Well, the G-Men defeated the Patriots in a rematch of the game four years ago. In many ways, the games were eerily similar, complete with QB escapes from certain sacks, a hail Mary pass at the end for the Pats that came within a hair’s breadth of succeeding, and some stellar play on both sides of the ball.
First, The Gronk’s injury really did play a part. He wasn’t that much of a factor on offense, and I have to believe that it hurt his ability to get downfield on the INT by Chase Blackburn. On the last play, if the ball had been tipped a little higher, Gronkowski might have caught it. Second, the game was pretty clean. There were a few penalties, but the game wasn’t dirty. That’s not to say that the penalties weren’t costly. 12 men on the field cost the Pats’ the Cruz fumble recovery. Third, the sacks were down, but both sides pressured the QB effectively. Both Brady and Manning showed why they are top QB’s.
The Giants’ running attack came to life late in the season, and it showed up here as well. Both Bradshaw and Jacobs ran well, and the Giants’ backs were also instrumental in the role as receivers. Good hustle to recover the fumble by Bradshaw. It was noted elsewhere that Eli Manning has the ability to throw the ball to a target that’s the size of a bread box, and he proved it again. Mario Manningham’s catch in the fourth quarter was right up there with Tyree’s from 4 years ago. The loss of Ballard and Beckum will be felt, but Pascoe came through.
On defense, Perry Fewell gets redemption, and Gilbride won’t ever be known as Kill drive again. Both of the co-ordinators put in an effective game plan, and the players executed it to perfection. Coach Coughlin will never have to worry about getting fired again; vindication all around.
Lastly, it appeared that there was some trouble with the NE wideouts. They dropped passes that were catchable on at least two occasions. In the middle of the season this would have gone unnoticed, but in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, they were magnified. This happened with Tony Romo in the first Dallas game, when he missed a wide open receiver. It appears that the Giants were blessed with what Napoleon required of his generals; good luck. Enjoy the moment, Giants fans! the draft is two months away!