Guide Note

The New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1, 2004.

The NFC Champion Carolina Panthers finished the season with a 12-4 record. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs to reach the Super Bowl.

The AFC Champion New England Patriots finished the regular season in first place, with a 14-2 record. They also earned a bye in the first round of the the post season, letting them skip the first round and advance directly to the second round. They defeated the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts before heading to the championship game.

The first 26 minutes and 55 seconds of the game were scoreless, setting a new record for a Super Bowl. In the second quarter, New England scored two touchdowns and Carolina scored one touchdown and a field goal, finishing the first half 14-10 Patriots.

Halftime entertainment featured performances by singers Jessica Simpson, Diddy, Nelly, and Kid Rock. For the final song, Janet Jackson joined Justin Timberlake on stage for a performance of his song "Rock Your Body". In the final moments of the song, Timberlake kept true to his lyric "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song," by pulling down Jackson's top, exposing her breast. The incident was televised live and talked about for weeks after the game.

The third quarter was scoreless, and the teams continued into the final quarter still 14-10 New England. The Patriots scored two additional touchdowns, with the Panthers answering back with three of their own, leaving the teams in a 29-29 tie. With four seconds left in the game, New England kicker Adam Vinatieri scored a 41 yard field goal to win the championship. For the second time in his career, Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady was selected as the Super Bowl MVP.

Fast Facts

1. February 1, 2004
2. Site: Reliant Stadium
3. Location: Houston, TX
4. Attendance: 71,525
5. MVP: Tom Brady
6. Television: CBS
7. This is the Super Bowl that included the famous halftime wardrobe malfunction by Janet Jackson
8. Only 2nd time in Super Bowl history that both QBs threw for over 300 yards
9. As was the case 2 years earlier, game decided on 41-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri