Turnovers bar Birds from title

They just didn't have the final one when NFL officials wheeled out the victory platform and presented the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

That moment remained reserved for coach Bill Belichick and his New England Patriots, who triggered talk of a dynasty last night by beating the Eagles, 24-21, at Alltel Stadium.

When it was over, the Eagles all lamented their lost opportunity and the season-high four turnovers they knew they couldn't afford against the defending champions.

"If it wasn't for the interceptions, it might have been a blowout," Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said, pinning the blame for the loss squarely on his own shoulders.

McNabb had thrown just eight interceptions during the regular season and none in the Eagles' first two playoff games. But in his first Super Bowl, he threw two crucial interceptions that prevented the Eagles from putting up points in a game in which they came up only three short.

New England's third and final interception, the second of the game for safety Rodney Harrison, came with just nine seconds remaining and earned Belichick a Gatorade bath. By that point, the Eagles needed a far bigger miracle anyway than the one Terrell Owens performed in his accelerated return from a severe ankle injury.

With two surgical screws still in his ankle, Owens finished with nine receptions for 122 yards.

"The reason I came back and played in this game was because God is great," Owens said, sticking to the theme he preached at Media Day on Tuesday. "I kept telling people that. "

The wide receiver's performance will be talked about as one of the great efforts in a losing Super Bowl cause, but it wasn't enough to overcome a New England team that has won three of the last four Super Bowls and 34 of its last 37 games.

"We came up short," Owens said. "We played a great team and we had a lot of turnovers. When you have turnovers against a team like that, you can't win. "

This was the first Super Bowl to go into the fourth quarter with the game tied, but it didn't stay that way for long.

Brady and the Pats completed a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive with their first three plays of the final quarter to take a 21-14 lead.

For much of the game, they forced the Eagles into an unusual defensive scheme that consisted of five and six defensive backs and just one or two linebackers.

That opened running lanes for the Patriots on the touchdown drive that gave them the lead for good. Four of the final five plays of the drive consisted of runs by Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk.

"They came out and were getting to the edges on us," linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said. "It was tough for us to get into some packages we wanted. "

The Eagles' offense needed to answer that score, but instead lost 6 yards on the ensuing drive and was forced to punt from the Eagles' 16-yard line.

The Patriots took over at the Eagles' 47 and eventually settled for an Adam Vinatieri field goal that put them up by 10 points with 8 minutes, 43 seconds remaining.

Again, the Eagles needed an answer. Instead, they got another interception from their quarterback.

After Owens got free for a 36-yard gain that placed the ball at the New England 36, McNabb overthrew running back Dorsey Levens, and the pass was intercepted by linebacker Tedy Bruschi.

"Three interceptions," McNabb said. "I don't look at any of that. I look at the three interceptions. As the quarterback you want to make sure you take care of the ball. Turnovers kill you, and they hurt us today. "

Coach Andy Reid said the quarterback was being too hard on himself.

"He did some great things," Reid said. "I'm proud of the way he played and the effort he gave. "

McNabb did pull the Eagles within three when he found Greg Lewis for a 30-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining, but David Akers' onside kick went right into the arms of New England's Christian Fauria, which all but sealed the game.