-maintenance ego, Delhomme refused to have his name and face plastered on a billboard off Interstate 10 unless Davis's was included . . . Delhomme's postseason quarterback rating for three games is an impressive 102.6. The last quarterback to hold that lofty a number after three postseason games was Troy Aikman (105.2, 1991-92) of Dallas . . . The only other unrestricted free agent quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl appearance was Trent Dilfer of Baltimore in 2000. If you believe in omens, take note that Dilfer's team won.