Super Bowl XLVI
Giants 21, Patriots 17
In last week’s Super Bowl preview, I mentioned that the final score of Super Bowl XLII was 21-17, which was incorrect. “This will be a game very similar to the Super Bowl 4 years ago, with perhaps a bit more scoring than the 21-17 score.” Well the famous FMQB Psychic Abilities must have taken over subconsciously, because the score of the game 4 years ago was actually 17-14, not 21-17, which was the score of THIS GAME two days after I wrote it!!! (Twilight Zone Music playing). What I MEANT to say was a bit more scoring than the 17-14 score from 4 years ago…I also nailed a couple other points, read what I had last week and I willBOLD the interesting points.
Last Week: This should be a very hot and contested battle between these two teams. Probably very similar to the 24-20 score that we saw on Week 9. Here are a few predictions in the game. Gronkowski and Welker should each have a TD reception. The Patriots will try to run the ball, but abandon it with 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter after racking up a mere 42 yards rushing. Gostkowski will kick 3 field goals after the Patriots drives stall within the red zone. Tom Brady will throw 2 interceptions. As for the Giants, Hakeem Nicks will have a 50+ yard catch, possibly for a TD. The 3 TD’s the Giants score will be a Bradshaw run, a Nicks fade to the back of the endzone, and a Victor Cruz slant from the 3 yard line. The Giants defense will step up, causing 2 interceptions and 1 fumble, while Brandon Jacobs fumbles the ball somewhere as well. Manning will struggle most of the day, but lead the Giants on an 80 yd touchdown drive within the last 4 minutes of the game. Brady will have a shot to match it with enough time, but will fail to convert on a 4th and 3. The Giants will end up winning the game 24-23, thus ensuring that Manning and Tom Coughlin go into the Hall of Fame. Brady and Belichick will look deflated after seeing that out of all the teams, the Giants have their number.
Prediction Analysis:
- The Patriots attempted to run the ball the entire game, but racked up a mere 44 yards from their leading rusher (I predicted 42).
- I had Bradshaw and Cruz each scoring a TD. My Cruz TD was a 3 yard slant, but in real life it was a 2 yard slant!!!
- Eli led the Giants on an 88yd TD drive with 3:46 left in the game (I predicted 80 yards within 4 minutes).
- Brady had a shot to match it, but failed.
- Manning and Coughlin are already getting Hall of Fame talk, while Brady and Belichick looked deflated.
Last three Patriots-Giants games with 60 seconds left
The game | Score after 59 minutes | Final Score | Time of winning NY TD |
Super Bowl XLVI, Feb. 5, 2012 | NE, 17-15 | NY, 21-17 | :57 |
Nov. 6, 2011 | NE, 20-17 | NY, 24-20 | :15 |
Super Bowl XLII, Feb. 3, 2008 | NE, 14-10 | NY, 17-14 | :35 |
Super Stat of the Week:
The Giants started off 7-7, and then won 6 games in a row to win the Super Bowl.
Super Stat of the Week #2:
David Tyree’s Helmet Catch in Super Bowl XLII, was his last catch of his career.
Super Stat of the Week #3:
Eli Manning is 7-0 as a starter on the road in the playoffs, with 12 touchdown passes versus two interceptions.
Super Stat of the Week #4:
In QB rematches in the Super Bowl, the 3 QB’s who won the first game went on to win the second game.
Super Stat of the Week #5:
The Giants were outscored in the regular season, and were swept by the Washington Redskins. Also had a streak where they lost 5 of 6 games.
How Great are the Patriots?
The Patriots have not showed any dominance in any Super Bowl they played in. In fact, they could just as easily be 5-0, or 0-5. Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots have appeared in five Super Bowls, scoring 107 points while allowing 105 points. The Patriots have won the Super Bowl three times by three points on three occasions, lost by three points on one occasion and lost by four points on Sunday. In each game, one bounce of the ball could basically change the outcome by 3 points. Ty Law’s pick 6 was the game changer against the Rams, and Carolina kicking it out of bounds gave Brady a short field on the last drive.
Unsung Hero:
My Unsung MVP of the Super Bowl is Steve Weatherford…who? The Giants Punter. His first punt landed at the 6 yard line, and directly led to 2 points. Two other punts were inside the 20 yd line, and it was easy to see the Giants won the field position game. Let’s hope Eli throws the keys of that Corvette over to Steve.
Excitement:
With all the “lack of hype” this game got, I’ve got to say that this was one of the most exciting Super Bowl’s I’ve seen in awhile. Starting with an 88yd touchdown drive, and knowing the Patriots couldn’t stop the clock (or the Giants for that matter). Then giving Brady the ball with a minute left and him having a hail mary shot at the endzone as time ran out. My adrenaline was flowing and my heart was going crazy! The exciting thing about it was that it was such a close game, and without a lot of scoring, you knew that one bounce of the ball would completely change the game.
Game Notes:
The Giants pass rush was not that effective, but it mattered when it counted. The 3rd down sack of Brady on the final drive was huge. So was the safety on the first play of the game. After Manning and Weatherford, I think it’s safe to say that Justin Tuck gets my #3 nod for MVP.
Victor Cruz had a decent first half, and then was completely shut down. You have to give the Patriots credit, Belichick told his team “Force it to Manningham” (which we’ll discuss later), but the Patriots did an excellent job at shutting Cruz down.
The Interception by Chase Blackburn, keeping up with Rob Gronkowski (even though he was gimpy) was just plain brilliant. Undrafted LB chasing down the best TE in the league, and intercepting the ball from one of the best QBs of all time.
Brady’s 98 yard drive at the end of the first half, going 10 for 10, and scoring with seconds left before halftime. Brilliant, should have been a game changer.
While we’re on the subject, Brady completing 16 passes in a row during the game, beating Joe Montana’s record. Very impressive.
There was only one turnover in this game (the deep Brady interception), but there were 2 fumbles by the Giants that literally made my heart skip a beat. One by Bradshaw (but an OL recovered), and the second by Cruz which was a legit fumble until the Patriots got flagged for 12 men on the field. That play right there changed the game, and could have led to a Patriots win.
Eli is known for the 4th quarter, but the Giants 1st quarter dominance set the tone. At one point with 3 minutes left in the quarter, the Giants had 108 total yds vs. the Patriots 0 yards and only one offensive play.
Belichick’s call to let Bradshaw score was the gutsiest and best coaching move the entire game. It’s tough to make that call, but it gave the Patriots the best chance to win the game.
Eli’s 88yd TD drive within 4 minutes of the game should go into history as one of the Top 5 Super Bowl winning drives of all-time. Joe Montana had an amazing one, Brady in 2001, and Eli’s in 2008 are in there too.
What were the Football Gods thinking?!?!
FMQB branded both teams in the Super Bowl this year, Los Tramposos and the Cheatriots. The football gods had to smite one of the teams!
Gisele is Right:
I hate to side with the Supermodel on this one, but she is right. There were 3 blatantly dropped passes in the last 6 minutes of the game for the Patriots. Welker’s was HUGE, and would have forced a TD by the Giants with less time on the clock and fewer timeouts. Then Hernandez and Branch had big drops on the final drive that may have put the Patriots at the 35 yard line and perhaps a better shot at a hail mary. I should point out that all 3 passes were slightly off by Brady, but they were all catchable balls.
“Who’s Elite Nooooowwwwww”
With all the self-absorbed players in the NFL all claiming to be the best and holding out for money, I was pretty surprised when Eli Manning said he should be considered in the Elite QBs of the league, especially coming from a guy who isn’t that outspoken. But to make that remark, have 15 4th quarter TD’s, and have an 88yard Super Bowl winning TD drive with under 4 minutes left. All I can say is CLUTCH, you backed up your comments man. Eli deserves some major props for putting his money where his mouth is. Eli went from not being “Elite” to being a hall of fame QB in one season.
Quote of the Week:
“Ahhhhh Helmet Catch” FMQB (as the ball was in the air to Manningham for his sideline beauty)
Quote of the Week #2:
Thusday:
“What are you smiling about?” FFMQB
“The Super Bowl” FMQB
Perhaps gives you an idea of how pumped I was to see the Giants win, that I was still excited on Thursday night!
Repeat?
Is it just me, or is this the first year in awhile that the Giants probably won’t even be in the Top 5 teams expected to win the Super Bowl next year. Not to take anything away from their championship, but it sort of seemed like they just got hot at the right time, but weren’t exactly the BEST team in the league. For me, Super Bowl favorites in this order are: Packers, Saints, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Giants, whatever team Peyton Manning goes to…
Stay Tuned:
FMQB has one more episode, and is putting together a fun, final column recapping the season that should be out in a few weeks!!!