Giants again rally to top Patriots in classic Super Bowl

With his iconic older brother leading the cheers, fourth-quarter maestro Eli Manning forged his own Super Bowl legacy Sunday night by rallying the New York Giants to one of the most improbable championship runs in NFL annals.

Manning guided a last-minute 88-yard touchdown drive as the Giants edged New England 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium, beating Tom Brady and the Patriots for the second time in five seasons on the league's biggest stage.

"Eli has really put us on his shoulders all year,'' said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who faced down rampant speculation about his job security when New York was mired with a 7-7 record in December. "He did a fantastic job on that final drive.''

On the evening's signature play, Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham triggered the game-winning nine-play march with a spectacular 38-yard catch over his shoulder down the left sidelines, just before he was knocked out of bounds at midfield.

The Patriots challenged the ruling, but the reception was upheld, costing New England a timeout that would soon prove critical. Ahmad Bradshaw capped the drive by running in for a 6-yard touchdown with 57 seconds remaining as Patriot defenders allowed him to score.

After New York's failed 2-point attempt, Brady took over at his own 20 with only one timeout left.

Two incompletions and a sack by Justin Tuck left the Patriots facing a fourth-and-16 before Brady spun away from former USF standout Jason Pierre-Paul and found Deion Branch for 19 yards.

But New England's hopes for its own fourth-quarter comeback faded when Brady's pass intended for ex-Gator Aaron Hernandez was batted away by safety Kenny Phillips in the end zone as time expired, sealing New York's fourth Super Bowl triumph.

"It's been a wild season, but I'm proud of our guys,'' said Manning, who hit on his first nine throws and completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards while claiming his second Super Bowl MVP trophy. "That was a great catch by Mario, a big-time play.''

Outstanding poise in the clutch by Peyton Manning's kid brother came as no surprise to Giant fans.

He set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes during the regular season and Manning is now the first New York quarterback with two Super Bowl wins.

He is also the first Manning with two Super Bowl rings, breaking a tie with Peyton, a four-time NFL MVP who has played his entire career with the Colts.

"I think it's special because of the city here,'' said Eli's father, former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. "This city has meant a lot to our family for 14 years and it was a heck of a football game.''

The Giants posted the worst regular-season record (9-7) of any Super Bowl winner, but they closed the year with six consecutive wins.

"Nobody said this could be done except for us,'' New York guard David Diehl said. "Let everybody say what they want to say … the Giants are world champs, baby.''

The Giants are also the first team in the history of the league, dating to 1920, to win an NFL championship after allowing more points (400) than it scored (394) in the regular season.

"It's a marvelous feeling,'' Coughlin said. "We got in at halftime (trailing 10-9) and I said 'We're better than this.' We came back out with conviction and the rest is history.''

Manning tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz and the Giants added two field goals by Lawrence Tynes after opening the scoring with a safety.

Brady completed 27 of 41 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns for the AFC champions, who came in with a 10-game winning streak, hoping to avenge a 17-14 Super Bowl loss to the Giants four years ago in the Arizona desert.

"We fought to the end and came up a little short,'' said Brady, who set a Super Bowl mark Sunday with 16 consecutive completions. "We just didn't make enough plays and they deserved to win. I'd rather come to this game and lose than not get here.''

With Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski hobbled by a high ankle sprain, Hernandez stepped up by catching eight passes, including a 12-yard touchdown reception that put the Patriots ahead 17-9 on the opening drive of the third quarter.

Despite dominating the time of possession, the Giants found themselves with the 10-9 deficit at intermission when Brady calmly directed a 96-yard touchdown drive before yielding to Madonna's extravagant halftime performance.

Brady then completed all 10 of his pass attempts in a 14-play march capped by a 4-yard scoring flip to running back Danny Woodhead on third down with only eight seconds remaining in the half.

Stephen Gostkowski's 29-yard field goal early in the second quarter sliced New England's deficit to 9-3, stabilizing the Pats after a shaky getaway.

The Patriots (15-4) made some uncharacteristic mental errors at the start, helping the Giants build a 9-0 advantage after the opening quarter.

New England was flagged for a safety on its initial snap when Brady, facing late pressure by Tuck, flung the ball downfield from the end zone. There was no Patriot receiver near the football when it landed just short of the NFL logo at midfield, staking the Giants to a 2-0 lead.

On their ensuing possession, the Giants drove 78 yards on an 11-play march sustained by another New England mistake as the defense was called for too many men on the field, nullifying a fumble at the Patriots' 9-yard line.

Two plays later, Manning fired a 2-yard touchdown pass to Cruz on a quick slant as linebacker Jerod Mayo failed to turn around for the ball. While New York fans in the crowd of 68,658 rejoiced, Cruz delivered his trademark salsa dance in the shadow of the Patriots end zone logo.

"We were that close to being world champions and it didn't happen,'' Woodhead said. "It's a tough situation, but you've got to wake up tomorrow. The sun's going to shine."