HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Two years ago, the New England Patriots celebrated their first Super Bowl title and the Carolina Panthers were a 1-15 train wreck.
On Sunday, the teams will meet in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
The Patriots have 24 players on the active roster from their championship team under coach Bill Belichick. With Tom Brady in his first year as a starting quarterback, New England was tagged as a 14-point underdog against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. But a masterful defensive game plan by Belichick, a last-minute scoring drive engineered by Brady and a 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri as time expired lifted the Patriots to a 20-17 victory.
This time, New England is the favorite after reeling off 14 straight victories - the second-longest single-season winning streak in NFL history. Only the 17-0 Miami Dolphins in 1972 had a longer streak.
"Winning 14 in a row is great, but if there's not a 15th, it's all for nothing," said Brady, the Super Bowl XXXVI Most Valuable Player who is 5-0 in the postseason and 39-12 overall as a starter.
Fifteen is the NFL single-season record for consecutive losses set by Carolina in 2001. Ironically, New England handed the Panthers their 15th straight defeat, 38-6 at Ericsson Stadium on January 6, 2002. Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law scored on a 46-yard interception return, Troy Brown returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown and Antowain Smith scored on a 32-yard run for the Patriots.
That was the last game for former Panthers coach George Seifert, who was fired after the season and replaced by John Fox.
"The energy had been sucked out of our organization and out of our fan base," said Panthers owner Jerry Richardson who brought the franchise into the NFL in 1995.
Fox improved the Panthers to 7-9 in his first year. After general manager Marty Hurney and Fox signed running back Stephen Davis and quarterback Jake Delhomme as free agents and drafted starting right tackle Jordan Gross and cornerback Ricky Manning Jr., Carolina made the quantum leap to NFC champions for the first time in the franchise's nine-year existence.
The Panthers swept the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, matched an NFL record with seven wins by three points or less and captured the NFC South title with an 11-5 record. In the playoffs, the Panthers allowed just two touchdowns and seven field goals in beating Dallas (29-10), St. Louis (29-23 2OT) and Philadelphia (14-3).
Fox built the team around defense and a run-oriented attack. The strength of the team revolves around a line with Pro Bowler Kris Jenkins at tackle and Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker, who combined for 19 sacks, at the ends.
Davis rushed for a career 1,444 yards and DeShaun Foster provides the Panthers with a breakaway threat in the backfield. That takes much of the pressure of Delhomme, who attempted just 14 passes and threw for 101 yards in the NFC championship game win over Philadelphia.
Manning was the star of that game with three interceptions of Donovan McNabb. The 5-8 Manning had the interception in overtime that preceded Steve Smith's winning 69-yard touchdown catch in the second overtime.
Smith, who led the Panthers with 88 catches for 1,110 yards in the regular season, will be matched up against Law.
In New England's 24-14 win over Indianapolis in the AFC championship game, Law picked off NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning three times as the Patriots recorded five turnovers and four sacks. Vinatieri kicked five field goals and Brady threw for 237 yards and a touchdown.
Under Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, the Patriots allowed the fewest points (238) in the league this season. With Belichick's assortment of blitzes, multiple fronts and disguised coverages, New England has allowed a total of 75 points in their last five playoff wins.
Strong safety Rodney Harrison and inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi, the team's leading tacklers, were snubbed in the Pro Bowl voting along with safety Rodney Harrison. Defensive end Richard Seymour and Law were the only Patriots selected to the Pro Bowl before outside linebacker Willie McGinest was named as an injury replacement.
Both teams came here to play the Houston Texans during the regular season. The Patriots escaped with a 23-20 win when Vinatieri kicked a 28-yard field goal with 41 seconds left in the overtime on November 23. The Panthers weren't as fortunate, falling to the Texans, 14-10 on November 2.
The only previous Super Bowl played in Houston was 30 years ago when the Miami Dolphins beat the Minnesota Vikings, 24-7 at Rice Stadium.
This is the Patriots' fourth overall appearance in the Super Bowl. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears and fell to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.
