Manning directs late rally again to seize title
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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning of the poses with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Giants defeated the Patriots by a score of 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI. -
New York Giants players celebrate in front of Tom Brady of the New England Patriots after defeating the New England Patriots by a score of 21-17 during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. -
New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) rushes for a touchdown in front of New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo (51) during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game -
Mario Manningham #82 of the New York Giants makes a catch on the sidelines against Patrick Chung #25 and Sterling Moore #29 of the New England Patriots for a gain of 39 yards in the fourth quarter.
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INDIANAPOLIS -- In a town that Peyton Manning once owned, little brother Eli ran off with the bacon again.
The New York Giants thwarted the New England Patriots for the second time in four years with a fourth-quarter comeback to snatch the Super Bowl and history from Tom Brady's hands.
Quarterback Eli Manning led his team to a winning 88-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes as the Giants knocked off the Patriots, 21-17, to capture the franchise's fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy. They again prevented Brady and coach Bill Belichick from tying the Steelers' Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Noll as the only coach-quarterback combination to win four Super Bowls.
It came in as dramatic fashion as did the Giants upset of New England in the big game four years ago, with New York adding an unnecessary hiccup that provided a layer of melodrama at the end.
"Persevere until victory is ours," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said, recounting a theme for a team that reached the Super Bowl the hard way, winning one at home and two on the road in the playoffs. The Giants won their final two games to go 9-7 and make the playoffs.
The Giants reluctantly took the lead with 57 seconds left when Ahmad Bradshaw took a handoff from the 6 and the Patriots defense opened like the Red Sea to allow him to score in order to give Brady enough time to come back.
Bradshaw looked as though he wanted to fall down before the goal line, let the Giants run down the clock and kick the winning field goal. But as Bradshaw tried to stop at the 1, his momentum carried him backward into the end zone for the touchdown.
So with 57 seconds to go, Brady got the ball and fans throughout football know that is often more than enough time for him to work the magic they had all seen so often through the years.
But not in this game.
Brady had one magical throw, escaping a sack on fourth down at his 14 to complete a 29-yard pass. At the end, however, he had to throw a desperation pass from his 49 into the end zone, where it fell incomplete as the clock struck 0:00.
First Published February 6, 2012 12:00 am
