Super Bowl XXXIV
St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
MVP: QB Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams

Photograph by: Associated Press Rams quarterback Kurt Warner was named the Super Bowl MVP. It was 1 yard, separating those who might enjoy glory from those lost eventually in historical anonymity as Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackled Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson at the 1 as time expired. Jeff Wilkins kicked field goals of 27, 29 and 28 yards to give the Rams a 9-0 lead at the intermission. Kurt Warner, who completed 24-of-45 passes without an interception, fired a dart to rookie Torry Holt for a 9-yard score with 7:20 left in the third. Tennessee, down 16-0 late in the third, had tied the score at 16 with little more than two minutes left, setting up one of the best finishes in Super Bowl history. The Titans had come back with a pair of short Eddie George touchdown runs, and a 43-yard Al Del Greco field goal to tie the game. NFL MVP and Super Bowl XXXIV MVP Kurt Warner took control of the Rams offense at the St. Louis 27 with 2:12 left, the game tied and all the momentum resting with the Titans. Isaac Bruce caught the 73-yard bomb that would eventually stand as the game-winner over a Titans team that barely ran out of time.

Super Bowl XXXIV Drive Charts and Play-by-Play

St. Louis won the coin toss and elected to receive.

Possession and Drives

St Louis Rams

#   TIME  TIME  TIME HOW BALL   DRIVE   #  YDS  YDS  NET  1ST  LAST HOW GIVEN UP
    RECD  LOST  POSS OBTAINED   BGN  PLAY GAIN  PEN  YDS DOWN  SCRM
1  15:00  9:40  5:20 Kickoff    SL31   12   40    0   40    3 *TT17 Downs
2   5:48  3:00  2:48 Missed FG  SL37    6   54    0   54    2 *TT9  Field Goal
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3   0:39 14:48  0:51 Punt       SL31    6   53    0   53    1 *TT16 Missed FG
4   9:29  4:16  5:13 Punt       SL16   11   63   10   73    6 *TT11 Field Goal
5   3:38  0:15  3:23 Punt       SL23   13   72   -5   67    6 *TT10 Field Goal

6  11:19  7:20  3:59 Blocked FG SL32    8   68    0   68    4 *TT9  TD
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7   0:14 14:36  0:38 Kickoff    SL37    3   -1   -5   -6    0  SL31 Punt
8   7:21  6:17  1:04 Kickoff    SL21    3    2    0    2    0  SL23 Punt
9   2:12  1:54  0:18 Kickoff    SL27    1   73    0   73    1  SL27 TD

                  (255) Average SL28

Tennessee Titans

#   TIME  TIME  TIME HOW BALL   DRIVE   #  YDS  YDS  NET  1ST  LAST HOW GIVEN UP
    RECD  LOST  POSS OBTAINED   BGN  PLAY GAIN  PEN  YDS DOWN  SCRM
1   9:40  5:48  3:52 Downs      TT29    8   42    0   42    2  SL29 Missed FG
2   3:00  0:39  2:21 Kickoff    TT16    4   14    0   14    1  TT30 Punt
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3  14:48  9:29  5:19 Missed FG  TT24    9   34   -5   29    3  SL47 Punt
4   4:16  3:38  0:38 Kickoff    TT26    3    0    0    0    0  TT26 Punt
5   0:15  0:00  0:15 Kickoff    TT20    1   -1    0   -1    0  TT20 Half

6  15:00 11:19  3:41 Kickoff    TT28    8   43    0   43    3  SL29 Blocked FG
7   7:20  0:14  7:06 Kickoff    TT34   12   66    0   66    5 *SL1  TD
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8  14:36  7:21  7:15 Punt       TT21   13   79    0   79    6 *SL2  TD
9   6:17  2:12  4:05 Punt       TT47    8   28    0   28    2  SL25 Field Goal
10  1:54  0:00  1:54 Kickoff    TT12   10   62   25   87    5 *SL10 Game

                  (257) Average TT26
* inside opponent's 20

Time of Possession by Quarter

                       1st    2nd    3rd    4th     OT  Total
St Louis Rams         8:47   8:48   4:13   1:46         23:34
Tennessee Titans      6:13   6:12  10:47  13:14         36:26

Kickoff Drive No.-Start Average

RAMS: 4-SL29      TITANS: 6-TT23

1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH Final St. Louis Rams 3 6 7 7 23 Tennessee Titans 0 0 6 10 16 Quarter Time Scoring Description Extra point Score 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th 4th 03:00 04:16 00:15 07:20 00:14 07:21 02:12 01:54 Rams Rams Rams Rams Titans Titans Titans Rams J Wilkins 27 yd Field Goal J Wilkins 29 yd Field Goal J Wilkins 28 yd Field Goal T Holt 9 yd pass from K Warner E George 1 yd run E George 2 yd run Del Greco 43 yd Field Goal I Bruce 73 yd pass from K Warner       J Wilkins Two-Point Attempt Failed Del Greco   J Wilkins   3 -   0   6 -   0   9 -   0 16 -   0 16 -   6 16 - 13 16 - 16 23 - 16

Scoring

1ST QUARTER

STL - FG, JEFF WILKINS 27 YD, 12:00. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards in 2:48. Key plays: Warner 32-yard pass to Holt to Tennessee 42; Warner 17-yard pass to Faulk to Tennessee 14. ST LOUIS 3-0

2ND QUARTER

STL - FG, JEFF WILKINS 29 YD, 10:44. Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards in 5:13. Key plays: Warner 11-yard pass to Bruce to St Louis 27; Warner 15-yard pass to Bruce to Tennessee 45; Warner 13-yard pass to Holt to Tennessee 32; Warner 15-yard pass to Holt to Tennessee 16. ST LOUIS 6-0 STL - FG, JEFF WILKINS 28 YD, 14:45. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards in 3:28. Key plays: Warner 16-yard pass to Holt on 3rd-and-13 to St Louis 36; Warner 18-yard pass to Holt to St Louis 47; Warner 15-yard pass to Bruce to Tennessee 38; Warner 17-yard pass to Hakim to Tennessee 21. ST LOUIS 9-0

3RD QUARTER

STL - TD, TORRY HOLT 9 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER (JEFF WILKINS KICK), 7:40. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards in 3:59. Key plays: Warner 8-yard pass to Faulk on 3rd-and-7 to St Louis 43; Warner 31-yard pass to Bruce to Tennessee 27; Warner 16-yard pass to Conwell to Tennessee 10. ST LOUIS 16-0 TEN - TD, EDDIE GEORGE 1 YD RUN (TWO-POINT CONVERSION FAILED), 14:46. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards in 7:06. Key plays: George 9-yard run to Tennessee 48; McNair 5-yard pass to Wycheck on 3rd-and-3 to St Louis 40; McNair 7-yard pass to Wycheck to St Louis 31; McNair 2-yard run on 3rd-and-1 to St Louis 29; McNair 23-yard run to St Louis 2. ST LOUIS 16-6

4TH QUARTER

TEN - TD, EDDIE GEORGE 2 YD RUN (AL DEL GRECO KICK), 7:39. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards in 7:15. Key plays: McNair 9-yard pass to Dyson on 3rd-and-6 to Tennessee 34; McNair 2-yard run on 4th-and-1 to Tennessee 45; McNair 21-yard pass to Byrd to St Louis 24; McNair 21-yard pass to Harris to St Louis 3. ST LOUIS 16-13 TEN - FG, AL DEL GRECO 43 YD, 12:48. Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards in 4:05. Key plays: McNair 11-yard run to St Louis 42; McNair 6-yard pass to Harris on 3rd-and-2 to St Louis 28; Byrd recovery of Harris fumble at St Louis 28. ST LOUIS 16, TENNESSEE 16 STL - TD, ISAAC BRUCE 73 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER (JEFF WILKINS KICK), 13:06. Drive: 1 play, 73 yards in 0:18. ST LOUIS 23, TENNESSEE 16

Field Goals - made( ) & missed:
St. Louis/Jeff Wilkins (27), 34WR, (29), (28); Tennessee/Al Del Greco 47WL, 47B, (43).

Interceptions:
None.

Fumbles lost:
None.

Opponent's fumbles recovered:
None.

Officials:
Referee-Bob McElwee, Umpire-Ron Botchan, Head Linesman-Earnie Frantz, Line Judge-Byron Boston, Field Judge-Al Jury, Side Judge-Tom Fincken, Back Judge-Bill Leavy.

Time:
3:28.

TEAM STATISTICS STL TEN

FIRST DOWNS 23 27 Rushing 1 12 Passing 18 13 Penalty 4 2 3RD-DOWN EFFICIENCY 5-12 6-13 4TH-DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1 1-1 TOTAL NET YARDS 436 367 Total plays 59 73 Average gain 7.4 5.0 NET YARDS RUSHING 29 159 Rushes 13 36 Average per rush 2.2 4.4 NET YARDS PASSING 407 208 Completed-attempted 24-45 22-36 Yards per pass 8.8 5.6 Sacked-yards lost 1-7 1-6 Had intercepted 0 0 PUNTS-AVERAGE 2-38.5 3-43.0 RETURN YARDAGE 63 121 Punts-returns 2-8 1-minus 1 Kickoffs-returns 4-55 5-122 Interceptions-returns 0-0 0-0 PENALTIES-YARDS 8-60 7-45 FUMBLES-LOST 2-0 1-0 TIME OF POSSESSION 23:34 36:26

Lineups

                St. Louis Rams                                Tennessee Titans
        OFFENSE                 DEFENSE                OFFENSE                 DEFENSE
WR 88 T.Holt             LE 93 K.Carter         WR 87 K.Dyson            LE 90 J.Kearse
LT 76 O.Pace             LT 99 R.Agnew          LT 72 B.Hopkins          LT 91 J.Evans
LG 61 T.Nutten           RT 75 D.Farr           LG 74 B.Matthews         RT 97 J.Fisk
 C 60 M.Gruttadauria     RE 98 G.Wistrom         C 60 K.Long             RE 99 K.Holmes
RG 62 A.Timmerman       LLB 52 M.Jones          RG 75 B.Olson           LLB 55 E.Robinson
RT 73 F.Miller          MLB 59 L.Fletcher       RT 69 J.Runyan          MLB 52 B.Wortham
TE 86 R.Williams        RLB 54 T.Collins        TE 89 F.Wycheck         RLB 58 J.Bowden
WR 80 I.Bruce           LCB 41 T.Lyght          WR 83 I.Byrd            LCB 25 D.Walker
QB 13 K.Warner          RCB 21 D.McCleon        QB  9 S.McNair          RCB 21 S.Rolle
FB 25 R.Holcombe         SS 22 B.Jenkins        RB 27 E.George           SS 23 B.Bishop
RB 28 M.Faulk            FS 35 K.Lyle           TE 88 J.Harris           FS 33 A.Dorsett

                SUBSTITUTIONS                                  SUBSTITUTIONS
P 2 M.Horan,K 14 J.Wilkins,S 23 D.Bush,RB 31    K 3 A.Del Greco,P-K 15 C.Hentrich,RB 20
A.Lee,CB 32 D.Bly,S 38 R.Coady,RB 42 J.Hodgins, R.Thomas,S 24 S.Jackson,CB 30 D.Mitchell,S 35
TE 45 J.Robinson,C 50 R.Tucker,LB 51 L.Styles,  P.Phenix,CB 37 D.Sidney,CB 38 G.McCullough,FB
LB 56 C.Clemons,LB 57 L.Little,LB 58 M.Morton,  41 L.Neal,LB 50 T.Killens,LB 51 G.Favors,LB 59
G 64 A.McCollum,WR 81 A.Hakim,WR 82 T.Horne,TE  D.Colman,G 66 J.Layman,DT 78 J.Thornton,WR 81
84 E.Conwell,WR 87 R.Proehl,DT 90 J.Zgonina,DT  C.Sanders,TE 84 L.Brown,WR 85 D.Mason,WR 86
95 N.Hobgood-Chittick,DE 96 J.Williams          J.Kent,DT-DE 92 H.Ford,DT 95 J.Salave'a,DT-DE

                DID NOT PLAY                                   DID NOT PLAY
QB 16 P.Justin,CB 20 T.Allen                    QB 14 N.O'Donnell,T 76 J.Mathews

                 NOT ACTIVE                                     NOT ACTIVE
QB 9 J.Germaine,S 24 R.Carpenter,RB 36          QB 13 K.Daft,RB 26 S.George,S 31 M.Robertson,
J.Watson,G 71 C.Spikes,T 77 M.Willig,WR 83      LB 54 P.Glover,C 62 C.Page,G 71 Z.Piller,WR 82
C.Thomas,LB 91 T.Pelshak,DE 92 L.Barnes         Y.Thigpen,DE 94 M.Frederick

St. Louis' Isaac Bruce is chased by Tennessee's Anthony Dorsett as Bruce scores the game-winning touchdown (AFP).

Warner connected with Isaac Bruce on a 73-yard scoring play with 1:54 remaining and Jones prevented overtime with a tackle of Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line to preserve a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome.

Mike Martz, the Rams' offensive coordinator who had planned to send in plays to quarterback Trent Green this season before losing him to a season-ending knee injury in an exhibition, called for "Twins right, Ace right, 999 halfback balloon." In Rams' talk, that means everyone go deep, and let Warner chuck it to the guy most open -- in this case wide receiver Isaac Bruce.

The Los Angeles Rams won the 1951 NFL championship with Norm Van Brocklin completing a 73-yard pass to Tom Fears late in the game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a 24-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Warner authored perhaps the most remarkable season in NFL history with a Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards, surpassing Joe Montana's mark of 357 yards in Super Bowl XXIII against Cincinnati.

"I always believed in myself and I got a whole bunch of people here that believed in me," said Warner, who completed 24-of-45 passes. "As long as I had those guys I was going to give them everything I had."

After toiling in virtual anonymity in the Arena League and NFL Europe, Warner became the NFL's most improbable Most Valuable Player during the season. Tonight, he completed the script with Super Bowl MVP honors.

"Kurt Warner is Kurt Warner. It is not a fairy tale, it is real life," Rams coach Dick Vermeil said. "He is an example of what we all like to be on and off the field. He is a great example of persistence and believing in himself and a deep faith."

The Rams (16-3), who relocated from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995, won their first NFL championship since 1951. They made their only previous Super Bowl appearance 20 years ago. Vermeil became only the fourth coach to take two franchises to a Super Bowl, guiding Philadelphia 19 years ago.

In defeat, the Titans staged the greatest rally in Super Bowl history, erasing a 16-0 third-quarter deficit. Al Del Greco's 43-yard field goal with 2:12 left tied the game.

Faced with having to prove he could orchestrate a game-winning, two-minute drill, Warner needed just one play to put St. Louis back into the lead. With the Rams at their 27, Warner lofted a pass down the right sideline before being knocked to the ground by defensive end Jevon Kearse. Bruce slowed a bit to make the catch over cornerback Denard Walker at the Tennessee 38, cut past safety Anthony Dorsett to the middle of the field and raced into the end zone.

"I was in a lot of man coverage out there and I felt I could beat that guy," said Bruce, who finished with six catches for 162 yards. "It was just a great play. Kurt threw it up and I knew I had to make an adjustment on the ball and God did the rest."

Titans quarterback Steve McNair calls out a play in the Super Bowl. (Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)

But Tennessee fought back as quarterback Steve McNair marched the Titans 78 yards in nine plays to the St. Louis 10 with six seconds left.

On the game's final play, McNair fired a pass to Dyson, who ran a quick slant from the right to the middle inside the 5. But as Dyson appeared to be heading toward the end zone, Jones reacted quickly from his outside linebacker position and made the tackle at the 1.

As Dyson vainly attempted to stretch the ball past the goal line while lying on the turf, Rams players leaped in celebration in perhaps the wildest ending in Super Bowl history.

"It was 3-on-2, the safety, myself and the DB on the tight end and the wide receiver," Jones said. "Both their guys went upfield, so I'm thinking they're going to run the tight end on the inside route. But I guess they must have been studying our defense, because he (Dyson) made a quick inside cut. I sam him plant in the cut, and I broke on it, and I ended up making the tackle and the game was over."

Tennessee's Kevin Dyson is tackled short of the goal line by St. Louis' Mike Jones on the final play (AP).

Dyson admitted he "definitely" thought he would score after catching the pass.

"As soon as I caught it I was thinking yellow paydirt," Dyson said. "When we called the play, I didn't think anybody would be in the middle of the field."

McNair escaped a strong rush from Kevin Carter and hit Dyson with a 16-yard pass to the 10 before the game's final play.

Bruce had six catches for 162 yards, rookie Torry Holt added seven for 109 and running back Marshall Faulk five for 90. Faulk, who set an NFL record for scrimmage yards this season, was held to 17 yards on 10 carries.

McNair was 22-of-36 for 214 yards. He was more effective as a runner, amassing a quarterback-record 64 yards on eight rushes. Tight ends Jackie Harris and Frank Wycheck combined for 12 catches for 99 yards.

"I believe you saw the real Steve McNair tonight," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "He did what we asked him to do. He left it on the field. That is what I told him. I told him we will be back. Don't ever forget this moment, because we will be back because he has got the heart of a champion."

The Titans (16-4) appeared in the Super Bowl for the first time in the history of the franchise. They were the sixth wild card team to reach the championship.

Panned in some circles this week as the "Hee-Haw Bowl," the surprise teams ended up staging perhaps the most dramatic Super Bowl of them all.

In Super Bowl V, Jim O'Brien kicked a 32-yard field goal in the final five seconds to give Baltimore a 16-13 victory over Dallas. In Super Bowl XXIII, Joe Montana threw a game-winning touchdown pass with 34 seconds left to give San Francisco a 20-16 victory over Cincinnati. In Super Bowl XXV, Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal and the New York Giants held on to beat Buffalo, 20-19.

Only those Super Bowls could rival this one for dramatic endings. Like Super Bowl XXV, this game featured no turnovers.

"I think we showed America what the Super Bowl is all about today," Vermeil said.

The Rams dominated for 2 1/2 quarters with their fast-break, PlayStation offense, compiling 294 yards in the first half. But after reaching the red zone on their five first-half possessions, they managed just three field goals by Jeff Wilkins.

Warner's nine-yard touchdown pass to Holt with 7:20 left in the third quarter increased St. Louis' lead to 16-0.

The touchdown came three plays after Titans safety Blaine Bishop had to be carted off the field with a neck injury. X-rays taken at Piedmont Hospital were negative.

Despite appearing deflated, the Titans put together a 12-play, 66-yard drive which resulted in a one-yard touchdown run by Eddie George with 14 seconds left in the quarter. However, McNair misfired on a conversion pass to Wycheck.

Tennessee pulled within 16-13 on George's second TD of the game, a second-effort two-yard run with 7:21 remaining.

After being held to 18 yards on seven carries in the first half, George had 77 yards on 21 carries in the second half.

"Even when we were down 16-0, there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to win the game," George said. "That's our mindset. That's the way it's been all year long."

The Rams spent most of the day exploiting Tennessee's secondary and rushed the ball only 13 times. Faulk finished with only 17 yards on 10 carries.

Wilkins kicked field goals of 27, 29 and 28 yards in the first half. He was wide right on a 34-yard attempt and lost a chance at another field goal when Mike Horan mishandled the snap.

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz promised during Super Bowl week he would be "aggressive," and he lived up to his word tonight as the Rams attempted 35 passes opposed to just eight running plays in the first half.

Warner was 19-of-35 for 277 yards, but was unable to get his team in the end zone in the half.

Expected to pound away at the Rams with their running game, the Titans attempted passes on 14 of their 24 offensive plays in the first half. They had one scoring threat which resulted in a missed 47-yard field goal attempt by Del Greco.

Warner's scoring pass to Holt came on a third-down play and capped a 68-yard drive. The key play was a 31-yard pass from Warner to Bruce, who again victimized Walker.

George rushed seven times for 26 yards on Tennessee's first scoring drive and produced 21 yards on its second drive, which consumed more than seven minutes.

After a three-and-out by St. Louis, Tennessee took over on its 47. McNair scrambled for 11 yards and George rushed for eight yards on the next two plays.

Tennessee received a major break on the next play when Harris caught a six-yard pass and had the ball jarred loose by safety Billy Jenkins. However, Isaac Byrd recovered the ball at the St. Louis 28 to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, Del Greco kicked a 43-yard field goal.

"We came back in the second half determined not to make those same mistakes as we did in the first half and things worked out good for us," McNair said. "We had a chance in the end, we just came up short."

Super Bowl XXXIV Photos

Photograph by: Dilip Vishwanat/The Sporting News Kevin Dyson tries to reach the endzone as he is tackled by Mike Jones on the final play of the Super Bowl.	Photograph by: John Gaps III/Associated Press Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson (87) tries but fails to get the ball into the end zone as he is tackled by St. Louis Rams' Mike Jones on the final play of Super Bowl XXXIV on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2000, in Atlanta. The Rams won 23-16.
Photograph by: John Bazemore/Associated Press St. Louis Rams wide receiver Issac Bruce (80) runs 73-yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as Tennessee Titans safety Anthony Dorsett (33) tries to tackle him during Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta, Sunday Jan.30, 2000.	Photograph by: Associated Press Rams quarterback Kurt Warner.
Photograph by: Dilip Vishwanat/The Sporting News Steve McNair scrambles away from Rams defenders in the waning moments of the Super Bowl.	Photograph by: Associated Press Titans quarterback Steve McNair.
Photograph by: Bob Leverone/The Sporting News Todd Lyght and Dre' Bly celebrate the blocked Titans field goal attempt early in the third quarter.	Photograph by: John Bazemore/Associated Press St. Louis Rams cornerback Todd Lyght (41) celebrates as Tennessee Titans kicker Al Del Greco (3) reacts to a missed field goal attempt in the third quarter during Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta, Sunday Jan.30, 2000.
Photograph by: Associated Press Titans kicker Al Del Greco (3).	Photograph by: Associated Press London Fletcher (59).
Photograph by: Bob Leverone/The Sporting News Jevon Kearse tries to recover a Rams fumble.	Photograph by: Robert Seale/The Sporting News Kurt Warner gets the ball off under pressure from Josh Evans.
Photograph by: Robert Seale/The Sporting News Titans quarterback Steve McNair is brought down by Rams defenders.	Photograph by: Associated Press Eddie George (27).
Photograph by: Albert Dickson/The Sporting News Ricky Proehl cuts to the outside after catching a pass early in the first quarter.	Photograph by: Associated Press Ricky Proehl.
Photograph by: Bob Leverone/The Sporting News The Titans' Blaine Bishop defends the Rams' Torry Holt.	Photograph by: Robert Seale/The Sporting News The Rams' Marshall Faulk tries to lose the Titans' Denard Walker.
Photograph by: Bob Leverone/The Sporting News Rams quarterback Kurt Warner is brought down by the facemask by the Titans' Jevon Kearse.	Photograph by: Albert Dickson/The Sporting News The Rams' Todd Collins stops the Titans' Jackie Harris.
Photograph by: Bob Leverone/The Sporting News Issac Bruce celebrates the Rams' Super Bowl win.	Photograph by: Doug Mills/Associated Press St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner holds up the Super Bowl trophy after the Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in Super Bowl XXXIV on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2000, in Atlanta. Warner was named Most Valuable Player in the game.