Super Bowl XXXIV

Super Bowl XXXIV
DateJanuary 30, 2000 (2000-01-30)
StadiumGeorgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
MVPKurt Warner, quarterback
FavoriteRams by 7[1][2]
RefereeBob McElwee
Attendance72,625[3]
Ceremonies
National anthemFaith Hill
Coin tossSuper Bowl IV participants:
Halftime show
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
AnnouncersAl Michaels, Boomer Esiason, Lesley Visser and Lynn Swann
Nielsen ratings43.3
(est. 88.5 million viewers)[4]
Market share63
Cost of 30-second commercial$1.9 million
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
AnnouncersHoward David, Matt Millen and John Dockery

Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Tennessee Titans 23–16 to claim their first Super Bowl win and first NFL championship since 1951.[5] It is the most recent NFL championship in which both teams were seeking their first Super Bowl title.

Both teams were returning to the postseason after struggles and a move between cities. Led by The Greatest Show on Turf offense, the Rams entered their second Super Bowl appearance with an NFC-best 13–3 regular-season record. It was the franchise's first playoff run since 1989 and first since moving from Los Angeles to St. Louis. The Titans also finished the regular season 13–3 and advanced to their Super Bowl debut as a wild card.[6] In their first season after retiring the Oilers name, the franchise was making their first playoff run since 1993 and first since moving from Houston to Tennessee.

The Rams scored three field goals by halftime and added a third-quarter touchdown to take a 16–0 lead. The Titans responded with 16 straight points to tie the game near the end of regulation, the first time a Super Bowl team had erased a deficit of more than 10 points. On their ensuing drive, the Rams regained the lead with wide receiver Isaac Bruce's 73-yard touchdown. Super Bowl XXXIV is best remembered for its final play, in which the Titans reached St. Louis' 10-yard line with six seconds remaining, but linebacker Mike Jones tackled wide receiver Kevin Dyson one yard short of the goal line to prevent a potential game-tying (or winning, if the Titans decided to go for a two-point conversion) touchdown. The play became known as "One Yard Short" and "The Tackle".[7] Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, the first undrafted quarterback to win a Super Bowl, was named Super Bowl MVP after setting Super Bowl records for passing yards and pass attempts without an interception.[8][9][10] Warner became the sixth player to win Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP in a single season, a feat that would go unrepeated for 23 seasons.[11]

The game has been called the "Dot-com Super Bowl" for the large amount of advertisements purchased by dot-com companies.[12][13][14][15] Regarded as one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, it was featured on NFL's Greatest Games as "The Longest Yard".

  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. ^ "Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16". NFL.com. January 31, 2000. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "Historical Super Bowl Nielsen TV Ratings, 1967–2009 – Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  5. ^ Super Bowl XXXIV Sandler, Michael (2001). Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams Super Bowl XXXIV. Bearport Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59716-539-6.
  6. ^ Sandler (2001) p. 5
  7. ^ Sandler (2001) p. 8
  8. ^ "Super Bowl Records: Individual - Passing". NFL.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  9. ^ Brenner, Richard (2000). Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. East End Publishing. ISBN 0-943403-61-8.
  10. ^ Warner's single game yardage record would later be broken by Tom Brady in Super Bowl LI.
  11. ^ Following Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith, and Steve Young. Patrick Mahomes became the next player to win both in 2022's Super Bowl LVII.
  12. ^ Shroeder, Charlie (February 2, 2008). "The Dot-Com Super Bowl". Weekend America. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  13. ^ Basich, Zoran (January 19, 2010). "Super Bowl Lures HomeAway, 10 Years After Dot-Com Debacle". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  14. ^ "ESPN.com: NFL Playoffs 99". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  15. ^ "ESPN.com: NFL Playoffs 99". March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.