It’s not everyday that a team can redeem themselves in a Super Bowl rematch. The New England Patriots had this chance, but fell short again.
In a quarterback showdown, New York Giant Eli Manning took on Patriot Tom Brady, in what would be the biggest display of smash mouth football the country has ever seen. Brady, looking to avenge his 2008 Super Bowl loss while Manning was looking for his second ring to pass his brother Peyton.
In the first quarter the Giants started off strong by scoring two points with a blunder play by “veteran” Brady who made the rookie mistake of backing into the endzone, leaving the pocket, and throwing the ball away to force the referee to call intentional grounding.
Signs of life for the Patriots didn’t emerge until the second quarter when kicker Stephen Gostkowski scored a 29-yard field goal. With eight seconds left in the half, Brady launched a pass to half back Danny Woodhead on an incredible 94-yard drive, setting a Super Bowl record.
The Patriots would then get the ball in the second half with a 9-10 lead. Tight end Aaron Hernandez went big on a 12-yard catch to widen his team’s lead. While the Giants’ offense struggled against the big New England defense who only let them score two field goals to make the score 15-17.
With a tight game heading into the fourth, Patriot head coach Bill Belichick called a no-huddle to try and confuse the Giants’ defense. Brady bombed a pass to Rob Gronkowski but linebacker Chase Blackburn had other plans and picked the ball off to turn it over. however, the very next play, Giants’ HB Ahamd Bradshaw fumbled the ball, but luckily guard Chris Snee was playing heads-up football and fell on the ball to keep possesion.
The next 12 minutes showed defensive prowess. Each team pushed and pushed but to no avail. When there appeared to be no hope left for New York, Manning heaved the ball to wide receiver Mario Manningham who with extreme athleticism was able to drag his two feet and make a completion for 38 yards. With a sudden swing in momentum, the Giants pushed on until Bradshaw ran through the defensive line to score six. After a failed two-point conversion, the Giants led 21-17 with 57 seconds left.
Then came the classic Patriot desperation seen in Super Bowl XLII. After two straight incomplete passses to Wes Welker and Hernandez, who both apparently need to take catching lessons from Manningham, and then a big sack, hope, along with the Patriots’ offense, died.
A super Bowl rematch provided the rare opportunity to truly see who is better, and after a second crushing loss to the Giants, it is clear who is the victor. With the Pete Rozelle Trophy (MVP) being awarded to Manning, and the champs being crowned, the National Football Season can come to a close.
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