Super Bowl XLI

Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2006 season. The Colts defeated the Bears by the score of 29–17, winning their first championship since Super Bowl V in 1971 and fourth NFL championship overall. The game was played on February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This was the first, and to date only, Super Bowl win for an AFC South team. This was also the first major professional sports championship ever won by an Indianapolis-based team.

This was the first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXX in which neither team was seeking its first title; however, it featured two teams ending long Super Bowl appearance droughts. The Colts, who finished with a 12–4 regular season record, were making their first Super Bowl appearance since winning Super Bowl V in the 1970 season during the team's tenure in Baltimore; they had moved to Indianapolis in 1984. Meanwhile, the Bears, who posted an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record, were making their first appearance since winning Super Bowl XX in the 1985 season.

In the first Super Bowl played in rainy conditions, the Colts overcame a 14–6 first-quarter deficit to outscore the Bears 23–3 in the last three quarters. The Bears posted the then-earliest lead in Super Bowl history when returner Devin Hester ran back the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown after 14 seconds had elapsed (a record later broken in Super Bowl XLVIII when the Seattle Seahawks scored a safety 12 seconds into the game). The Colts forced five turnovers, including cornerback Kelvin Hayden's 56-yard interception return for a touchdown. Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri also scored three field goals. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP), completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, with one interception for a passer rating of 81.8.

CBS's broadcast of the game was watched by an estimated average of 93.2 million viewers, making it at the time the fifth most watched program in U.S. television history.^{[citation needed]} The halftime show, headlined by the musician Prince, peaked at 140 million viewers, and was widely acclaimed by music critics.

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XLI to Miami Gardens during their September 17, 2003 meeting held in Washington, D.C. It marked the ninth Super Bowl in the Miami area, tying New Orleans for the most times hosting. Four cities were part of the initial bid process: Miami (Dolphin Stadium), Tampa (Raymond James Stadium), New York/New Jersey (Giants Stadium), and Washington (FedEx Field). In early 2002, during his annual "State of the League" press conference, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue publicly floated the idea of awarding XLI to New York City, contingent on a renovation of Giants Stadium. If selected, it would be the first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather locale. Hosting the game at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey was conceived in-part as an effort to boost economic recovery in the wake of 9/11. As such, Washington, D.C. was also invited to submit a bid. Tagliabue stated at the time that hosting the Super Bowl only in warm-weather cities (or in domed stadiums) was considered "passé in our league" and directed the Super Bowl Advisory Committee to study the feasibility of hosting it outdoors in a northern city.

Both the New York/New Jersey and the Washington, D.C. contingents made special presentations during the NFL's fall owners meeting in New York on October 30–31, 2002. The NY/NJ group included representatives from the both the Giants and the Jets, and had support from Senators Chuck Schumer and Robert Torricelli. The Jets at the time happened to be in the early planning stages of West Side Stadium, though the league noted that the proposed stadium's status would not be a factor in the decision. Instead, substantial renovations to aging Giants Stadium would be the driving issue. The D.C. group included representatives from the Redskins. Following the meeting, however, the bids for both NY/NJ and Washington were tabled, and instead reassigned and refocused towards XLII. The next day, the league announced that Miami and Tampa would be the only candidates going forward for XLI. Los Angeles/Pasadena was also a "distant possibility", but only if renovations were made to the Rose Bowl.

During the March 26, 2003 owners meeting in Phoenix, Paul Tagliabue stated that Miami had become the front-runner to land XLI, and that Tampa had been dropped from consideration. This despite neither city having yet made a formal presentation. League officials noted that Tampa had just hosted XXXV in January 2001, while Miami had not hosted since XXXIII in January 1999. Furthermore, Miami had lost out on the vote for XXXIX in somewhat unexpected fashion, and XLI was simply the next game available to them. With an adequate stadium, and a lengthy history of successfully hosting the Super Bowl, the only condition that the Miami hosting committee would be required to satisfy was to have contracts already in place for hotel rooms and ancillary events. This procedural change was made after Detroit's bid for XL in which these critical items were still pending at the time of award. A formal vote was scheduled for September 2003, and Miami won without opposition.

Originally known as Joe Robbie Stadium, this was the fourth Super Bowl held at the facility. It previously hosted XXIII, XXIX, and XXXIII. Super Bowls II, III, V, X, and XIII were also in Miami, but held at the Miami Orange Bowl. At the time of the awarding, the stadium was known as Pro Player Stadium. However, by the time the game was held, the stadium's name had been changed to Dolphin Stadium. This was the first Super Bowl played at the stadium since the city of Miami Gardens (where the stadium is located) was incorporated on May 13, 2003. After being rejected, Tampa would eventually land XLIII. NY/NJ would ultimately host XLVIII at new MetLife Stadium.