New York Giants beat Patriots, 17-14, to win Super Bowl
Eli Manning threw a 13-yard fade to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds remaining in the game to cap a 12-play, 83-yard drive and give the Giants a 17-14 win over the seemingly unstoppable Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The drive followed one in which Tom Brady led the Patriots to a 14-10 lead with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss that with 2:52 that appeared to win the game and seal a possible undefeated season.
The winning drive was kept alive by one of the most remarkable plays in Super Bowl history as Manning ducked out of a sack while several Patriots yanked at his jersey and chucked a 32-yard pass to David Tyree for an acrobatic catch to get to the Patriots' 24.
Brady shook off a shaky first three quarters and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss with 2:52 remaining, engineering what would have been his 29th career comeback drive and his fourth in four Super Bowls. When the Patriots had the ball back with 29 seconds remaining, they trailed by three points with three time outs but were unable to convert a first down. Brady tried to hit Moss on a 68-yard bomb on third-and-20 from the 16 that was right on the money, but it was broken up at the Giants' 20. On fourth down with 10 seconds remaining, Brady went deep for Moss again but the pass was incomplete.
The game was a far-cry from the high-scoring game when the teams met in the regular season and scored a combined 73 points.
The Giants took their first lead of the second half when Eli Manning hit David Tyree on a 5-yard play-action pass to make it 10-7 with 11:05 remaining. It was the first touchdown the Patriots had allowed since their AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Jaguars and capped a 6-play, 80-yard drive. It was also the first offensive touchdown of Tyree's career. The key play was a 45-yard reception by Kevin Boss that brought the Giants to the 35 on the first snap of the possession.
The Giants opened the game with the longest drive in Super Bowl history, devouring the first 9:59 of the game and converting their first three third-adown attempts. Still, once the Giants entered the red zone the Patriots defense became rigid. The Giants had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes.
The Patriots came back with their own extended drive, going 66 yards in 12 plays. The big difference was the outcome. A pass-interference penalty against Antonio Pierce in the end zone gave the Pats the ball at the one and two plays later, on the first snap of the second quarter, Laurnece Maroney plunged into the end zone, sliding past a block by tight end Kyle Brady. That made it 7-3.
After the opening drives, the defenses took over for the rest of the half. Ellis Hobbs intercepted Manning on a pass that was bobbled by Steve Smith at the Pats' 10, Manning's first turnover of the postseason. But the Giants defense flustered the seemingly unstoppable Patriots defense by forcing a pair of three-and-outs and a turnover on Justin Tuck's second sack of the game. That gave the Giants a chance to take the lead with 10 seconds left in the half, but Manning threw two incompletions, including a Hail Mary bomb that landed in the end zone.
The teams continued to struggle to move the football in the third quarter, and when no points were scored, the 7-3 score was the second fewest in the first three quarters of a Super Bowl. In Super Bowl VIII, Pittsburgh led Minnesota, 9-0, after three quarters.
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