Giants Upset Patriots in Super Bowl XLII

By Tom Torrisi
SportsTicker Pro Football Editor

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) - Tom Brady once again produced in the clutch. But this time, it was Eli Manning who authored a perfect ending.

Manning upstaged a clutch performance by Brady with a brilliant effort of his own, rallying the New York Giants to a stunning 17-14 victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl XLII.

A double-digit underdog, the Giants (14-6) produced one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history when Manning hit Plaxico Burress for the game-clinching 13-yard touchdown pass with just 35 seconds to play.

"The guys on this team and the run we've made, it's hard to believe - it really is," said Manning, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player. "We had a great fight and the defense played outstanding."

Manning's heroics denied the Patriots' bid to become just the second team to complete a perfect season with a Super Bowl championship, matching the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

"This is the greatest feeling in professional sports," Burress said. "For us to come out here and win a world championship tonight - nobody gave us a shot."

The winning touchdown came just over two minutes after Brady had seemingly locked up a fourth title in seven years for New England when he tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to Randy Moss to give the Patriots a 14-10 lead with 2:42 left.

But it was more than enough time for the much-maligned Manning, who marched the Giants 83 yards in just 2:07 to avenge a 38-35 loss to New England (18-1) in the regular-season finale.

Manning kept the drive alive by pulling off an imitation of Michael Vick, escaping the grasp of two defenders and lofting a 32-yard pass to David Tyree, who made a sensational leaping catch by pressing the ball against his helmet as he tumbled to the ground at the 24-yard line with 1:15 to play.

"It was just a great catch by David Tyree," Manning said. "I found a way to get loose and just really threw it up. He made an unbelievable catch and saved the game."

Four plays later, Manning floated a pass Burress in the left corner of the end zone for the winning score, capping a remarkable run by the resilient Giants.

New York won three road playoff games en route to capturing the championship as a No. 5 seed, duplicating the feat of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005.

Manning completed 19-of-34 passes for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an interception - his only one of the postseason.

Brady finished 29-of-48 for 266 yards and one TD but was sacked a season-high four times by the relentless New York defense.

With the Giants trailing, 7-3, entering the final quarter, Manning moved the Giants 80 yards in six plays, capping it with a 5-yard scoring pass over the middle to Tyree.

The big plays in the march were completions of 45 yards to rookie tight end Kevin Boss and 17 yards to rookie wide receiver Steve Smith.

It was the first touchdown of the season for Tyree and the first TD allowed by New England's defense in 11 quarters.

The Giants turned away the Patriots' best scoring opportunity in the third quarter by coming up with another big sack - this time by Michael Strahan - to force the Patriots into a 4th-and-13 at the 31-yard line.

It was a season-high fourth sack endured by Brady, whose fourth-down pass sailed out of bounds in the end zone after Patriots coach Bill Belichick eschewed a 49-yard field goal attempt.

"Can somebody give out defense some credit?" Burress said. "Them guys were out there playing phenomenal. We just hung in there and kept executing, never got down on ourselves."

Despite their offense holding the ball for just seven plays and 3:39 in the third quarter, the Giants kept the Patriots off the board and entered the final 15 minutes trailing by just 7-3.

The 10 combined points through three quarters were the second-fewest in the history of the game.