1997 Super Bowl XXXI

About New Orleans, Louisiana: With a population of close to 500000 the city of New Orleans was used to hosting large parties with events such as Mardi Gras, but now they would host the biggest event of them all, Super Bowl 31. Home to many large sporting events at the Louisiana Superdome, now the residents of New Orleans had prepared for months to host Super Bowl XXXI and watch the Green Bay Packers play the New England Patriots.

Ticket Sales / Attendance: There were 72301 people in attendance at this 31st Superbowl game and it is estimated that 87.8 million more football fans watched from home or other football parties while tuning into FOX who covered the biggest sporting event of the year and had ratings of 43.3.

Team Pre-Season Stats: After finishing first in the NFC central in 1995, the Packers wanted to avenge their NFC championship loss to the Dallas Cowboys this year. With more experience and an always strong QG Brett Favre, the Packers were odds on favourites to head to Superbowl 31.

The Patriots had a disappointing finish in 95 going 6-10, but felt they had a chance to make the playoffs this year behind the strong arm of Drew Bledsoe. Coach Bill Parcells also felt that the time was now for his team to make a good playoff run.

Team Roster / Salaries: The Green Bay Packers entered the 1996-97 season with some key players on their roster including WR Robert Brooks ($1.7 million), S LeRoy Butler ($1.7 million), DT Santana Dotson ($1.5 million), and of course QB Brett Favre ($4.1 million).

New England entered the season with some key players on their roster as well including OL Bruce Armstrong ($2.6 million), S Willie Clay ($1.2 million), TE Ben Coates ($1.5 million) and star QB Drew Bledsoe ($4.0 million)

Game Highlights: Brett Favre helped the Packers to score first as he connected on a 54 yard strike to Andre Rison on only their second scrimmage of the thirty-first Super Bowl game to give them a 7-0 lead. Two plays later they had an interception off of Drew Bledsoe which lead to a field goal and increased their lead to 10 with just over 6 minutes played in the first quarter.

The Patriots responded with 2 straight touchdowns on their next 2 possessions to give New England a 14-10 lead and setting a record for the most combined first quarter points in the championship game. 56 seconds into the 2nd quarter threw an 81 yard bomb to Antonio Freeman and Chris Jacke added 3 more points on a field goal for the Packers to take a 20-14 lead. Brett Favre then added a touchdown of his own, to extend the lead to 27-14 entering halftime.

Curtis Martin came back with a touchdown for NE in the second half, but Desmond Howard crushed any hope of a comeback with a 99 kick off return for a touchdown and ultimately a 35-21 Packers victory.

Game MVP: The MVP of the 31st Super Bowl was Packers kick return specialist Desmond Howard. His 99 yard near the end of the 3rd quarter broke the Patriots back and helped secure the Packers championship. He also totalled 244 total return yards in the game which was a Super Bowl record.

Half Time Show: Select Productions presented this years halftime show titled the Blues Brothers Bash. The Blues Brothers made a special appearance and the group was composed of Dan Akroyd, John Goodman, and James Belushi. They showcased some of the original Blues Brothers music content. ZZ Top and James Brown also performed in this halftime extravaganza.

Commercials: A 30 second commercial during this year's game cost $1.2 million and increased once again compared to the past few years. One of the more popular ads was for the Cadillac Catera and included supermodel Cindy Crawford. The commercial was supposed to show that Cadillac was reaching out to a newer generation and it was a fun vehicle to drive.

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