Photo Credit: The Boston Globe

By Zane Miller

On Sunday, February 6th, 2005, the New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX to win the 85th championship in NFL history. It was the third championship for the Patriots franchise as Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch won the Super Bowl MVP Award. The game was held at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning won the 2004 MVP Award, as Manning had 49 passing touchdowns and 4,557 passing yards. Ravens safety Ed Reed won the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year Award with nine interceptions, three forced fumbles and two sacks.

Out of Playoffs: Baltimore Ravens (9-7), Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7), Buffalo Bills (9-7), New Orleans Saints (8-8), Cincinnati Bengals (8-8), Kansas City Chiefs (7-9), Houston Texans (7-9), Carolina Panthers (7-9), Arizona Cardinals (6-10), Detroit Lions (6-10), New York Giants (6-10), Dallas Cowboys (6-10), Washington Redskins (6-10), Chicago Bears (5-11), Oakland Raiders (5-11), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11), Tennessee Titans (5-11), Miami Dolphins (4-12), Cleveland Browns (4-12), San Francisco 49ers (2-14)

Out in first round: Green Bay Packers (L 31-17 to Vikings), Seattle Seahawks (L 27-20 to Rams), San Diego Chargers (L 20-17 (OT) to Jets), Denver Broncos (L 49-24 to Colts)

Out in second round: Indianapolis Colts (L 20-3 to Patriots), New York Jets (L 20-17 (OT) to Steelers), St. Louis Rams (L 47-17 to Falcons), Minnesota Vikings (L 27-14 to Eagles)

Out in third round: Pittsburgh Steelers (L 41-27 to Patriots), Atlanta Falcons (L 27-10 to Eagles)

Most passing touchdowns: #18 Peyton Manning (Colts)- 49 TD

Most rushing touchdowns: #21 LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers)- 17 TD

Most receiving touchdowns: #87 Muhsin Muhammad (Panthers)- 16 TD

Most sacks: #93 Dwight Freeney (Colts)- 16 sacks

Most forced fumbles: #98 Robert Mathis (Colts)- 6 FF & 3 fumble recoveries

Most interceptions: #20 Ed Reed (Ravens)- 9 INT

Best field goal percentage (min. 12 attempts): #4 Adam Vinatieri (Patriots)- 31 for 33, 93.9%

Scoring Summary

Link to stats database: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2004/

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