HOUSTON — Dejected fans say they are proud of the Carolina Panthers' performance in a 32-29 Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.

With a fight to the finish, the underdog Panthers kept coming at the Patriots. The hero of Super Bowl XXXVI made it a repeat performance in Super Bowl XXXVIII as Adam Vinatieri helped beat the Panthers with a last second field goal.

Patriots' fans started a long night of celebrating in the stands, but even Panthers fans stuck around to soak in all of the excitement.

"I feel like I've been to the most incredible Super Bowl game in history. We thought we were out a couple of times, we fought our way back into the game, it was amazing. We're proud of our team, you know," Panthers fan T.J. Demas said.

"This is the first and maybe the only Super Bowl I'll ever attend. I'm not leaving. I might be the last person out of here. I'm going to stick around and soak it all in," Panthers fan Dan Marks said at Reliant Stadium.

Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme's cousin left Reliant Stadium proud of her No. 17.

"We really, really wanted to win, but things happen for a reason and Jake did really awesome. We'll be back next year," Leslie Saloom said.