Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin by Mike Blake/REUTERS
Use our Online Video Guide to relive Manning's clutch 32-yard completion to David Tyree, as well as his game-winning TD toss to Plaxico Burress.
With big brother Peyton cheering him on, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning silenced his critics for good, engineering an improbable 17-14 upset win over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Manning completed 19 of 34 passes, for 255 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. And for the second-consecutive year a Manning brother was named MVP of the game, with Eli following up Peyton, who led the Colts to victory in '07.
The heavily favored Patriots suffered their first loss of the season, dropping to 18-1 and failing in their bid to became the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go undefeated. Rather than making history, the Pats will now have to settle for the next edition of Trivial Pursuit.
The game didn’t get off to a promising start for either team. New England led 7-3 after the first half, a sloppy, sluggish defensive struggle that saw five sacks (three for Tom Brady, two for Manning). At halftime, Fox studio analyst Terry Bradshaw wondered, “Where is the big play coming from? We have not seen it yet.”
Well, we saw plenty of them in the fourth quarter, when the lead changed three times. The Patriots looked to have it wrapped up with 2:42 left to play, when Brady and Randy Moss connected on a 6-yard touchdown, going ahead 14-10. But then Manning orchestrated a scrappy 12-play, 83-yard drive that finished with a 13-yard pass to Plaxico Burress.
What do you think: Is this the greatest upset in Super Bowl history?
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