Super Bowl XXXI

Super Bowl XXXI

New England Patriots (2) (AFC) (11–5) Green Bay Packers (1) (NFC) (13–3) 21 35 Head coach: Bill Parcells Head coach: Mike Holmgren
1 2 3 4 Total NE 14 0 7 0 21 GB 10 17 8 0 35
Date	January 26, 1997 (1997-01-26)
Stadium	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
MVP	Desmond Howard, return specialist
Favorite	Packers by 14[1][2]
Referee	Gerald Austin
Attendance	72,301[3]
Hall of Famers
Patriots: Bill Parcells (head coach), Ty Law, Curtis Martin Packers: Ron Wolf (general manager), LeRoy Butler, Brett Favre, Reggie White
Ceremonies
National anthem	Luther Vandross
Coin toss	Past Super Bowl winning coaches: Hank Stram, Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, George Seifert
Halftime show	The Blues Brothers, James Brown, and ZZ Top
TV in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Pat Summerall, John Madden, Ron Pitts and Bill Maas
Nielsen ratings	43.3 (est. 87.87 million viewers)[4]
Market share	65
Cost of 30-second commercial	$1.2 million
Radio in the United States
Network	Westwood One
Announcers	Howard David and Matt Millen
← XXX Super Bowl XXXII →

Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1996 season. The Packers defeated the Patriots by the score of 35–21, earning their third overall Super Bowl victory, and their first since Super Bowl II. The Packers also extended their league record for the most overall NFL championships to 12. It was also the last in a run of 13 straight Super Bowl victories by the NFC over the AFC. The game was played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This Super Bowl featured two clubs that had recently returned to competitiveness. After 24 mostly dismal seasons since Vince Lombardi left, the Packers' fortunes turned after head coach Mike Holmgren and quarterback Brett Favre joined the team in 1992. After four losing seasons, the Patriots' rise began in 1993 when Bill Parcells was hired as head coach, and the team drafted quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Under their respective head coaches and quarterbacks, Green Bay posted an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record in 1996, while New England advanced to their second Super Bowl after recording an 11–5 record in what would be their first of ten Super Bowl appearances under owner Robert Kraft.

The game began with the teams combining for 24 first-quarter points, the most in Super Bowl history. The Packers then scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, including Favre's then-Super Bowl record 81-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Freeman. In the third quarter, the Patriots cut the lead to 27–21 off of running back Curtis Martin's 18-yard rushing touchdown. But on the ensuing kickoff, Desmond Howard returned the ball a then-Super Bowl record 99 yards for a touchdown. The score proved to be the last one, as both teams' defenses took over the rest of the game. Howard became the first special teams player ever to be named Super Bowl MVP. He gained a total of 154 kickoff return yards, and also recorded a then-Super Bowl record 90 punt return yards, thus tying the then-Super Bowl records of total return yards (244) and combined net yards gained (244).

This was the first Super Bowl broadcast by Fox under its first contract to carry NFL games. By a large margin it was the highest-rated program aired in the network's history at the time.