HOUSTON (Ticker) -- It was deja Vinatieri.
Adam Vinatieri again delivered when it counted, drilling a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left to lift the New England Patriots to a thrilling 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Vinatieri's winning kick came two years after he booted a 48-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
"I was very fortunate to get a great opportunity again," said Vinatieri, who had missed a 31-yard field goal and had a 36-yarder blocked in the first half. "I looked up and it was right down the middle."
The win was the 15th in a row for the Patriots (17-2), the longest single-season streak since the 1972 Miami Dolphins competed a 17-0 season.
Tom Brady orchestrated the winning drive in nearly identical fashion to two years ago, when he completed five passes for 53 yards before Vinatieri's kick on the game's final play.
This time, Brady completed four passes for 47 yards in the final 68 seconds after John Kasay's kickoff went out of bounds, giving New England possession at the 40.
And just like two years ago, Brady again walked off with the MVP award, matching quarterbacks Bart Starr of Green Bay and Terry Bradshaw of Pittsburgh. Joe Montana of San Francisco is the only three-time Super Bowl MVP.
"I'm just so proud to be the quarterback of this organization and none of it would be possible without the guys on the team and this coaching staff," Brady said.
Recently compared to Montana by an authority none other than Bill Walsh, Brady set a Super Bowl record with 32 completions in 48 attempts for 354 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
"Tom's a winner," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He does what he needs to do to make the team win. He does that as well as anybody."
But Jake Delhomme nearly won it for the underdog Panthers (14-6), passing for 323 yards and three touchdowns and erasing an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit.
After being baffled by Belichick's defensive scheme most of the first half, Delhomme threw for 237 yards in the second half, including the longest scrimmage play in Super Bowl history - an 85-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad that gave the Panthers their first lead at 22-21 with 6:53 left.
It marked the first time the Patriots had trailed since a November 23 game here at Reliant Stadium. But there was no panic from Brady, who calmly directed an 11-play, 68-yard drive in four minutes capped by unlikely source.
Linebacker Mike Vrabel, who has been used as a blocking tight end, caught a one-yard TD pass with 2:51 left and Kevin Faulk scored the two-point conversion on a direct snap, giving the Patriots a 29-22 lead.
Vrabel also had two sacks and forced a fumble that set up New England's first touchdown.
But Delhomme, a backup who was cut three times in six years by New Orleans before signing with Carolina, had plenty of fight left, as did veteran receiver Ricky Proehl, who was on the losing end of Super Bowl XXXVI with the St. Louis Rams.
Ironically, Proehl caught the tying 26-yard touchdown pass before Brady's final drive and Vinatieri's winning kick two years ago. This time, he caught a 12-yard scoring toss from Delhomme with 68 seconds left.
"It's like deja vu, a nightmare all over again," Proehl said. "What can you say? With a little over a minute, you give Tom Brady and his offense the ball, and all they need is 25 yards, it's tough."
Kasay's ensuing kickoff out of bounds put Brady in the driver's seat.
"I caught it just a little late," Kasay said. "I was just trying to make a really good kick. I got a little high and a little outside on the ball. We needed a really good kick and I didn't get it done."
The first NFC team to win three playoff games to reach the Super Bowl, the Panthers had been 7-0 in games decided by three points or less.
Amazingly, the game was slightly more than three minutes from the first scoreless first half in Super Bowl history, thanks to the early ineffectiveness of Vinatieri and Delhomme.
Brady threw five-yard TD passes to Branch and Givens, each of which were answered by scores by the Panthers, leaving the Patriots with a 14-10 halftime lead.
