Short answer
Tom Brady's first Super Bowl drive started tied 17–17 with the Rams, 1:21 on the clock, no timeouts and 83 yards to go, with overtime right there if New England wanted it. You make the call, kneel or go, and then every snap after it, and your calls are graded against Bill Belichick's.
The situation
Super Bowl XXXVI, February 3, 2002, in New Orleans. St. Louis were 14-point favorites, and Kurt Warner had just tied the game 17–17 with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl.
Brady, a second-year quarterback, has the ball at his own 17. The first snap came at 1:21, and neither team has a timeout left. A field goal wins it; anything less and the game goes to overtime, where St. Louis's offense might get the ball first.
How the real drive went, play by play
New England threw. Brady hit J.R. Redmond for 5 yards and then 8 more to the 30 at 0:57. After an incompletion, Redmond caught 11 and got out of bounds at the 41 to stop the clock.
Another incompletion at 0:33, and then the big one: Troy Brown caught 23 yards and ran out of bounds at the Rams 36. Jermaine Wiggins caught 6 to the 30, and Brady spiked it with 0:07 left. Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired. New England won 20–17 for its first championship.
The calls that decided it
The first call is the whole drive: with no timeouts, do you play at all? Kneeling takes you to overtime with nothing risked. Throwing risks an interception or a sack in your own territory against a fast defense. New England chose to throw, but kept it short and safe: Brady's first three completions were all to a running back.
After that, it's clock. With no timeouts, the only ways to stop it are an incompletion, getting out of bounds or a spike, and each costs something: a down or a few seconds. Getting to Vinatieri's range with time for a kick is the target, not the end zone.
A note on the grade: the 2001 play-by-play doesn't record pass depth, so only one of Belichick's calls on this drive can be graded. His percentile here rests on that one call, so read it lightly.
More Legends
- 28–3 · Super Bowl LI, down 8, 3:30 left, own 9
- The Helmet Catch · Super Bowl XLII, down 4, 2:39 left, own 17
- Manningham on the Sideline · Super Bowl XLVI, down 2, 3:46 left, own 12
- Every Legend and Playoff Run
FAQ
What was the score of Tom Brady's first Super Bowl?
New England beat St. Louis 20–17 in Super Bowl XXXVI on February 3, 2002.
How much time was left on Brady's first Super Bowl drive?
The first snap came with 1:21 left and no timeouts. Brady spiked the ball at the Rams 30 with 0:07 left.
Who kicked the winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI?
Adam Vinatieri, from 48 yards, as time expired.
Do I need to pay to play this?
This Legend is part of the Legends Pass, a one-time purchase that also unlocks every Playoff Run and removes ads. The daily drive, Practice and Survivor stay free, and 28–3 is a free Legend you can try first.
Sources
- nflverse play-by-play data — the real drive, snap by snap: down, distance, clock, timeouts and play descriptions
- Super Bowl XXXVI, St. Louis vs New England box score — Pro Football Reference