Giants vs. Patriots: How New England Blew Title Chances

Don't get me wrong, the New York Giants earned their title in Super Bowl XLVI. They persevered and came through when it mattered late in the game with everything on the line. But make no mistake, the game was there for the taking, and the New England Patriots dropped the ball—quite literally—and lost their grip on a world championship.

As the fourth quarter opened, the Patriots had the ball on their own 38-yard line and handed the ball to BenJarvus Green-Ellis on a 2nd-and-3. He rushed for five yards, earning a big first down.

On the next play, Tom Brady dropped back and was pressured. The 34-year-old quarterback miraculously escaped the rush and spotted tight end Rob Gronkowski who was at least four steps beyond the man covering him far down field. Brady wound up and aired the ball out, but he woefully under-threw the pass and it was intercepted by linebacker Chase Blackburn. It was a huge opportunity wasted. If Brady wasn't 100 percent sure of that throw, he should have gotten rid of the ball. 

If Brady hadn't launched an under-thrown deep ball in Gronkowski's direction, maybe New England would have played it safe, ran more clock and inched itself into field goal range. 

The Patriots managed to force the Giants to punt on the ensuing drive and got the ball back on their own 8-yard line with just 9:24 remaining. Brady proceeded to move New England to New York's 47-yard line.

It looked like the veteran quarterback was leading a drive that would put the game away, but all of a sudden, things went south.

Green-Ellis run up the middle for a loss of one on first down. Then, Brady spotted a wide open Wes Welker 20 yards down the field to his left and let the ball fly in his direction. The pass, uncharacteristically, was not on target. The normally sure-handed Welker had to adjust to the ball, as it was behind him, and he couldn't come down with the catch. On third down, Brady couldn't hook up with Deion Branch, and the Patriots were forced to punt the ball back to the Giants. 

If that pass was on target, Welker would've made the catch and likely scored a touchdown. Even if he didn't score, the Patriots had a sure first down and the opportunity to run the clock down even further. If Welker made that catch, in all likelihood, Bob Kraft and the mayor of Boston would be planning a parade today. 

It's hard to look back and wonder "what if," but in my mind the Patriots had that game firmly in a choke-hold and blew it. They let Eli Manning and the Giants back inside the room instead of shutting the door in their faces.

It is going to be a very long offseason in New England.