PATS BEAT EAGLES TO WIN THIRD SUPER BOWL IN FOUR YEARS

The Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years with a dominant second half Sunday night, wearing down the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. It wasn`t overpowering, and at times it was downright ugly, but it was more than enough to match the Dallas Cowboys` run of the 1990s and certify the Patriots of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as the NFL`s latest dynasty. With MVP Deion Branch tying a Super Bowl record for receptions with 11, Brady efficiently running the offense and Rodney Harrison sparking a smothering defense, the Patriots (17-2) won their ninth successive postseason game. That ties the record of Vince Lombardi`s Packers of the 1960s, and there`s hardly any better company a team can keep. The difference once agan was an Adam Vinatieri field goal, this one a 22-yarder with 8:40 to go. New England won its other two Super Bowls by the margin of Vinatieri`s last-second kicks. The Eagles showed resilience by responding with a 74-yard drive on which Brian Westbrook accounted for 39 yards, including the 10-yard score. McNabb whipped a pass over the middle between two defenders for the TD. The victory gave New England its second team championship since the fall. This was hardly as dramatic as the long-suffering Red Sox winning the World Series. Still, Boston is the hub of champions. This was only the second time a Super Bowl was tied at halftime. San Francisco and Cincinnati were 3-all in 1989.