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Vinatieri caps stunning day for Patriots
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS -- The New England Patriots picked the perfect Super Bowl for one of the biggest upsets ever.

Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal as time expired Sunday gave the Patriots a 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams for their first Super Bowl victory ever on a day of red, white and blue.

The Rams had rallied to tie it 17-17 on Kurt Warner's 26-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with less than two minutes left.

Through three quarters, it was all Patriots. Converting three turnovers into all their points, the Patriots led 17-3 after three quarters.

Ty Law returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown in the first half and Otis Smith had a 30-yard interception runback to set up a field goal in the third.

Terrell Buckley's 15-yard return with a fumble led to the other touchdown as the Patriots, seeking their first NFL title, completely befuddled Kurt Warner and the Rams' high-powered offense.

Adam Vinatieri made a 37-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining in the third period, the only scoring in the quarter. The Rams, who led the league with 503 points this season, couldn't stop making mistakes.

In the last three years, the Rams were 0-10 when trailing after three quarters -- the only NFL winless in such situations over that span.

The first half was a stunner, with the Patriots taking a 14-3 edge as the Rams, favored by 14 points, had their lowest-scoring first half of the season. No team in Super Bowl history had ever overcome a halftime deficit greater than seven points.

Law's interception return put the Patriots ahead 7-3 midway through the second quarter. Buckley's fumble recovery led to David Patten's leaping, 8-yard TD catch from Tom Brady with 31 seconds left in the half.

At no point this season had the Rams, who had the best record in the NFL at 14-2, trailed by more than eight points.

The Rams gave New England the break it was looking for in the second quarter.

Having slowed the pace, the Patriots sought a critical defensive play, which came when Mike Vrabel pressured Warner into an awful throw to his right. The ball floated directly to Law, who went untouched for a score.

Later, Ricky Proehl fumbled a reception when hit by Antwan Harris' helmet, and Buckley returned it to the St. Louis 40.

A 16-yard screen pass to Troy Brown and a key 8-yard run by Kevin Faulk on third down set up Patten's TD catch. Although the play was reviewed, Patten clearly caught the ball in the end zone after beating Dexter McCleon with a double move.

The Rams averaged 19 points in the first half this season, but they were totally befuddled by coach Bill Belichick's defense and their own errors. Warner was left with a bloody lip while the Rams' receivers were pounded at every opportunity.

Jeff Wilkins' 50-yard field goal provided the only scoring of the first quarter. Wilkins made the third-longest field goal in Super Bowl history with 3:10 left in a somewhat cautious opening period.

But he was wide left from 52 yards early in the second quarter.

The Patriots broke off some long gains in the third quarter, but couldn't sustain it. Patten had a 24-yard run on a reverse, which led to nothing. And although Antowain Smith rushed for 44 yards rushing in the period, he played no role in his team's third-period points.

Smith, of course, did, knocking Holt to the ground at the line, then grabbing Warner's misguided pass and taking it to the Rams 33.

St. Louis got the ball first after Yo Murphy's 38-yard kickoff return. The Rams immediately went to an empty backfield, but Torry Holt dropped Warner's pass. He caught the next one with a leap for an 18-yard gain, but an offensive interference penalty against Ernie Conwell ruined the drive.

John Baker's punt went out on the Patriots 3 and New England also went to an empty backfield, a risky proposition so close to the end zone. But Brady hit Brown over the middle for 21 yards.

When the drive bogged down, Ken Walter punted into the end zone.

Warner then guided the Rams to the New England 32, keyed by a 14-yard pickup on a flare pass to Marshall Faulk, who, somehow, was being covered by defensive tackle Richard Seymour.

Wilkins connected to make it 3-0. Only Buffalo's Steve Christie's 54-yarder and Denver's Jason Elam's 51-yarder were longer.

Walter averaged just over 50 yards per punt in the half.

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