Welcome to This Week in NFL History! Every week, the Research team will spotlight the anniversaries of notable events and birthdays.
Feb. 1
- Super Bowl MVP WR Santonio Holmes game-winning receiving TD with 35 seconds to play lifts the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 27-23 win vs the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII to conclude the 2008 season
- Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin became the youngest head coach (36 years, 323 days) in NFL history to win a Super Bowl
- Holmes: 9 rec, 131 rec yards & 1 rec TD (GW 6-yard rec TD with 35 seconds remaining)
- Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner: 377 pass yards, 3 pass TD, 1 int & 112.3 passer rating; 1 fumble lost
- Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald: 7 rec, 127 rec yards & 2 rec TD (1 of 5 players with 120+ rec yards & 2+ rec TD in a single Super Bowl; also HOF Jerry Rice, GB WR Antonio Freeman, WAS WR Ricky Sanders & GB WR Max McGee)
- New England defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks with CB Malcolm Butler's game-sealing interception in the Patriots' 28-24 win in Super Bowl XLIX to conclude the 2014 season
- Undrafted rookie (West Alabama) CB Malcolm Butler intercepted Seahawks QB Russell Wilson on second-and-goal at the 1 with 26 seconds remaining
- Patriots QB Tom Brady (Super Bowl MVP): 328 pass yards, 4 pass TD, 2 INT & 101.1 passer rating
- Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri made 41-yard GW FG with 4 seconds remaining to give the Patriots' their 2nd Super Bowl win in 3 seasons in their 32-29 vs the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII to conclude the 2003 season
- NE QB Tom Brady (Super Bowl MVP): 354 pass yards, 3 pass TD, 1 INT & 100.5 passer rating
- Panthers QB Jake Delhomme: 323 pass yards, 3 pass TD & 113.6 passer rating
- Panthers WR Steve Smith: 4 rec, 80 rec yards & 1 rec TD
Feb. 2
- The Seahawks defense stifled NFL MVP Peyton Manning in their only Super Bowl win in franchise history in the Seahawks' 43-8 win vs the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII to conclude the 2013 season
- SEA safety on DEN bad snap marked 1st time since at least 1991 that defense scored on first scrimmage play of playoff game (also CLE fumble recovery TD at PIT in 2020 Wild Card Rd)
- SEA WR Percy Harvin's 87-yard kickoff return TD to begin the 2nd half is 1 of 9 Super Bowl kickoff return TD of 85+ yards
- SEA LB Malcolm Smith (Super Bowl MVP): 69-yard INT return TD & 1 fumble recovery
- The NFL approves the sale of the Atlanta Falcons to owner Arthur Blank in 2002
- 157-146-1 W-L since 2002 (13th in NFL)
- Appeared in 2nd Super Bowl in franchise history in Super Bowl LI to conclude 2016 season (Lost 34-28 in OT vs Patriots)
Notable Birthdays: HOF George Halas, HOF Dave Casper (69), WR Donald Driver (46), MIN S Harrison Smith (32), LV CB Damon Arnette (25) & DET CB Jeff Okudah (22)
Feb. 3
- The Giants upset the 18-0 Patriots to prevent the 2nd perfect season in the Super Bowl era in the Giants' 17-14 win vs the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII to conclude the 2007 season
- NYG QB Eli Manning (Super Bowl MVP): 255 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 1 INT & 87.3 passer rating
- NYG WR David Tyree: 3 rec, 43 rec yards & 1 rec TD (Caught 32-yard pass on helmet on 3rd & 5 on the Giants' 44 with 1:15 left in the game trailing 14-10, 4 plays later Manning threw the GW 13-yard pass TD to WR Plaxico Burress with 0:35 seconds remaining)
- NE QB Tom Brady: 266 pass yards, 1 pass TD & 82.5 passer rating; 1 fumble lost & sacked 5 times (T-most in a playoff game)
- NE HC Bill Belichick & NE QB Tom Brady won their 1st of 6 Super Bowls together (most in Super Bowl history) vs NFL MVP Kurt Warner & the Rams in their 20-17 win in Super Bowl XXXVI to conclude the 2001 season
- Brady (Super Bowl MVP): 145 pass yards, 1 pass TD & 86.2 passer rating
- Warner: 365 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 2 INT & 78.3 passer rating; 1 rush TD
- Ty Law: 47-yd INT returned for TD
- K Adam Vinatieri kicked GW 48-yard FG with no time remaining
- NE HC Bill Belichick & NE QB Tom Brady won their 6th and final Super Bowl together vs the Rams in Super Bowl LIII to conclude the 2018 season
- 16 combined points in 13-3 Patriots win were fewest in Super Bowl history
- Game was tied 3-3 until 7:00 remaining in the 4th quarter (Sony Michel rush TD)
- Tom Brady: 262 pass yards, 0 pass TD, 1 INT, 71.4 passer rating
- NE Julian Edelman (Super Bowl MVP): 12 targets, 10 rec, 141 rec yards
- Rams offense (32.9 PPG in regular season, 2nd in NFL) held to only 3 points (T-fewest by a team in Super Bowl history)
- NE Stephon Gilmore intercepted deep pass by LAR Jared Goff with 4:24 remaining in the game (led to Patriots FG)
- BAL HC John Harbaugh defeated his brother SF HC Jim Harbaugh in the "Blackout Bowl" in the Ravens' 34-31 win vs the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII to conclude the 2012 season
- Ravens led 28-6 after BAL WR Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return TD (longest in Super Bowl history) to begin the 2nd half when the power at the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome went out for about 34 minutes (49ers out-scored Ravens 25-6 to end the game)
- BAL QB Joe Flacco (Super Bowl MVP): 287 pass yards, 3 pass TD & 124.2 passer rating (Finished 2012 postseason with 11 pass TD & 0 INT to tie HOF Joe Montana for most best TD-INT ratio (11-0) in NFL postseason history)
- SF QB Colin Kaepernick: 302 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT & 91.7 passer rating; 7 carries, 62 rush yards & 1 rush TD (Only player in Super Bowl history with 300+ pass yards & 60+ rush yards in a single Super Bowl)
- QB Michael Vick retired in 2017
- 4-time Pro Bowl selection & 2010 AP Comeback Player of the Year
- 6,109 career rush yards (Most by QB in NFL history)
- 1st QB in NFL history with 1,000+ rush yards in a single season (1,039 in 2006, Lamar Jackson is only QB to do so)
- Played 13 NFL seasons (ATL, PHI, NYJ & PIT)
Notable Birthdays: HOF Fran Tarkenton (81) & HOF Bob Griese (76)
Feb. 4
- IND QB Peyton Manning lead the Colts past CHI WR Devin Hester & the Bears in Colts' 29-17 win in Super Bowl XLI to conclude the 2006 season
- Only Super Bowl win by Colts since moving to Indianapolis
- Manning (Super Bowl MVP): 247 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT & 81.8 passer rating
- Hester: 92-yard kickoff return TD on first play of game (Only kickoff return TD on opening play of a Super Bowl)
- Super Bowl MVP QB Nick Foles leads the Eagles to their only Super Bowl win in franchise history in the Eagles' 41-33 win vs the Patriots in Super Bowl LII to conclude the 2017 season
- Foles: 373 pass yards, 3 pass TD, 1 INT & 106.1 passer rating; 1 rec TD (Only player to have 1+ pass TD & 1+ rec TD in a single Super Bowl, Foles' 1-yard rec TD on "Philly Special" put PHI up 22-12 with 34 seconds remaining in 1st half)
- NE QB Tom Brady: 505 pass yards, 3 pass TD & 115.4 passer rating; 1 fumble lost (Most pass yards in a single Super Bowl)
- Notable Birthdays: HOF Lawrence Taylor (62)
Feb. 5
- NE QB Tom Brady leads Patriots to largest comeback win (25-point deficit) in Super Bowl history in the Patriots' 34-28 win vs the Falcons in Super Bowl LI to conclude the 2016 season
- Only OT game in Super Bowl history
- Trailed 28-3 with 8:31 to play in 3rd quarter after 6-yard rec TD by ATL RB Tevin Coleman (Patriots out-scored Falcons 31-0 to end game)
- Brady: 466 pass yards, 2 pass TD & 95.2 passer rating (Set then-record for most pass yards in a single Super Bowl, broke his own record the next season in Super Bowl LII with 505)
- ATL QB Matt Ryan: 284 pass yards, 2 pass TD & 144.1 passer rating
- NYG QB Eli Manning & the Giants upset the Patriots for the 2nd time in 5 seasons in 21-17 win vs the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI to conclude the 2011 season
- Manning (Super Bowl MVP): 276 pass yards, 1 pass TD & 103.7 passer rating (Only QB with perfect playoff record (2-0) vs Brady & Patriots, min. 2 starts)
- NE QB Tom Brady: 276 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 1 INT & 91.1 passer rating
- PIT WR Hines Ward (Super Bowl MVP) caught a 43-yard rec TD from PIT WR Antwaan Randle El to seal the Steelers' 21-10 win vs the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL and conclude the 2005 season
- Steelers' 1st Super Bowl win since 1979 season; HOFers HC Bill Cowher & RB Jerome Bettis retired after win
- Ward: 5 rec, 123 rec yards & 1 rec TD
- Randle El is the only WR with a pass TD in Super Bowl history
- The Raiders hired HOF John Madden as their head coach in 1969
- 103-32-7 W-L record in 10 seasons as Raiders HC (Highest coaching win pct, .759, in NFL history min. 100 games coached)
- Super Bowl XI Champion (Raiders defeated Vikings 32-14 to conclude 1976 season)
Notable Birthdays: HOF Roger Staubach (79) & TB DT Vita Vea (26)
Feb. 6
- The Patriots defeated the Eagles for their 3rd Super Bowl win in 4 seasons (2nd team to do so, also 1992-1995 Cowboys) in 24-21 win vs the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX to conclude the 2004 season
- NE QB Tom Brady: 236 pass yards, 2 pass TD & 110.2 passer rating
- NE WR Deion Branch (Super Bowl MVP): 11 rec & 133 rec yards
- PHI QB Donovan McNabb: 357 pass yards, 3 pass TD, 3 INT & 75.4 passer rating
- PHI WR Terrell Owens: 9 rec & 122 rec yards (First game played since Week 15, had broken leg & torn ligament in ankle earlier in 2004 season)
- GB QB Aaron Rodgers (Super Bowl MVP) leads Packers to 31-25 win vs the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV to conclude the 2010 season
- First Packers Super Bowl win since 1996 season
- Rodgers: 304 pass yards, 3 pass TD & 111.5 passer rating
- PIT QB Ben Roethlisberger: 263 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 2 INT & 77.4 passer rating
- Notable Birthdays: FB Michael Robinson (38)
Feb. 7
- Super Bowl MVP Von Miller leads Broncos to 24-10 win vs the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 to conclude the 2015 season & Peyton Manning's career
- Miller: 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks & 2 forced fumbles (Only player with 2+ sacks & 2+ forced fumbles in the Super Bowl since fumbles were tracked in 2000)
- Manning: 141 pass yards, 1 INT & 56.6 passer rating (1 of 3 players in NFL history with 2+ NFL titles & 3+ NFL MVPS; also Tom Brady & Johnny Unitas)
- The Saints won their first & only Super Bowl in franchise history in their 31-17 win vs the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV to conclude the 2009 season
- NO QB Drew Brees (Super Bowl MVP): 32-39, 288 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 114.5 passer rating
- Trailing 10-6 at halftime, Saints recovered onside kick to begin 2nd half
- NO CB Tracy Porter's 74-yard INT return TD with 3:12 remaining extended the Saints lead to 14 (1 of 4 INT return TD in Super Bowl history of 70+ yards)
- Notable Birthdays: HOF Robert Brazile (68) & DET QB Matthew Stafford (33)
