Super Bowl XLI

"2007 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2007 season, see Super Bowl XLII.

Super Bowl XLI
DateFebruary 4, 2007 (2007-02-04)
StadiumDolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
MVPPeyton Manning, quarterback
FavoriteColts by 7[1][2]
RefereeTony Corrente[3]
Attendance74,512[4]
Ceremonies
National anthemBilly Joel
Coin tossDan Marino and Norma Hunt[5]
Halftime showPrince and the Florida A&M University Marching 100
TV in the United States
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersJim Nantz, Phil Simms, Steve Tasker, Solomon Wilcots, Sam Ryan and Lesley Visser
Nielsen ratings42.6 (national)[6]
(est. 93.2 million viewers)[7]
50.2 (Chicago)[8]
55.5 (Indianapolis)
Market share64 (national)
77 (Chicago)
83 (Indianapolis)
Cost of 30-second commercialUS$2.6 million[9]
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
AnnouncersMarv Albert, Boomer Esiason, John Dockery and Bonnie Bernstein

Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2006 season. The Colts defeated the Bears by the score of 29–17. The game was played on February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This was the first and to date, only Super Bowl win for an AFC South team.

This was the first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXX in which neither team was seeking its first title. It featured two teams ending long Super Bowl appearance droughts. The Colts, who finished with a 12–4 regular season record, were making their first Super Bowl appearance since winning Super Bowl V in the 1970 season during the team's tenure in Baltimore; they had moved to Indianapolis in 1984. Meanwhile, the Bears, who posted an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record, were making their first appearance since winning Super Bowl XX in the 1985 season.[10] The Bears' Lovie Smith and the Colts' Tony Dungy became the first African-American head coaches to coach in the Super Bowl, with Dungy the first to win.[11][12][13][14][15] It was also only the second championship game or series in any of the four North American major professional sports leagues to feature two African-American head coaches or managers, the other being the 1975 NBA Finals.[16][17][18][19]

In the first Super Bowl played in rainy conditions, the Colts overcame a 14–6 first-quarter deficit to outscore the Bears 23–3 in the last three quarters. Chicago posted the then-earliest lead in Super Bowl history when returner Devin Hester ran back the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown after 14 seconds had elapsed (a record later broken in Super Bowl XLVIII when the Seattle Seahawks scored a safety 12 seconds into the game). The Colts forced five turnovers, including cornerback Kelvin Hayden's 56-yard interception return for a touchdown. Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri also scored three field goals. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP), completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, with one interception for a passer rating of 81.8.

CBS's broadcast of the game was watched by an estimated average of 93.2 million viewers, making it at the time the fifth most watched program in U.S. television history.[citation needed] The halftime show, headlined by the musician Prince, peaked at 140 million viewers, and was widely acclaimed by music critics.[20]

  1. ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". Sporting News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Super Bowl History". Vegas Insider. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  3. ^ NFL.com. "Corrente to referee first Super Bowl". Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
  4. ^ "Super Bowl Summaries" (PDF). 2019 NFL Postseason Media Guide. NFL Enterprises, LLC. January 2, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "Goodell wants players held accountable". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 2, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Blockbuster: Best Super Bowl Ratings In 7 Years". publications.mediapost.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
  7. ^ Colts-Bears draws No. 3 audience of all time Archived February 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine SuperBowl.com, February 5, 2007.
  8. ^ Feder, Robert (February 6, 2007). "Super Bowl ratings fall short of record". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference price was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Colts and Bears Make Super Bowl History". NPR.org. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dungy becomes first black coach to win Super Bowl". ESPN.com. February 5, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Black History Month: Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith coaching in Super Bowl XLI inspired a generation of players". CBSSports.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "Black History Month:NFL Coaches Lovie Smith & Tony Dungy Made History in Super Bowl XLI". wltx.com. February 5, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Bedford, Earl. "The Rise of Black Coaches in the NFL: It Started With Tony Dungy". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "A Racial Milestone for the Super Bowl". NPR.org. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  16. ^ "NFL Moments That Defined The 2000s". Sports Illustrated. June 3, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "Re-visiting Super Bowl XLI 15 years later". Yardbarker. March 2, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "DUNGY, SMITH CHANGE FACE OF THE GAME". Hartford Courant. February 4, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  19. ^ "League boasts legacy of minority coaches". The Mercury News. February 4, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hoekstra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).