In 2001, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the NFL's week 2 games (September 16–17) were postponed and re-scheduled to the weekend of January 6–7. In order to retain the full playoff format, all playoff games, including Super Bowl XXXVI, were re-scheduled one week later. Division winners in the AFC were New England in the East, Pittsburgh in the Central, and Oakland in the West, with the Wild-Cards going to Miami, New York, and Baltimore. In the NFC, it was Philadelphia in the East, Chicago in the Central, and St.Louis in the West, with the Wild-Cards going to Green Bay, Tampa Bay, and San Francisco. In the AFC Wild-Card Playoffs, the Raiders would beat the Jets 38-24, while the Ravens would shut down the Dolphins 20-3. In the NFC, the Eagles would roll over the Buccaneers 31-9, while the Packers would get by the 49ers 25-15. In the AFC Divisional Playoffs, the Steelers would take care of the Ravens 27-10, while the Patriots-Raiders game is best remembered for a call near the end of the game with Oakland protecting a three-point lead.  The referees initially ruled that New England quarterback Tom Brady had fumbled on a pass attempt. Invoking the "tuck rule", where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward motion, the referee overturned the decision after reviewing the instant replay, calling the drop an incomplete pass rather than a fumble. As a result, the Patriots would win the game in overtime 16-13. In the NFC, the Eagles had no trouble with the Bears 33-19, while the Rams rolled over the Packers 45-17. In the conference championship games, the Patriots would build a 21-3 lead over the Steelers and hang on for a 24-17 win, while the Rams would win a tight one over the Eagles 29-24, setting up the match-ups for Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20–17. It was New England's first Super Bowl victory. The game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 3, 2002.
Although the Rams outgained the Patriots 427–267 in total yards, New England built a 17–3 third-quarter lead off of three St. Louis turnovers. After a holding penalty in the fourth quarter negated a Patriots fumble return for a touchdown, Warner scored a 2-yard touchdown run and threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 17–17 with 1:30 remaining. Without any timeouts, Brady led his team down the field to set up kicker Adam Vinatieri's game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired. Brady, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP.