The Greatest Show on Turf wins Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV was played on January 30, 2000, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The St. Louis Rams, champions of the NFC, faced off against the Tennessee Titans, champions of the AFC.
Super Bowl XXXIV, also known as the "dot-com" Super Bowl due to a large number of dot-com advertisements, was the last time two teams who had never won a Super Bowl before faced off.
The Rams had a stellar season, finishing with a record of 13-3, and pre-season expectations were generally dismissive of any success. They won their division and then defeated the Minnesota Vikings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the NFC Championship Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to advance to the Super Bowl. Undrafted quarterback Kurt Warner led the team's offense, completing 325 passes for 4,830 yards and 41 touchdowns, winning the MVP as a first-season starter, and the defense was led by defensive end Kevin Carter, who recorded 17 sacks that season, and defensive coordinator Peter Giunta.
The Titans also had a successful regular season, finishing with a record of 13-3. However, they had to enter the playoffs as a wild card, defeating the Buffalo Bills and then winning the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts to advance to Super Bowl XXXIV. Quarterback Steve McNair led the team's offense, but missed 5 games due to injury, with the team relying on running back Eddie George for production, and the defense was solid, led by defensive tackle Jevon Kearse, who recorded 14.5 sacks that season.
Super Bowl XXXIV was a close, hard-fought battle, with the Rams coming out on top in the end. The Rams led 9-0 at halftime; the Titans battled back to 16-16 with 2:12 remaining in the half before Kurt Warner found Isaac Bruce for a 75-yard touchdown on the next drive. McNair got the ball back with 1:48 to try to save the game, he led the drive all the way into the Red Zone, and then with the final play of the game, hit Kevin Dyson on a slant, but somehow linebacker Mike Jones produced "The tackle," as it is now known to stop Dyson 1 yard short of the goal line.
Warner was named the Super Bowl MVP after his outstanding performance, throwing for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns. The win marked the Rams' first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.