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Everyone's favorite bowl game of the year—the Puppy Bowl—returned for the 20th annual matchup on Sunday before Super Bowl LVIII kicked off, and this year's ruff matchup ended with a special, yet heartbreaking honor. This year, the spotlight shone on Sweetpea, the tiniest contestant ever to grace the Puppy Bowl stage, weighing in at just 1.7 pounds. Sweetpea's journey was filled with challenges, including congenital defects like hydrocephalus and a hole in her heart, as shared by her owner, Jennifer Siegel.

Despite her struggles, Sweetpea captured the hearts of viewers everywhere. Filmed during the first week of October, her participation in the Puppy Bowl was a testament to her spirit. Tragically, just a few weeks later, Sweetpea passed away at the tender age of 20 weeks. In a touching gesture, Animal Planet dedicated this year's game to her memory.

The Puppy Bowl concluded with a heartfelt message that read, "Sweetpea was rescued by a shelter that specializes in helping special needs puppies. Sadly, she was unable to overcome her health issues. We dedicate PuppyBowl XX to her memory." For her owner, Jennifer Siegel, the loss has been profound, yet the outpouring of love and support from the community has helped fill her heart once more.

Siegel has been crying happy tears all day after seeing how many people fell in love with Sweetpea. She's been going through photos and videos from Sweetpea's short, but fulfilled life, admiring the fight the tiny dog put in. Sweetpea still lived an incredible life filled with love, Siegel added. Siegel runs Bosley's Place Inc., a rescue and nursery exclusively for homeless and orphaned neonatal puppies who are up to 4 weeks old based outside of Atlanta, Georgia, which is why Sweetpea was brought to her at just 2 weeks old.

Instantly, Siegel knew this pup was special. Sweetpea became only the second puppy she's adopted since she started Bosley's Place nearly nine and a half years ago. From the moment Siegel brought her in and shared her story, Sweetpea gained a following. She got the special treatment too, flying first class to New York where they filmed the Puppy Bowl. Sweetpea sat in the pilot's lap and filmed extra segments with the crew. An executive even wanted to meet the tiny pup, Siegel said.

Siegel was not positive the Puppy Bowl was going to honor Sweetpea, but she had a feeling. Last year Siegel had two puppies enter the puppy bowl and one of those pups, unfortunately, passed after filming and before the game aired. They honored that pup last year as they did for Sweetpea this year. She wants to send more puppies to next year's fur-tastic game, but she does not believe she will send one of her rescue pups who are medically challenged. This year's Puppy Bowl was the biggest one yet with 131 different puppies representing 73 rescues and shelters across the United States.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.