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Super Bowl XXXIX was played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The New England Patriots, champions of the AFC, faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles, champions of the NFC.
To reach Super Bowl XXXIX, the Patriots had their best regular season so far under Bill Belichick, finishing with a record of 14-2. They won their division, and defeated the Indianapolis Colts and then the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs to advance to the Super Bowl.
Quarterback Tom Brady led the team's offense, completing 334 passes for 3,692 yards and 28 touchdowns, with the experienced defense led by the experienced linebacker core of Vrabel, McGinest, and Bruschi.
Richard Seymour was the main part of the pass rush, but the previous strength of the secondary was ravaged by injuries to Ty Law, which led to some interesting changes such as rookie Asante Samuel.
Andy Reid's Philadelphia Eagles also had a successful regular season, finishing with a record of 13-3. They won their division and then defeated the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, and the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons to advance to the Super Bowl.
Quarterback Donovan McNabb led the team's offense, completing 345 passes for 3,875 yards and 31 touchdowns, and the defense was solid, led by defensive end Jevon Kearse, who recorded 7.5 sacks that season.
Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots hold their nerve in a close contest
Super Bowl XXXIX was another close, hard-fought battle for the Patriots. The teams were tied at the end of each of the first three quarters. The Patriots would then score 10 points to open the fourth quarter and hold McNabb to one score to win the game.
Deion Branch, the Patriots wide receiver, won the Super Bowl MVP award after catching 11 passes for 133 yards. This edition also marked the Patriots' third Super Bowl victory in four years.
