Super Bowl XL which Madden retired from broadcasting altogether. With the Steelers win, they became the fourth team to win Super Bowls on three networks (NBC-IX and XIII, CBS–X and XIV, and ABC) joining the Green Bay Packers (NBC- I, CBS-II, Fox- XXXI and XLV), San Francisco 49ers (NBC- XXIII, CBS- XVI and XXIV, ABC- XIX and XXIX), and Washington Redskins (NBC- XVII, ABC- XXII, CBS- XXVI). (These teams have since been joined by the New York Giants, who also surpassed them by winning a Super Bowl on each of the networks that carried the game; their win in Super Bowl XXI was
Super Bowl XXXVIII made it the second straight year that a team from the NFC South division made the Super Bowl, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning Super Bowl XXXVII. The Patriots were seeking their second Super Bowl title in three years after posting a 14–2 record. NFL fans and sports writers widely consider this game one of the most well-played and thrilling Super Bowls; "Sports Illustrated" writer Peter King hailed it as the "Greatest Super Bowl of all time." Although neither team could score in the first and third quarters, they ended up with a combined total of 868 yards and 61