FIRST LOOK: SUPER BOWL XXXVIII

* NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots were 2-2 after a 20-17 loss to Washington, then reeled off 12 consecutive victories to gain home-”ice” advantage for the playoffs. New England was impressive on defense in consecutive playoff games against NFL co-most valuable players Steve McNair of Tennessee and Peyton Manning of Indianapolis in reaching the Super Bowl for the fourth time.

* CAROLINA: The Panthers opened the season with five consecutive victories and clinched the NFC South championship in Week 15 with a 20-17 victory over Arizona. Carolina gave up only two touchdowns in defeating Dallas (29-10), St. Louis (29-23) and Philadelphia (14-3) in the playoffs and reaching the Super Bowl for the first time.

*--* ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL

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*--* DEFINING MOMENT

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* NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots stopped Indianapolis on four plays inside their two-yard line, including Edgerrin James on fourth and one with 14 seconds left, in a 38-34 victory at the RCA Dome in Week 13.

* CAROLINA: With the Panthers trailing Jacksonville by 17 points in the third quarter of their season opener, Jake Delhomme replaced an ineffective Rodney Peete and threw three touchdown passes, the last coming with 16 seconds left in a 24-23 victory.

*--* STRENGTHS

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* NEW ENGLAND: Coach Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel know how to dissect the opposition and have the personnel to carry out their game plans. The Patriots gave up an NFL-low 238 points with a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy.

* CAROLINA: The Panthers’ defensive line of ends Mike Rucker and Julius Peppers and tackles Kris Jenkins and Brentson Buckner emerged as perhaps the best unit in the NFL.

*--* WEAKNESSES

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* NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots were 27th in the NFL in rushing and didn’t have a 100-yard rusher until Week 16.

* CAROLINA: Until the emergence in the playoffs of rookie cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. (four interceptions, eight deflections and 10 tackles), the Panther secondary was susceptible to big plays.

*--* IMPACT PLAYERS

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* NEW ENGLAND: Ty Law is a shut-down cornerback who had three interceptions and was primarily responsible for Marvin Harrison being held to three catches for 16 yards Sunday. Nose tackle Ted Washington and defensive end Richard Seymour control the line of scrimmage, giving linebackers clean shots at running backs.

* CAROLINA: Running back Stephen Davis, a free-agent pickup, pounded the opposition as Delhomme, in his first season as an NFL starter, gained confidence and developed into an effective passer.

*--* MISCELLANY

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* NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots opened and closed the regular season against Buffalo, losing and winning by the same score, 31-0.

* CAROLINA: With the Panthers reaching the Super Bowl, there are seven franchises that have yet to accomplish the feat -- Arizona, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, New Orleans and Seattle.

*--* SUPER BOWL HISTORY

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* NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots lost to Chicago, 46-10, in Super Bowl XX and to Green Bay, 35-21, in XXXI, then defeated heavily favored St. Louis, 20-17, five years later on Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal as time ran out.

* CAROLINA: The Panthers will try to become the ninth team to win a Super Bowl in their first appearance.

*--* FACTS AND FIGURES

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* This is the second Super Bowl held in Houston. Super Bowl VIII was played at Rice Stadium on Jan. 13, 1974.

* New England is the host team and will wear its choice of jerseys.

* CBS will be televising its 14th Super Bowl. CBS Radio-Westwood One will be broadcasting its 17th consecutive Super Bowl, 30th overall.

* Last year’s game was the most-watched program ever with 138.9 million viewers. The 10 most-watched programs in television history are all Super Bowls.