Adam Vinatieri's 41-yard field goal ended the Carolina Panthers amazing season. (AP Photo)

Vinatieri's 41-yard field goal with four seconds left gave the Patriots a 32-29 victory for their second Super Bowl victory in three seasons. The Panthers were left to wonder what might have been.

"I know I'm very, very proud of my football team," said Panthers head coach John Fox. "I hope everybody is very proud of us."

The first quarter was scoreless, only the fifth time in Super Bowl history that two teams had shut each other out in the first period and the first since 1992 (Washington/Buffalo). Delhomme struggled as the Panthers running game was shut down almost completely. The Panthers defense hung on for dear life, blocking one Adam Vinatieri field goal and withstanding another missed attempt.

Most of the second quarter went by the same way until Delhomme fumbled on his own 19-yard line after a blindside rush by Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel forced the ball loose and defensive tackle Richard Seymour recovered it at the Carolina 20-yard line.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hit wide receiver Deion Branch over the middle with a five-yard touchdown pass that broke the scoreless tie with 3:10 remaining in the half, the longest a Super Bowl had ever gone without a first score.

	Jake Delhomme shook off a sluggish start to complete 16-of-33 passes for 323 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. (AP Photo)

Suddenly the Panthers offense sprang to life. Delhomme led the Panthers on an eight-play, 95-yard drive that only took 1:58 off the clock. The drive, the second longest in Super Bowl history, culminated with a Delhomme-to-Steve Smith touchdown pass from 39 yards out.

New England struck right back. Brady completed four of six passes for 78 yards, and with 23 seconds remaining hit wide receiver David Givens with another five-yard touchdown pass to put the Patriots back in front, 14-7.

Carolina took advantage of a short kickoff, which Kris Mangum returned to the Panthers 47-yard line. After a 21-yard run by Stephen Davis, the Panthers called timeout with five seconds left. John Kasay booted a 50-yard field goal as the first half expired to make it 14-10.

The third quarter was much like the first. Neither team scored, but the quarter ended with New England on the Carolina four-yard line.

On the second play of the fourth quarter, Patriots running back Antowain Smith scored on a two-yard run that extended the New England lead to 21-10.

The Panthers pounced right back. DeShaun finished a six-play, 81-yard drive with a 33-yard touchdown run, the fourth-longest run in Super Bowl history. Carolina failed on their two-point attempt and the score was 21-16.

New England drove down the field and threatened to extend their lead once again, but Reggie Howard intercepted Tom Brady's pass in the end zone and returned it to the 10-yard line.

Three plays later, Delhomme hit Muhsin Muhammad behind the defense, and the veteran wide receiver took it 85 yards for a touchdown and the Panthers first lead of the game, 22-21, with 7:06 remaining in the game. Again, the Panthers went for two and failed.

New England answered again. The Patriots drove 68 yards in 11 plays, with Brady hitting linebacker Mike Vrabel with a one-yard touchdown. New England converted their two-point attempt and led 29-22 with 2:55 remaining.

The Panthers once again returned serve. Delhomme drove his team 80 yards on just seven plays, hitting Ricky Proehl across the middle for a 12-yard touchdown that tied the game with 1:13 left in the game.

But that was enough time for Brady to mount one last scoring drive. He completed five-of-six passes 37 yards to set up Vinatieri at the Carolina 31-yard line. And for the second time in three years, Vinatieri made the game-winning kick in the Super Bowl.

It was a kick in the gut for the Panthers, who displayed the heart, the talent and the will to be champions. For once, time ran out on them.

"It's hard right now," said Delhomme, who finished with a quarterback rating of 113.6. "But we knew it was going to be tough."