Playoffs of the 2000s: Super Bowl

We've played 10 games in our fictional Playoffs of the 2000s series.

It's now time to finish what we started and analyze our final game, the Super Bowl of the 2000s. New England won the AFC bracket by defeating the Steelers at home and taking down the Colts in Indianapolis, something they failed to do during the Colts' Super Bowl run four years ago. Philadelphia won the NFC bracket by claiming victory over the Seahawks and Saints in Philadelphia.

This matchup has been played out in actuality in one of the last decade's Super Bowls. On Feb. 6, 2005, the Eagles and Patriots battled in Jacksonville, Fla. New England, despite being a No. 2 seed, entered the matchup as seven-point favorites.

For New England, these were the pre-Welker and Moss days. Tom Brady's starting receivers on that Sunday evening were the immortal Deion Branch and David Givens. By contrast, Donovan McNabb had the benefit of playing with his best receiver to date, the often contentious Terrell Owens. However, Owens had suffered a severe ankle injury in the regular season, an injury that he gutted out and returned from before doctors had predicted.

It was clear from the beginning of the game that McNabb was turning in a Mr. Hyde-type performance. He lost a fumble on the opening drive, but the play was overturned after a challenge. He then threw an interception a few plays later, only to have it called back on an illegal contact penalty. Finally, he succeeded in turning the ball over, as Rodney Harrison picked off a pass.

Philadelphia did manage to strike first, with McNabb throwing a second-quarter TD to tight end L.J. Smith. Brady would add a touchdown before the half, and the teams entered halftime locked at seven points each.

Coming out of the locker room, the Patriots scored another touchdown on the first drive of the second half, with Brady hitting linebacker Mike Vrabel for a two-yard score. Philadelphia would respond with their own touchdown late in the third quarter, knotting the game at 14.

The Patriots quickly added a fourth-quarter touchdown, then gained the first two-score lead of the game with a field goal midway through the final period. The Eagles were able to score a touchdown, but on the wrong side of the two-minute warning. A failed onside-kick attempt led to the Eagles getting the ball back on their own 4 with less than a minute to go and no timeouts. Another McNabb interception with nine seconds on the clock ended the game.

What, if anything, would be different here? Even with Owens hobbled, he still led all Eagles with nine catches for 122 yards. On the other hand, he wasn't an Eagle for very long and may not deserve consideration for our experiment, as this was his only playoff game with the team.

Brady could win regardless of his talent at receiver. In fact, the more successful Patriot teams of the decade were generally found in the earlier portion of the 2000s, and Brady had his best supporting cast at receiver in the latter part of the decade.

The Patriots have a big advantage on defense. Most of the Patriots' defenses of this era could have stopped the Eagles' offense, or at least limited what they could do, while it would have been hard for the Eagles to consistently hold the Patriots offense.

The second-biggest disparity between the two teams comes at quarterback. From day one, Brady has been cool, calm and collected, racking up playoff wins, Super Bowl MVPs, and championship trophies. Yes, the Patriots did use sinister means to gain advantages in some of those games (I know many of you have been crying out for some acknowledgment of this), but we're looking at the results, and those paint Brady and the Patriots in a positive light, albeit through rose-colored glasses. On the other hand, McNabb hasn't taken to pressure well throughout his career, failing in big moments and even vomiting in the huddle during the Super BOwl when the pressure got to be too much.

The biggest disparity involves the head coaches. Andy Reid, while a great coach in general, has been terrible at clock management and general game management. Conversely, Bill Belichick has been called a genius of the NFL, giving his team a chance to win close games with the decisions he makes (this year's Colts-Patriots game notwithstanding).

The Patriots have four AFC championships and three Super Bowl trophies over the last ten years. The Eagles have one NFC championship and no Super Bowl victories. That about sums this contest up right there. The Patriots take the Super Bowl of the 2000s by the score of 31-17. Tom Brady earns Super Bowl of the 2000s MVP.

As for the answer to our final bonus question, where we asked who won a Super Bowl MVP trophy other than Brady in New England's three wins, the answer is Deion Branch -- in the New England-Philadelphia contest listed above.

Interested in reviewing the entire Playoffs of the 2000s series? Check out our previous games:

Wild Card Round

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks

Divisional Round

Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles

Conference Championships

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles