Photo: IB Times February 5, 2012
February 6, 2012
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
Even before the game, it was obvious these weren’t the same teams that faced each other in the 2008 NFL Championship Game. Back then, the Patriots were heavily favored, with a perfect season hanging in the balance, while the Giants were the unlikely underdogs who were led by an inexperienced quarterback.
Four years later, the Patriots entered the game with a 13-3 regular season record and just a three-point advantage. The Giants, though they had knocked off some of the toughest rivals to make it to the big game, were still considered underdogs– but not by much. Eli Manning had proven that he deserved the label of an elite quarterback this season. He threw for almost 5,000 yards and orchestrated several fourth quarter comebacks — not to mention leading his team through four straight playoff games on the road with just one interception.
New York dominated most of the first half, scoring a TD on their second drive of the game and a safety on the Patriots’ first possession. They held the Patriots to only a field goal until close to halftime, when Tom Brady led New England on their finest drive of the game. Starting at his 4-yard line, Brady went 10-10 for 98 yards, capped by a 4-yard TD pass with 8 seconds left in the half. This gave the Pats their first lead of the game, 10-9 going into halftime.
With the momentum shifted in their favor and their reception of the second half kick-off, the Patriots looked poised to do some major damage. Brady didn’t disappoint, leading the Pats on a 79-yard drive, which resulted in a TD and a 17-9 lead. But back-to-back field goals by Lawrence Tynes put the Giants back within two points, 17-15.
Then the Pats looked like they were about to score again, which would have put them up by two possessions with a hard to overcome lead. Then Brady misread his receivers and was picked off by Chase Blackburn deep downfield. That turnover was key in turning the game back to New York’s favor. It set Manning up for one more fourth quarterback comeback drive, highlighted by a spectacular sideline catch by Mario Manningham. This resulted in a touchdown by Ahamd Bradshaw, which ironically, no one wanted him to score.
Even though it put them up by four points, Manning had been calling for him to stop short of the goal line. The announcers said it was a “bad move,” because it gave Brady back the ball with almost a minute, instead of just 20 seconds. Afterwards, Manning and Coach Tom Coughlin said they were glad he fell into the end zone since it ended up being the game-winning play. Sure, they could’ve eaten up the clock and not given Brady a chance to make a final drive, but if they had missed the field goal, they would have gone home empty handed.
With 57 seconds left, the game came down to good defense and dropped passes. Wes Welker, New England’s wide receiver, who is one of Brady’s favorite targets, dropped a pass on what could have given the game a different ending. The announcers even mused that Welker “makes that catch 100 out of 100 times…must’ve been the 101st.” It was followed by another dropped pass by Aaron Hernandez, which set up the final play of the game: a failed Hail Mary pass from the 50-yard line. And just like that, it was over. The Giants had bested the favored Patriots…again.
The game came down to crucial moments: Mario Manningham’s incredible catch and Justin Tuck’s final seconds sack. It also came down to good football. The Giants didn’t turn the ball over once. Both fumbles by Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw were recovered by their own men, which was crucial in not letting the Patriots score easy points. The Giants also had better field position throughout the game. Drives starting on their 35 and 48 yard lines led to field goals, while the Patriots started three drives within their own 10 yard line, the first of which resulted in a safety.
Brady, who was knocking on history’s door on Sunday, was denied access. He will have to wait another year to try and join Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the third quarterback to ever win four championships. Manning, meanwhile, now has one more rings than his star brother Peyton and at 31 is on track to tie or even surpass Brady himself.
Archie Manning told reporters it special to watch his youngest son win a Super Bowl in Indianapolis, but when asked during the post-game show what it felt like to win in the stadium dubbed the house his brother built, Eli simply said “It just feels great to win a Super Bowl.”
