Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 earlier in the season, the NFL postponed a week of regular-season games and moved the league's playoff schedule back.

[14] After the Rams’ 1999 season that had culminated in a gripping victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV,[15] their offense again dominated the league in 2000, leading the NFL in passing, scoring, and total yards.

Although the Patriots jumped out to an early lead, a critical turnover before the end of the first half that led to a Rams score proved costly.

He had been suspended the first four games for failing a drug test and played in just four more before injuries and disputes with the coaching staff caused Belichick to deactivate him for good.

Up front, linemen Bobby Hamilton (7 sacks, 1 fumble recovery) and rookie Richard Seymour excelled at pressuring quarterbacks and stuffing the run.

The Patriots returned to the Superdome 11 years later for Super Bowl XXXI but lost 35–21 to a Green Bay Packers team including Brett Favre, Reggie White and Desmond Howard and coached by Mike Holmgren.

Milloy, Law, Vinatieri, Bledsoe, McGinest, Bruschi, and Otis Smith were among the players who had played in that game while Belichick had been assistant head coach to Bill Parcells.

[36] In the AFC Divisional Round, the Patriots defeated the Oakland Raiders 16–13 during a raging New England snowstorm in the last game ever played at Foxboro Stadium.

Brady then led his team to the Raiders 27-yard line, where kicker Adam Vinatieri made a 45-yard field goal which barely cleared the crossbar to send the game into overtime.

[37] In the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots traveled to Heinz Field to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were coming off a 27–10 win over the previous season's Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

The Patriots ended the comeback attempt by scoring a field goal in the fourth quarter and intercepting 2 passes from Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart in the final 3 minutes of the game.

[39] San Francisco (Candlestick Park) had planned to pursue XXXVI, but due to logistical complications, withdrew themselves from consideration, and switched their proposal to XXXVII.

Immediately after the vote, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue made an unexpected and largely unprecedented announcement that San Diego was the favorite to host the next available Super Bowl.

It was eventually decided to make every effort to maintain a full regular season and playoff, and push the Super Bowl back to February 3.

[46] One of the most significant logistical challenges was accommodating the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention, which was originally slated to occupy the Superdome on February 3.

This Super Bowl also meant that Boston and St. Louis would play each other in the championship game or series of all four major North American sports leagues at least once, becoming the first time that that had happened between teams from two specific cities or regions.

James Brown hosted all the events with help from his fellow Fox NFL Sunday cast members Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Cris Collinsworth.

In a video segment, past and present NFL players read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, which has become a part of all subsequent Super Bowls carried by Fox Sports.

Former U.S. presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton appeared in another videotaped segment and recited some of the speeches by Abraham Lincoln.

Because Ronald Reagan had Alzheimer's disease, his wife Nancy appeared on the segment in place of him accompanied by Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of maestro Keith Lockhart.

[58] Janet Jackson was originally selected to perform during the Halftime Show, but due to traveling concerns following the September 11 tragedies, the NFL opted for other acts.

After the teams exchanged punts to start the game, the Rams scored first, with quarterback Kurt Warner completing six of seven passes for 43 yards on a 48-yard, 10-play drive to set up a 50-yard field goal by kicker Jeff Wilkins, giving St. Louis a 3–0 lead.

On St. Louis' next possession, with 8:49 left in the half, a blitz by linebacker Mike Vrabel led Warner to be intercepted by cornerback Ty Law on a pass intended for wide receiver Isaac Bruce.

Brady opened the drive with three dump-off completions to running back J. R. Redmond for 24 yards, who got out of bounds on the last one and moved the ball to their own 41-yard line with 33 seconds left.

Vinatieri, who had never missed a field goal indoors, made the kick as time expired, giving New England their first-ever Super Bowl title.

In addition to other videotaping allegations, the Boston Herald reported, citing an unnamed source, that the Patriots had also taped the Rams' walkthrough practice prior to the game.

The Patriots' win in this Super Bowl, beyond just serving as a springboard to a dynasty that lasted nearly two decades and resulted in five more championships, also became the starting point for a decade of success in Boston sports, with the city's teams in the four major North American sports leagues (the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins in addition to the Patriots) winning seven championships including at least one each.

[85] Brady, Milloy and Vinatieri also provided the team's commentary in the 2001 Patriots' episode of America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, narrated by actor Martin Sheen.

Warner later joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2005 and eventually gained the starting job where he led that team to their first Super Bowl appearance, XLIII, following the 2008 season.

[99][100] The Patriots won their record-tying sixth Super Bowl by defeating the Rams again 13–3, with Brady remarking that LIII had a "throwback feel" to XXXVI.