Super Bowl XLII: Eli Manning Pulls a Tom Brady

After Super Bowl XLII, Eli Manning stood at the podium clutching his MVP trophy, then holding it high above his head and smiling.

Wait...Eli Manning was clutching the MVP trophy?  

It must have been in a losing effort, right?

Nope.

The stage was set for the immortal Tom Brady and the undefeated New England Patriots.  They were to storm through the record books in a flurry of points with a band of potential Hall of Famers.

But in the desert rain of Glendale, Arizona the young Manning took the Pats’ best shots and set an unrelenting pace to the top.  He has officially dropped the subtitle "brother of Peyton Manning,” and from now on will be known as simply Eli Manning, winner and MVP of Super Bowl XLII.

So, how did this happen?

Eli Manning showed the poise and precision of an elite quarterback, kind of like his counterpart showed en route to three Super Bowl titles.  

Manning couldn't have asked for a better opening drive against the solid, but agéd, Pats’ defense.  Receiving the ball, Manning marched his offense down the field, consuming almost 10 minutes of clock and keeping Brady and that high-powered offense on the sidelines, converting his first four third down opportunities.  The drive culminated in  Lawrence Tynes' 32-yard field goal.

Giants 3, History 0.

After sitting on the sidelines for almost 10 minutes, Tom Brady and his record-setting offense finally took the field with about 4:30 left in the first quarter, ready with an answer to the Giants’ impressive opening drive.

With Laurence Maroney's 43-yard kickoff return, the Pats gained excellent field position.  They capitalized on that position, and on an Antonio Pierce pass interference penalty, to put up Maroney’s one-yard dive into the endzone.

Giants 3, History 7

On the Giants’ next drive Eli Manning experienced his first interception of the postseason, although it wasn't entirely his fault.  What looked to be a catchable pass, wide receiver Steve Smith bobbled, flinging the ball up in the air and into the arms of Pats cornerback Ellis Hobbs.  

But in the Pats’ next drive they were held by the Giants’ defense and forced to punt.

All in all, Super Bowl XLII would pivot on whether or not the Giants could pressure Tom Brady who, throughout the regular season, looked like a tank going up against a series of pistols.

Then came the Pats’ second quarter drives.  Brady was sacked in back-to-back dropbacks.  

Just before time expired in the second quarter, Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck exploded past the Pats’ offensive line and stripped the ball from Brady, who was preparing to throw deep.  Manning’s failing Hail Mary ended the quarter.

Giants 3, History 7—halftime.


When the third quarter started, everybody assumed the Patriots would finally start scoring points.  Instead, they decided against a potential 49-yard field goal and elected to throw a deep pass. Manning and the Giants took over on their own 20-yard line.

On first down Manning tossed a pass to fill-in tight end Kevin Boss. The pass seemed to have just five to seven-yard potential, but after a missed tackle by safety Rodney Harrison, Boss turned it into a 45-yard reception.

Later that drive Manning threw a perfect pass to David Tyree for a five-yard touchdown reception.

Giants 10, History 7

Of course the Pats responded by going on a 12 play drive capped by a seven-yard touchdown reception by Randy Moss; Giants cornerback Corey Webster tripped on his backpedal leaving Moss wide open.  This touchdown set the stage for one of the greatest drives in Super Bowl history.

Giants 10, History 14

At the beginning of this legendary drive, Eli Manning looked shaky, resembling the old Manning that New York media had ripped continuously.

But he avoided those past mistakes, and a relentless Pats' pass rush.  Manning spun, ducked, and dodged several would-be tacklers, finally lofting a 35-yard rainbow to David Tyree.  Tyree caught and pinned the ball to his helmet while fighting off Rodney Harrison.  

With 35 seconds left Manning lofted another rainbow pass, this time to Plaxico Burress, who caught it in the endzone.

The following Patriot drive ended with two sacks and two incomplete passes to Randy Moss, sealing the Patriots’ fate.

Giants 17, Patriots 14

So to break with the usual, it was not Tom Brady who led his team down the field in the final minutes to set a game-winning score; it was Eli Manning.  

Watching Manning lead his team to victory, Brady also saw the Patriots’ perfect season and his own football immortality crushed.  And there was nothing he could do about it.