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Fireworks exploded as singer Paul McCartney performed during the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime show.

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Hillary and Liz Hart were among the Patriots fans who turned out for Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.

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Eagles fans and Patriots fans mingled prior to the game.

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Inside, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas performed with Earth, Wind and Fire before kickoff.

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Country singers Gretchen Wilson and Charlie Daniels also performed.

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Alicia Keys sang "America the Beautiful" prior to the game.

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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady led his team onto the field before the start of the Super Bowl.

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Corey Dillon, who rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown during the game, ran the ball here during the first quarter.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Rodney Harrison picked off one of his two interceptions during the first quarter,

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Linebacker Tedy Bruschi sacked Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in the first quarter, but Philadelphia struck first with a McNabb touchdown pass to L.J. Smith for a 7-0 lead.

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David Givens evened the score for the Patriots with a 4-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter,

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Deion Branch, en route to setting a new Super Bowl mark for receptions, stayed just in bounds after catching a pass in the second quarter.

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With the score tied 7-7, Paul McCartney performed during the halftime show.

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It was McCartney's first time performing at the Super Bowl halftime show.

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The stadium went dark to focus on McCartney's performance.

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The Patriots opened the second half with a 69-yard drive culminating in Mike Vrabel hauling in a 2-yard scoring pass over the Eagles' Quintin Mikell.

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Vrabel's touchdown catch represented his second straight Super Bowl with a score.

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Richard Seymour, sacking McNabb during the third quarter, and the Patriots registered four sacks during the game.

Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

Brady completed 23 of 33 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

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After the Eagles tied the game at 14-14, Dillon provided the Patriots' go-ahead touchdown with a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

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Brady, en route to his third Super Bowl title, reacted after Dillon's scoring run.

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Adam Vinatieri added a fourth-quarter field goal that at the time made the score 24-14 and ended up providing the margin of victory.

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Branch caught his Super Bowl-record 11th pass of the game over the outstretched arms of cornerback Sheldon Brown in the fourth quarter.

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Bruschi had one of the game's three interceptions off McNabb during the fourth quarter.

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The game's clinching play came with nine seconds left when Harrison, center, picked off McNabb again.

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The Patriots erupted in celebration as the clock ran out.

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Patriots coach Bill Belichick became the only man to shepherd a team to three Super Bowl wins in four years.

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Belichick, flanked by his father, Steve, received the celebratory cold shower.

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For the third time, Vinatieri's field goal provided the Patriots' winning margin in a Super Bowl.

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Brady shared a celebratory moment with team owner Robert Kraft on the field after the game.

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Bruschi, left, and Roman Phifer celebrated with defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who was in his final game with the Patriots.

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Tight end Christian Fauria lifted a Adam Vinatieri into his arms as time ran out.

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Brady, 27, hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the third time since becoming the starter in 2001.

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Seymour got some help parading the Lombardi Trophy around the field.

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The assembled Patriots fans got an opportunity to see their team accomplish what just one previous team had done -- win three Super Bowls in four seasons.

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Branch, with his record-setting performance, was named Super Bowl MVP.

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Brady cemented his legend in Boston and had his name placed in annals with Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Bobby Orr.

Steven E. Frischling for The Boston Globe

Back in Massachusetts, students at UMass Amherst students embraced as they ran from their dorms following the game.

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Several days later, fans gathered on the streets of Boston for a parade honoring the Patriots.

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For the second time in three months, Boston organized a "rolling rally." The Patriots basked in the joy the Red Sox had experienced earlier.

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Bruschi cheered to fans lining the streets as the team passed by on the Duck Boats.

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Thousands of fans on Beacon Street cheered as the Patriots went by.

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Tonia Nee and Sarah Leahy, both 15, painted their faces for the Patriots parade.

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Belichick and Kraft partook in what was becoming a tradition for the Patriots, a parade through the streets of Boston.

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From left, Patriots director of player personnel Scott Pioli, Belichick, Kraft, and team vice chairman Jonathan Kraft held the team's three Super Bowl trophies aloft during the parade.

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Tens of thousands of raucous fans cheered the Patriots as the parade moved through.

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Brady and Branch, both in the club of Super Bowl MVPs, shared a duck boat.

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The parade worked its way through the streets of Boston in front of tens of thousands of fans.

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More than two months later, President George W. Bush welcomed the Patriots to the White House again to celebrate their title.

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Bush got to share some laughs with Kraft, Belichick and Bruschi.

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As the debate raged about whether football historians would call the Patriots a dynasty, Bruschi celebrated putting a third championship ring on his fingers.