INDIANAPOLIS -- Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 Sunday night for New York's fourth Super Bowl title.
It was a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, when Manning led New York past New England to ruin the Patriots' bid for a perfect season.
This was the first Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who previously won the big game's MVP award -- and they took turns being brilliant. Manning started the game with nine straight completions, a Super Bowl record; Brady hit 16 straight over the second and third quarters, breaking Joe Montana's Super Bowl record of 13.
But in the end, it was Manning who directed the nine-play, 88-yard drive that put New York ahead when running back Ahmad Bradshaw scored the winning touchdown.
Brady couldn't answer in the final 57 seconds, although his heave into the end zone on the final play fell just beyond the grasp of lunging All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. Except this wasn’t the same Gronkowski, the tight end with the record 17 touchdown receptions and 1,327 receiving yards this season.
Brady headed off with his head bowed, holding his helmet, still one short of the record four Super Bowl victories by Terry Bradshaw for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Montana for the San Francisco 49ers.
It was the fifth trip to a Super Bowl for Brady and Belichick, tying the record. But New England (15-4), winner of 10 straight since a loss to the Giants in November, was done.
Manning finished 30 for 40 for 296 yards and one touchdown, while Brady was 27 for 41 for 276 yards with two TDs and one interception.
The Giants are the first Super Bowl winner that was outscored during the regular season, and they became the first team to finish the regular season 9-7 and win the title. They were 6-2 after that 24-20 victory at New England, then lost four straight and five of six.
Coach Tom Coughlin insisted "the prize" was still within reach. Now the Giants are holding tight to that Vince Lombardi Trophy.
"What I was concerned with was these guys making their own history," Coughlin said. "This is such a wonderful thing, these guys carving their own history."
Coughlin got his own piece of the record book as the oldest coach, at 65, to win a Super Bowl.
In the end, New York made the critical plays, just as it did in 2008. With Manning in the lead. Late-game dramatics have come to be his staple in his eighth NFL season. The Giants quarterback set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes in the regular season and won his second Super Bowl MVP on Sunday.
“No doubt in my mind at all,” said Giants WR Mario Manningham, speaking about the final scoring drive. “I wasn’t even concerned. I knew he was going to pull it through, man. We worked too hard to get here.”
“For a guy who had more pressure on him in the league than any other player because of his heritage and his family,” Michael Strahan said. “To play the way he played in two Super Bowls. Hats off to Eli. He’s definitely a deserving champion."
"That guy stole my MVP again,'' Justin Tuck (two sacks, three quarterback pressures) said.
“Yo, we going to see Obama!” Devin Thomas said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment