Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl IV was a Madden football game between the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams and the AFC champion New England Patriots to decide the Madden Football League (MFL) champion for the 04 season. The Rams defeated the Patriots by the score of 19-7.

Los Angeles Rams
For the third straight season, the Rams found themselves in the playoffs once again. Despite a Week 1 stomping at the hands of their division rival Arizona Cardinals, the Rams managed to go on a 12 game winning streak to open the season at 12-1. In the process, they held a firm position as the #1 seed throughout the season until they went 0-3 to end the season, finishing 12-4 and as the #2 seed in the NFC.

During the playoffs, the Rams hosted the #3 seed Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional round, winning in a 35-14 route. By virtue of being the lowest remaining seed, the Rams then traveled to take on the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons for the NFC Championship. In a rematch from a 30-6 Week 7 win, this game was much closer, but the Rams again prevailed, winning 23-16 in order to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Rams averaged 29.7 points/game, while giving up 24.8 points/game. They are the first #2 seed from the NFC to advance to the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots
For the fourth season in a row, the Patriots finished with a record of 8-8, but for the first time, they managed to clinch a playoff berth, including the AFC East title. The Patriots struggled to a 3-5 start to the season, but rebounded near the end of the season by winning 5 of their last 8, including a 4-1 run to end the season and clinch the division in Week 16. They ended up clinching their first playoff berth and division title, earning the #4 seed in the AFC.

In the playoffs, the Patriots opened up with a home game in the Wild Card round against the #5 seed Denver Broncos, winning in a shootout, 52-49. The following week, the Patriots visited the #2 seed Pittsburgh Steelers and won on a last second touchdown as time expired, to earn a 31-28 victory and a trip to the AFC Championship game. In the AFC Championship, the Patriots, by virtue of being the highest remaining seed, would host the #6 seed Kansas City Chiefs who were making their 2nd consecutive appearance in this game. The Patriots dominated the game from the start, winning 38-12 in order to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Patriots averaged 27.6 points/game, while giving up 25.6 points/game. They are the first #4 seed to advance to the Super Bowl in the history of the MFL.