Tecmo Super Bowl XLII Summary
Game Summary:
Having played each other in the regular-season finale a month ago, the Patriots and Giants were intimately familiar with each other's style of play, and though the Giants were double-digit underdogs against the undefeated Pats, their breakout performance in the earlier meeting suggested a Super Bowl that would come right down to the wire.
After winning the opening coin toss, New York stunned the Patriots by marching down the field and scoring the game's first touchdown, a 19-yard connection between Eli Manning and Amani Toomer. After the Pats sputtered to a 3-and-out on the following possession, the Giants once again moved the ball downfield on New England with surprising ease, starting the 2nd quarter with another Manning touchdown pass (this time to Plaxico Burress) which gave New York a shocking 14-0 lead. The Giants were a tougher puzzle than the Patriots had anticipated... and it wasn't going to get any easier.
Still, the Patriots showed that they were an NFL-best 18-0 for a reason. Keyed by a long Tom Brady bomb to Randy Moss, the Pats embarked on an 85-yard drive that was capped by a bruising 3-yard Kevin Faulk TD run. Then, on New York's next drive, the Patriots defense finally stepped up -- Junior Seau hit Burress, forced him to fumble, and Tedy Bruschi pounced on the loose ball. The turnover gave New England the ball near midfield, and two Brady plays (a completion and a scramble) got Stephen Gostkowski in range to make a 47-yard field goal as the half ended. The Patriots had done a commendable job to fight back to 14-10 after a disastrous start, but they still had a lot of work to do in the second half.
Receiving the football to start the second half, the Patriots had designs on taking the lead for the first time in Super Bowl XLII... but those plans were immediately thwarted when Giants DE Osi Umenyiora stripped Laurence Maroney of the ball and recovered it in the end zone, giving New York a commanding 21-10 lead early in the 3rd quarter. With their backs against the wall and the perfect season on the line, it was now or never for New England. They responded in the manner they have all season long: a gritty scramble by Brady and a completion over the middle to Wes Welker put Faulk in a position to once again be a hero. Faulk received Brady's dump-off, juked a New York defender, and motored into the end zone to bring the Pats to within 4 points again. On the following possession, the Pats' D bent but did not break, and Eugene Wilson picked off Manning in the end zone as the 3rd quarter came to a close.
After the interception, New England moved into Giants territory, but the drive stalled, and Bill Belichick was forced to go for it on 4th-and-4 from the 40. Maroney battled for 3½ yards but no more, and the Pats had turned the ball over on downs with less than 4 minutes left in the game. The Giants tried to milk the clock by running the ball, but this strategy backfired when Ahmad Bradshaw coughed up the ball at midfield and Wilson recovered it. Down 21-17 with 3:05 to play, this would be the Patriots' last chance to preserve history... Maroney lost 2 yards on 1st down, and Brady was sacked on 2nd. But on third, Brady heaved the ball down the right sideline, and Randy Moss elevated to snag it in double coverage! With 1st-and-goal at the 5, the Pats would waste no time, pitching the ball to Faulk on a draw... The hole was big enough to drive a Mack truck through, and Faulk's 3rd total TD had given New England their first lead of the game with 2:08 left in the 4th. Manning and the Giants would valiantly attempt to fight back, but the clock struck twelve for Cinderella at midfield, when Brandon Jacobs was stopped on 4th-and-3. Several clock-killing plays later, the Patriots were World Champions for a fourth time, capping the first 19-0 season in NFL history! Faulk was named MVP for his efforts, and Tom Brady went to Disney World with Gisele Bündchen. THE END. 24-21 Patriots, final score.
My Prediction: New England 31, New York 21.
