INDIANAPOLIS, (Reuters) – Eli Manning may have been voted most valuable player of the Super Bowl but it was a relentless New York Giants defense that earned much of the credit for a heart-stopping 21-17 win over the New England Patriots in the NFL championship game on Sunday.
Facing one of the National Football League’s all-time quarterbacking greats in Tom Brady, New York’s defense held strong in denying him a fourth Super Bowl title and a place in the gridiron record books.
“Our defense has played so well,” praised Giants coach Tom Coughlin. “Coming from the (New York) Jets game on, it’s given everybody confidence.”
The Giants defense generated the game’s first points when Justin Tuck forced New England to take a safety on the their first offensive play as Brady was given an intentional grounding penalty as he scrambled to avoid a sack in the end zone.
Having grabbed the lead with 57 seconds left to play, the New York defense came up big again stopping cold the Patriots’ last desperate bid for victory.
But it was between the Patriots’ first possession and their last that the Giants defense displayed a steely resolve as Brady took control completing a record 16 successive passes tossing touchdowns on either side of the half to grab a 17-9 lead.
In the end, the vaunted New York pass rush began to bear down on the Patriots’ quarterback and turned the tide for the Giants, who registered the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl title.
The Giants limited one of the NFL’s top offenses to 349 yards and Brady to 276 yards passing.
“He (Brady) was just going to dink and dunk and short pass, we knew that,” said Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora. “We knew they were going to get those passes off but at the end of the day, we knew if we stood together and stayed strong we were going to come out with a victory.
“I think our coverage made him hold the ball a little bit longer, and we feel very confident up front that if we get a little extra time, we are going to be able to get to anybody.”
Disrupted by injuries, the Giants defense never really found its form until late in the season as the New Yorkers set their sights on a playoff spot.
Finding their swagger down the stretch run, the Giants came into Sunday’s contest confident they could contain Brady and pressure him into a rare mistake.
That came early in the fourth quarter, when Brady spotted his big tight-tight end Rob Gronkowski down field but was picked off by linebacker Chase Blackburn to turn the momentum back in the New York’s favour.
“I knew as soon as we beat Atlanta (in the playoff opener), I was like, ‘Man, we’re going to win the Super Bowl,’ but I kept it to myself,” said Umenyiora. “I knew it was going to happen. When things happen like that, there’s just no stopping it.
“There was no way we weren’t going to win.”
