Ranking the Super Bowls, #2: Super Bowl XLVI

(photo credit: literock969.com)

The New England Patriots battled their new rivals, the New York Giants on Feb. 5, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. The Patriots were looking to get revenge for their loss against the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, but Giants quarterback Eli Manning did what he does best: perform nearly perfect when the lights are shining bright. Manning powered the underdog Giants to a surprising 21-17 victory in Super Bowl XLVI. New York, who was plagued by a myriad of injuries during the season, finished the regular season with a 9-7 record. Big Blue set a Super Bowl record for lowest regular season record by a Super Bowl champion. 

New York defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 in order to win the NFC East. The Giants defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24-2, the Green Bay Packers 37-20, and the San Francisco 49ers 20-17, en route to Super Bowl XLVI. The Patriots finished the regular season with an AFC-best 13-3 record. They defeated the Denver Broncos 45-10, and the Baltimore Ravens 23-20, in order to make it back to the Big Game. The Patriots entered the game as 2.5 point favorites. The game was broadcasted by NBC, with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth on the call. 

The game would go down in NFL lore, which is why it broke the record for the most-watched program in American television history. The Giants jumped out to an early 9-0 lead. Tom Brady was called for an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, which gave New York the 2-0 lead. Manning then connected with Victor Cruz on a two-yard touchdown, which put the Giants up nine.

The Patriots would respond with three straight scoring drives. Stephen Gostkowski converted on a 29-yard field goal, and Brady hooked up with Danny Woodhead on a 4-yard touchdown pass, which gave New England the 10-9 lead at halftime. Shortly after the quarter started, Brady found Aaron Hernandez for a 12-yard touchdown, which gave New England the 17-9 advantage. 

The Patriots would never score again in the game. Lawrence Tynes converted two field goals, which tied the game at 17. The Giants had the ball at their own 12-yard line. The most important play on this drive came in the middle of the possession. Manning found Mario Manningham, who was covered by multiple Patriots defenders, for a first down. From there, the Giants would get the decisive touchdown. Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a six-yard rushing touchdown, and the two-point conversion failed. However, Brady failed to score on the final drive of the game, as the Giants were the champions of the NFL once again. 

New York won their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history. Manning earned MVP honors, after completing 30 of his 40 pass attempts, for 296 yards and one touchdown. Hakeem Nicks had 10 catches for 109 yards, which led all Giants receivers. Brady completed 27 of his 41 pass attempts, for 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Aaron Hernandez caught eight passes for 67 yards and one touchdown.