Super Bowl 2012: 8 Moments That Went Horribly Wrong for New England Patriots

Penalties, drops and other missed opportunities plagued the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

Teams dream of playing mistake-free in the championship, but this is never the case. Any hopes for a flawless game went out the window early for New England fans.

In the game's biggest moments, the Pats came up empty again and again.

Here are the eight plays, in chronological order, that doomed the Patriots. 

8. Rob Gronkowski Injures His Ankle Against the Ravens

In the final minute of the third quarter of the AFC Championship game, Rob Gronkowski left with a high ankle sprain.

On the play, Gronkowski caught a 23-yard pass, but Ravens' safety Marcus Pollard rolled onto the tight end's leg and caused his ankle to twist in an unnatural direction.

"Gronk" was spotted in a walking boot after the game, sending the media into a frenzy over his prospective status for the Super Bowl.

Once the game started, the Pats' star was dressed and starting, but was clearly not 100 percent.

He caught just two passes for 26 yards,and lost a jump ball with Giants' linebacker Chase Blackburn, resulting in an interception. A healthy Gronkowski may not have been able to catch that pass, but he would have at least batted it down.

The tight end was the Patriots' biggest weapon leading up to the Super Bowl and his limited effectiveness severely hurt the team.

7. Brady Called for Grounding in the Endzone on First Offensive Play

On the Patriots first offensive play,  Tom Brady was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety for the Giants.

The Giants received the ensuing punt and drove down the field for a touchdown, completing a nine-point swing.

One of the top story lines coming into the game was the Giants' defensive line, which abused Brady when the teams matched up in Super Bowl XLII.

The New York pass-rushers made their presence felt immediately Sunday, holding the Pats' offense to 17 points, tied for New England's lowest total of the season.

The first play set the tone for the D-line's manhandling of the Patriots.

6. Victor Cruz Fumble Nullified by 12-Men on the Field Penalty

In the middle of the first quarter, the Patriots defense forced Victor Cruz to fumble, only to have the play erased by an inexcusable penalty.

Cruz caught a short pass on third and 3 for a first down, but Pats' cornerback Sterling Moore ripped the ball out of his hands and linebacker Brandon Spikes recovered.

But the officials quickly ended any celebrations from New England fans by assessing the Patriots a penalty for having 12 men on the field.

The Giants got a first-and-goal at the six-yard line, and Eli Manning went right back to Cruz for the game's first touchdown.

A turnover in the red zone would have given the offense a chance to atone for its earlier mistake, but the defense committed a blunder of its own and caused the Pats to have to play catch-up.

5. Justin Tuck Slams Tom Brady onto the Ground

In the middle of the third quarter, Justin Tuck ended a Patriots drive by sacking Tom Brady, apparently injuring Brady's left shoulder.

The Pats quarterback had been nearly perfect up until that point, setting a Super Bowl record by completing 16 consecutive passes.

Tuck drove Brady into the hard turf and the QB was unable to protect his tender shoulder, which had caused him to miss practices during the playoffs.

The Giants' pass-rusher terrorized the Patriots in the two Super Bowl matchups, combining for nine tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble, with three tackles, two sacks and two tackles for a loss on Sunday.

After Brady aggravated his shoulder, the signal-caller completed just 7-of-17 passes and did not score another point.

4. Brady Throws Interception to Chase Blackburn

At the start of the fourth quarter, Tom Brady chucked the ball down the field, hoping to make the game's first big play, but was intercepted by Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn.

Brady made an amazing effort to simply get the pass off and narrowly avoided the New York pass rush before targeting tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was streaking toward the end zone.

The quarterback was smacked by Justin Tuck immediately after releasing the ball, and the pass was thrown short.

Gronkowski was still nursing an ankle injury and was unable to make a good break for the ball. Blackburn took advantage and leaped to make the interception.

The Patriots tight end displayed his athleticism throughout the season, but was a shadow of his true self due to the injury suffered two weeks earlier. A healthy Gronkowski would have been able to make a better play on the ball that could have changed the outcome of the game.

3. Ball Sails Through Wes Welker's Hands

With a little more than four minutes remaining in the Super Bowl, Tom Brady threw a well-placed pass to Wes Welker, his most reliable receiver. Welker shockingly dropped the pass, which would have given the Patriots a first down on the Giants 20-yard line.

The Pats had struggled since scoring their last touchdown at the beginning of the third quarter, but had a chance to seal the game.

Up 17-15, a New England touchdown on that drive would have given the team a two-score lead with just minutes remaining. Even a field goal would have made it a five-point game, forcing the Giants to score a touchdown to win.

Instead, the ball bounced off Welker's hands and the Pats were forced to punt the ball back to Eli Manning two plays later. 

2. Manningham Pulls Down Miraculous Catch

The similarities between Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XLVI were never more apparent than after Mario Manningham's incredible sideline grab.

Down by two points with 3:46 remaining, Eli Manning had the ball with a chance to lead another game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.

On the first play of the drive, Manning fit the ball into the tightest of windows, and Manningham showed superhuman coordination and control to reel in the ball and get both feet down before being tackled out of bounds. The miracle grab conjured memories of David Tyree's insane catch in 2008.

The 38-yard reception gave the Giants field position and momentum. New York, only down by two, had the ball at midfield with plenty of time to move into field-goal range.

The team would move deep into New England territory before Bill Belichick threw the white flag and let the G-men score, hoping to give Brady enough time for a last-second comeback.

1. Aaron Hernandez Drops Pass on Final Drive

On the Patriots' last-gasp effort to win the game, Aaron Hernandez dropped an easy reception to all but seal New England's fate.

Bill Belichick made a courageous call to let the Giants score a touchdown, giving the Patriots 57 seconds to score a TD  and earn a victory.

The drive started with two consecutive drops. The first pass was deflected and Deion Branch was unable to make an adjustment. The second hit Hernandez in stride, and the tight end simply lost focus and dropped the ball.

While it was not the most egregious mistake the Patriots made, it was the last one. The drop meant that the Pats' title hopes now rested entirely on a last-second, Hail Mary pass.

Rob Gronkowski came close to pulling in the pass, but the ball tumbled to the ground, and the Patriots came up empty once again.