Living up to the hype of “greatest Super Bowl ever played” is hard, but the New York Giants and the New England Patriots did just that Sunday night, writing another chapter in what has become one of the best rivalries in NFL history.
Hollywood couldn’t have produced a more gut-wrenching, mind-blowing sequel. It’s still unbelievable this epic rematch came down to a last second Hail Mary attempt from Tom Brady, falling inches short of a diving Rob Gronkowski, which sealed a 21-17 Giants victory.
The Giants exit Indianapolis one of only five franchises with four or more Super Bowl victories, denying Brady and head coach Bill Belichick their fourth championship rings and staking their claim as a dynasty with two NFL titles in five seasons.
While Manning’s legacy gets an undeniably deserved boost, it’s the resume of his coach, Tom Coughlin, that gets the ultimate enhancement of becoming immediately Hall of Fame worthy when he chooses to retire.
Coughlin, at the ripe age of 65, is now the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl and becomes only the 13th coach in league history to win multiple Super Bowls.
As for Manning, he joins an elite class of Super Bowl winners, taking home his second Super Bowl MVP award to New York. He’s now the third QB in history to execute a pair of game-winning fourth quarter drives in the Super Bowl. The other two are Brady and Terry Bradshaw. He is also only the 11th starting QB to win multiple championships. Most importantly, Manning has now surpassed his older brother, Peyton, and Brady as well, out-dueling the three-time Super winner in two thrilling championships.
In a season where he was the most clutch quarterback in the league, Eli once again displayed his brilliance with the game on the line, guiding his team on an 88-yard game-winning touchdown drive with 57 seconds thanks to a sensational 38-yard connection to wide receiver Mario Manningham.
During the regular season he led his team to six comeback victories, propelling the Giants to barely squeak into the playoffs at 9-7. Now, they are he first team with that record to ever win a Super Bowl.
“It’s been a remarkable run,” said Coughlin in post-game celebration.
While the Giants’ celebration is much deserved, the storyline was an inch or two away from reading entirely differently. Brady couldn’t match Manning, failing to answer with a score in the game’s final 57 seconds.
However, if that pass had been completed, there would be no question about Super Bowl XLVI being the best Super Bowl of all time.
Although an argument could be presented that it still was the best of all time, it’s a shortsighted view, considering that there may be a third chapter in this saga.
For now, we will just have to admit the sequel was better than the original, a Super Bowl classic to be remembered forever.
