Super Bowl XXXVII
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Head Coach: Butch Davis
344 Points Scored
320 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: Kelly Holcomb
Road to the Super Bowl:
Defeated Pittsburgh, 36-14: AFC Wild Card Playoffs
Defeated Oakland, 27-20: AFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated New York, 27-10: AFC Championship
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-4)
Head Coach: Jon Gruden
346 Points Scored
196 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: Brad Johnson
Road to the Super Bowl:
Defeated New York, 15-0: NFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated Atlanta, 10-7: NFC Championship
The Game
Quite possibly the biggest mismatch in Super Bowl history was on top for Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had established themselves as one of the top teams in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns had managed just their first winning season since their rebirth in 1999. The Browns had switched quarterbacks late in the season, as Tim Couch suffered a broken leg and Kelly Holcomb was forced to come in and start for the former first overall pick. Cleveland's offense was average at best, but had come to life during the playoffs, while their defense had shut down the powerful Oakland offense in the divisional round. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, were well established in terms of defense, as they had held their two playoff opponents to just seven points, and had even shut down Michael Vick in the NFC Championship. The offense had struggled during the playoffs, but Brad Johnson, Mike Alstott and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were quite confident that they would not let the Cleveland Browns take the Super Bowl title in the greatest upset in NFL history.
The Browns held their ground on defense on Tampa Bay's first possession, forcing the Buccaneers to go three and out. However, the Cleveland offense was less than effective against the Tampa Bay defense, and the Browns were forced to punt the ball right back to the Buccaneers. Karl Williams returned the punt to the Tampa Bay 45 yard line, and this time, the Buccaneers would not be denied. A 28 yard pass from Brad Johnson to Rickey Dudley was the big blow on the five play, 55 yard drive that ended with a nine yard touchdown run by Mike Alstott. Cleveland was able to get moving on offense on their next drive, but stalled outside of field goal range and had to punt once again. The ball was downed at the Tampa Bay 14 yard line, but the Buccaneers made quick work of the long field, as Aaron Stecker broke free on the next play for a Super Bowl record 86 yard touchdown run that put the Buccaneers up 14-0. The next Tampa Bay possession was less successful, as the Buccaneers had to punt. Dennis Northcutt returned the punt to the Tampa Bay 38 yard line, and the Browns needed to move just six yards in three plays for Phil Dawson to nail a 49 yard field goal that put Cleveland on the board. The Browns would strike again later in the second quarter, following a Keenan McCardell fumble. This time, Cleveland actually lost a yard on the possession, but Dawson was able to kick a 50 yard field goal to cut the Tampa Bay lead to 14-6. Neither team would score again in the first half, and the Buccaneers took a slim eight point lead with them into the locker rooms.
The Buccaneers knew that they were letting the Browns stay in the game, and if they didn't move quickly, Cleveland could steal the Super Bowl away from them. After stopping the Browns on their first possession of the third quarter, Tampa Bay went to work. An 18 yard run by Michael Pittman started the Buccaneer drive, which ended with a 24 yard touchdown pass from Brad Johnson to Keyshawn Johnson. A fumble by James Jackson on the next Cleveland drive set Tampa Bay up in prime scoring position, but Martin Gramatica missed a 50 yard field goal to end the drive. The Browns would threaten on their next drive, but Phil Dawson would counter Gramatica's 50 yard miss with one of his own, and Cleveland would not cross midfield for the rest of the game. Tampa Bay's defense held the Browns to 166 total yards on the day, and the Buccaneer offense would add insult to injury in the fourth quarter with two more touchdown drives. Brad Johnson would hit Mike Alstott for a three yard touchdown, and Michael Pittman would later score on a 12 yard touchdown run to finish up the scoring. For once, most people had gotten it right: this was one of the biggest mismatches in Super Bowl history. The Buccaneers were able to celebrate their second title in four years, while the Browns were left hoping that their future could be even better.
Final Score: Tampa Bay-35 Cleveland-6
MVP: MVP: Brad Johnson: 16/23, 175 yards, 2 TD