# Super Bowl XXXIX
**Super Bowl XXXIX** was an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in [Jacksonville, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacksonville-florida), in which the [American Football Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football-conference) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conference champion Philadelphia Eagles 24–21 to win the NFL championship for the 2004 season.[1](https://www.fanhospitality.com/super-bowl-history/super-bowl-2005) • [2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596583660/league/t593ytg5tznazrtqanlu.pdf) It was the Patriots' third Super Bowl title in four years, a run that established the early-2000s team under coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady as a modern dynasty, and it was the first Super Bowl held in Jacksonville, the second-smallest market in the NFL.[3](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/new-england-patriots-ranking-the-patriots-super-bowls) • [4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | February 6, 2005, Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida[1](https://www.fanhospitality.com/super-bowl-history/super-bowl-2005) |
| Result | New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596583660/league/t593ytg5tznazrtqanlu.pdf) |
| Attendance | 78,125[5](https://www.huddle.org/2013/01/sb-history-xxxiX/) |
| Decisive play | Rodney Harrison's game-clinching interception in the final minute, one of four Eagles turnovers forced by the Patriots defense[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596583660/league/t593ytg5tznazrtqanlu.pdf) |
| Significance | Patriots' third championship in four years; Eagles' first Super Bowl appearance since the 2004 season, chasing a first NFL title since 1960[3](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/new-england-patriots-ranking-the-patriots-super-bowls) • [4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/) |
| Halftime show | Paul McCartney, four songs, booked as a family-friendly act after the previous year's "wardrobe malfunction"[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-xxxix-inside-numbers-095940056.html) • [4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/) |
| Hosting | Jacksonville awarded the game on November 1, 2000, 1,558 days before kickoff[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-xxxix-inside-numbers-095940056.html) |
## The game
In the fourth quarter the Patriots began to wear down the Eagles, and the New England defense cracked down while a lack of urgency by the Philadelphia offense took too much time off the clock.[3](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/new-england-patriots-ranking-the-patriots-super-bowls) • [9](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-tom-bradys-six-super-bowl-performances-ranked-by-pff-grade)
**Turnovers decided it.** The Patriots defense forced four Eagles turnovers, including safety [Rodney Harrison](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodney-harrison)'s game-clinching interception of a [Donovan McNabb](https://www.edgepedia.org/donovan-mcnabb) pass in the final minute.[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596583660/league/t593ytg5tznazrtqanlu.pdf) • [8](https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2005/02/07/patriots-reign-again-after-beating-eagles-super-bowl-xxxix/pJbcpnDR4O6HqIwjBfBBmM/story.html) McNabb finished 30-for-51 for 357 yards and three touchdowns, but his three interceptions lowered his passer rating to 75.4.[10](https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/2018/02/02/Remembering-Super-Bowl-XXXIX-Patriots-and-Eagles/6681517587188/) Punter Josh Miller also contributed a late field-position save, pinning the Eagles at their own 4-yard line with 46 seconds left.[11](https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2021/02/04/tom-brady-super-bowl-stats-4th-quarter/?p1=article_recirc_inline_feed)
Tactically, New England scrapped the 3–4 two-gap base defense it had used all season and instead played what the team's own analysis called a light 4–3 front with only two defensive linemen and five linebackers.[12](https://www.patriots.com/news/sb-analysis-light-4-3-gave-pats-the-edge-sb-notes-111546) The Eagles reached the [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) for the first time since the 2004 season with help from wide receiver [Terrell Owens](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrell-owens), who notably played the game on a broken leg.[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcP5KVapp2M)
## Hosting in Jacksonville
When Jacksonville was awarded the game over Miami in November 2000, skeptics questioned how a mid-sized city could host the roughly 80,000 people who paid $500 to $600 for tickets at face value, along with thousands of other visitors.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/) • [6](https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-xxxix-inside-numbers-095940056.html) Because Jacksonville alone lacked the hotel capacity the NFL required, the city paid $11.7 million to dock five cruise ships on the [St. Johns River](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-johns-river); their 3,700 rooms brought the total to more than 17,500, the minimum mandated by the league.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/) The host committee also planned a temporary downtown entertainment zone, the NFL Experience fan event, and roughly 8,000 volunteers, and it had raised close to $7 million more than a year before the game, ahead of the pace of previous host committees.[14](https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2003/dec/18/smc-hears-about-super-bowl-xxxix/)
## Economic impact
Estimates of the game's economic effect on Jacksonville varied widely. The host committee estimated $250 million to $350 million in economic impact, over $4 million in charitable giving, more than 100 events during the week, and 100,000 visitors to the area.[14](https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2003/dec/18/smc-hears-about-super-bowl-xxxix/) Academic estimates put a Super Bowl's injection into a metro area at $150 million to $220 million, while NFL-commissioned studies have cited figures exceeding $300 million.[15](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2005/01/31/SBJ-In-Depth/Jags-Impact-Lays-Ground-Work-For-Sunday/?issueId=3ARYKAOIFVJJ7X33G7T4UOYSJE) Measured taxable sales did not rise: Phil Porter, an economist at the [University of South Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-south-florida) who has studied Super Bowl economic impacts, found that after accounting for local economic growth, taxable sales in Jacksonville's Duval County were $2.7 million lower in February 2005, the month the game was played, than in February 2004.[16](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2006/02/20/Opinion/NFL-Mixes-Hype-And-Reality-In-Assessing-Super-Bowls-Economic-Impact/)
## Halftime show and broadcast context
The halftime show was [Paul McCartney](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-mccartney)'s, a four-song set on the Alltel Stadium field, booked as a family-friendly performance in the wake of the previous year's halftime incident in Houston, when [Justin Timberlake](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-timberlake) tore off a piece of [Janet Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/janet-jackson)'s costume and set off FCC scrutiny, congressional attention, and expanded use of broadcast delays.[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-xxxix-inside-numbers-095940056.html) • [4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/) • [17](https://apnews.com/article/bd6a5ea404faf02a1865c51e169e3c23) McCartney was one of the legacy acts the league booked in the years after the 2004 incident before it returned to contemporary pop performers.[18](https://time.com/3678075/super-bowl-halftime/) About 140 million people were expected to watch at least part of the broadcast, and advertisers paid an average of $2.4 million for a 30-second commercial spot.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/)
## Legacy
The win completed the Patriots' run of three titles in four seasons (Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX), a stretch later described as the foundation of the franchise's dynasty.[19](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2022/2022_NFL_Record_and_Fact_Book.pdf?EC=bb0e1ab9-fe1a-426a-926a-6fa39c3bec1e) • [20](https://www.patriots.com/audio/2004-yes-it-s-a-dynasty-episode-iv-coronation) For Philadelphia, the loss began a long wait: the Eagles did not win a Super Bowl until they beat the Patriots 41–33 in [Super Bowl LII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-lii) in 2018, a victory widely framed as revenge for the 2005 defeat.[21](https://time.com/5132949/philadelphia-eagles-super-bowl-win/)
## References
1. [Super Bowl 2005 – Jacksonville, Fan Hospitality](https://www.fanhospitality.com/super-bowl-history/super-bowl-2005)
2. [Super Bowl XXXIX game summary, NFL](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596583660/league/t593ytg5tznazrtqanlu.pdf)
3. [Ranking the Patriots Super Bowls, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/new-england-patriots-ranking-the-patriots-super-bowls)
4. [Biggest Unofficial U.S. Holiday, CBS News/AP (February 6, 2005)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biggest-unofficial-us-holiday/)
5. [SB History XXXIX – Jacksonville, Huddle Magazine](https://www.huddle.org/2013/01/sb-history-xxxiX/)
6. [Super Bowl XXXIX: Inside the numbers, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-xxxix-inside-numbers-095940056.html)
7. [Patriots vs. Eagles game program, NFL](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578432824/patriots/vqb8t2ii3jn0g8c3i438.pdf)
8. [Patriots reign again after beating Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2005/02/07/patriots-reign-again-after-beating-eagles-super-bowl-xxxix/pJbcpnDR4O6HqIwjBfBBmM/story.html)
9. [Tom Brady's six Super Bowl performances, ranked by PFF grade, Pro Football Focus](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-tom-bradys-six-super-bowl-performances-ranked-by-pff-grade)
10. [Remembering Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots and Eagles, UPI](https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/2018/02/02/Remembering-Super-Bowl-XXXIX-Patriots-and-Eagles/6681517587188/)
11. [I rewatched every 4th quarter Tom Brady has played in a Super Bowl, Boston.com](https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2021/02/04/tom-brady-super-bowl-stats-4th-quarter/?p1=article_recirc_inline_feed)
12. [SB Analysis: Light 4-3 gave Pats the edge, Patriots.com](https://www.patriots.com/news/sb-analysis-light-4-3-gave-pats-the-edge-sb-notes-111546)
13. [Super Bowl XXXIX Recap: Patriots vs. Eagles, NFL on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcP5KVapp2M)
14. [SMC hears about Super Bowl XXXIX, Jacksonville Daily Record (December 18, 2003)](https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2003/dec/18/smc-hears-about-super-bowl-xxxix/)
15. [Jags' impact lays ground work for Sunday, Sports Business Journal](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2005/01/31/SBJ-In-Depth/Jags-Impact-Lays-Ground-Work-For-Sunday/?issueId=3ARYKAOIFVJJ7X33G7T4UOYSJE)
16. [NFL mixes hype and reality in assessing Super Bowl's economic impact, Sports Business Journal](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2006/02/20/Opinion/NFL-Mixes-Hype-And-Reality-In-Assessing-Super-Bowls-Economic-Impact/)
17. [How Super Bowl halftime moments became flashpoints, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/bd6a5ea404faf02a1865c51e169e3c23)
18. [How the Super Bowl Became Pop's Biggest Stage, TIME](https://time.com/3678075/super-bowl-halftime/)
19. [Super Bowl Records, 2022 NFL Record and Fact Book](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2022/2022_NFL_Record_and_Fact_Book.pdf?EC=bb0e1ab9-fe1a-426a-926a-6fa39c3bec1e)
20. [2004 – Yes, It's A Dynasty: Episode IV, "Coronation", Patriots.com](https://www.patriots.com/audio/2004-yes-it-s-a-dynasty-episode-iv-coronation)
21. [Eagles Fans Are Already Going Nuts in Philadelphia, TIME](https://time.com/5132949/philadelphia-eagles-super-bowl-win/)
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