Here’s a question I’ve yet to tackle here on this site: If I could go back in time and attend one of the Patriots’ five Super Bowl victories simply as a fan, which one would it be?
I’m sure some of you have been lucky enough to go to one, or maybe a few of them, or maybe even all of them. I’ve never been so fortunate, but the No. 1 item on my all-time life bucket list is to attend a Super Bowl someday (honestly, I wouldn’t even care if the Patriots were in it, I just want to experience the entire event … though seeing the Pats would make it significantly more fun). I feel like I won’t be checking that one off any time soon, but don’t rule me out …
On the other hand, however, if time travel was an actual thing and I could only go back and attend one of the previous five Super Bowls, I would have to put a LOT of thought into which one I would choose.
So here’s the breakdown. I’ve often said that Super Bowl 49 was my favorite. That’s mainly because it was the title that broke the Spygate curse, and also because it was the first title the Pats won in which I was old enough to truly appreciate what winning the Super Bowl meant. But at the same time, if I was time traveling, I could go back to the original three Super Bowls at my current age and soak them all in.
I would narrow my choices down to Super Bowl 49 (my favorite Super Bowl), Super Bowl 36 (the team’s first Super Bowl win), and Super Bowl 38 (one of the wildest and craziest football games I’ve ever watched, plus it would be cool to say I saw the “wardrobe malfunction” live).
Super Bowl 36 would be neat because, as mentioned above, it was the team’s first championship. Also, it was like the football equivalent of Rocky Balboa defeating Ivan Drago. The 2001 Rams were one of the most dominant teams in NFL history, while the 2001 Patriots were the little guy in the corner who came out of nowhere, with a 24-year-old quarterback in his first year as a starter. They were 14-point underdogs; literally NOBODY gave them a chance to win, and yet Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal at the New Orleans Superdome remains arguably the greatest single moment in Patriots history.
Super Bowl 38 would be fun because 2003 was the season in which the Patriots established themselves as the dominant team of the decade. They finished the season by winning 15 straight games, capping it off with the big game in Houston … which turned out to be one of the most thrilling Super Bowl games of all time. It was a back-and-forth whirlwind, especially in the fourth quarter, when the Patriots and the Panthers combined for 37 total points – a Super Bowl record. And once again, it culminated with another game-winning field goal by Vinatieri. It was a 32-29 victory for the Pats, and their second title in three years. The dynasty was about to be born.
Lastly, Super Bowl 49 would be special because it finally snapped 10 years of everything falling apart in the playoffs, and because Malcolm Butler’s goal line interception with 20 seconds left in the game remains my single happiest moment as a sports fan. The only way I can ever imagine that moment being topped would be if I could witness it live. And as an added bonus, I would get to see a live performance by Left Shark at halftime.
With all factors considered, I think I would have to choose Super Bowl 49. I went absolutely bonkers three years ago when I watched that game at my friend’s apartment. I can only imagine what it would’ve been like to actually be there.
Enough about me. If you were a time-traveling Pats fan, which Super Bowl would you choose? Let me know in the comments below.