NEW YORK, 25 January 2005 — The Philadelphia Eagles and the defending champion New England Patriots registered comfortable victories in their respective conference championship games on Sunday to set up an enticing Super Bowl in early February.
In the first game of the day, Donovan McNabb threw for a pair of touchdowns as the Eagles booked a return to the NFL showpiece for the first time in 25 years with a 27-10 win over Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC title game.
Later on, quarterback Tom Brady guided the Patriots to a resounding 41-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game for the team’s third visit to the Super Bowl in four years.
Super Bowl XXXIX takes place in Jacksonville, Florida on February 6.
After stumbling at the last hurdle in the previous three seasons, the Eagles finally cleared it with ease by taking a 14-3 lead in the second quarter and never trailing to send the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field into wild celebrations.
“We’ve got one more game to play,” McNabb told a screaming crowd as he lifted the NFC championship trophy. “That’s what we set out to do -- win a Super Bowl.”
The last three years, Philadelphia supporters slumped home disappointed but this time the outcome was rarely in doubt as the Eagles defense shut down Vick, the Falcons’ All Pro quarterback and their biggest weapon.
McNabb emerged the clear winner in the QB battle, completing 17 of 26 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Vick finished with 11 completions for 136 yards and no touchdowns but, more importantly, was not allowed to break free, limited to just 26 yards rushing. Trailing 14-3, the Falcons got back into in contention when Warrick Dunn powered his way into the end zone with two minutes remaining in the first half to cut the deficit to four points.
But the visitors would get no closer, David Akers adding two third quarter field goals and McNabb combining with Chad Lewis for a second touchdown of the game with just over three minutes to play to seal the win.
In Pittsburgh, two-time Super Bowl MVP, Brady turned in a masterful performance at a bitterly cold Heinz Field, completing 15 of 22 passes for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns to improve his playoff record to 8-0.
“This team just has great determination and keeps answering the bell,” Brady said. “Pittsburgh had a great defense and we did a great job protecting the ball.”
Pittsburgh’s rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger entered the game a perfect 15-0 as a starter but in the playoff pressure cooker looked every bit a first year player, throwing three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. The Patriots wasted no time making Roethlisberger aware he was in for a long, cold evening when Eugene Wilson intercepted his opening pass and Adam Vinatieri quickly converted the turnover into a 3-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal.
Brady then went to work hitting Deion Branch with a 60-yard touchdown pass and David Givens with another nine-yard strike.
Rodney Harrison completed a miserable opening half for chilled Steelers fans, picking off Roethlisberger and returning the ball 87 yards for another touchdown, giving the Patriots a commanding 24-3 lead into the intermission. The Steelers came out for the second half with a little more passion, Jerome Bettis bulling over from five yards to trim the Patriots advantage to 24-10.
Corey Dillon answered for New England, scrambling 25 yards for a touchdown but the Steelers rallied again, Roethlisberger hitting Hines Ward with a 30-yard scoring strike and Jeff Reed booting a 20-yard field goal to get within 11 points at 31-20.
However, Branch rumbled 23-yards for his second touchdown of the night and Vinatieri added another field goal to re-establish the Patriots’ 21-point advantage.
Pittsburgh’s Plaxico Burress ambled into the endzone with less than a minute remaining to complete the scoring.
“I’m just so proud of our players,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after tying Vince Lombardi for the best playoff coaching record at 9-1. “They’ve played so well in the big games.
“I’m just fortunate to have such an outstanding group of men on this team.”
