This has to be one of the most underrated moments in Super Bowl history. The game itself has been rightfully hailed as one of the most exciting games ever watched on the big stage, and Vinatieri’s field goal at the end is a guaranteed highlight in any Super Bowl discussion.

However, it is often lost what happened in the fourth quarter.

Picture this...

The first three quarters of Super Bowl XXXVIII were not much to write home about. There was virtually no offense in the first quarter. In fact this game remained scoreless longer than any other Super Bowl.

The end of the first half did provide a lot of excitement, and fans expected the excitement to continue in the third quarter, but it was again a defensive struggle. Going into the fourth quarter the Patriots led the Panthers 14-10.

And then it began.

First, the Patriots, who had already begun moving the ball at the end of the third quarter, scored a touchdown and got some much-needed breathing room. They were ahead 21-10 and hoped to hold down the Panthers' offense.

For much of the game this had been a simple task, but the Panthers' dormant offense began to come to life. They moved the ball and answered with a touchdown of their own. They opted for the two point conversion to try to make it a field-goal game, but failed.

Ahead by five points, the Patriots got the ball back, and quarterback Tom Brady led his team down the field. He was shredding the Panthers' defense with ease, and guided his team deep into the red zone.

It appeared that the Patriots were going to finally take control of the game, and the game would finally start playing out like so many had predicted. Despite what was happening, no one could have predicted what happened next.

Brady, who rarely (if ever) turned the ball over in the postseason, was intercepted, and the Panthers were back in business. Jake Delhomme threw an 85-yard strike to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad for a touchdown. The pass was the longest score in Super Bowl history.

With the touchdown, Carolina went ahead, 22-21 but failed on the two point conversion attempt.

It would prove costly as Tom Brady and the Patriots refused to lose; the Pats had not lost since Week Four of the regular season. Brady led them back downfield and scored quickly on a trick-play pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel.

Then came the direct snap on a two-point conversion that made the score 29-22. Fans were now on their feet. The action was incredible, and it wasn’t letting up. 

The Panthers had a long way to go, and not much time to do it. They needed to tie the score quickly, and hope for overtime. A team that relied on the running game so often had to keep passing—and they did.

Right down the field they went, and they tied the score with a touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl. No one could believe it. The Panthers had answered the Patriots punch for punch, but unfortunately for the Panthers, there was over a minute left on the clock.

It was déjà vu for New England. Brady had led the game-winning drive against the Rams only two years earlier, and had the chance to do it again.

John Kasay’s kickoff went out of bounds and gave the Patriots good field position. The stage was set. The Patriots moved the ball flawlessly against a tired Panthers defense.

All was set for Vinatieri’s latest heroics. He lined up for another Super Bowl-winning kick. The crowd was cheering as the biggest game in the world hinged on his foot.

He lined up…He kicked…Right down the middle. Patriots win, 32-29.

The two teams combined for 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three years, writing another chapter in what would prove a dynasty.

However, what makes this fourth quarter great is what I will explain here.

You had the Cardiac Cats from Carolina. They were a team who had won seven games by seven points or fewer during the season. They routinely made their fans sweat game after game. They won on last-second touchdowns, last-second field goals and in wild overtimes.

Even the playoffs were no exception, as the Panthers barely slipped past the Rams in double overtime with a 69-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith.

The Super Bowl was no different when they took on an opponent that was supposed to destroy them, and they found themselves down over and over again.

They were unshaken as Delhomme led them downfield, as he did so many times that season, and tied the game to set them up for a familiar overtime. But what makes it great is that for once, that wasn’t enough. For once, their vaunted defense could not hold back a relentless offense.

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