INDIANAPOLIS -- Peyton Manning owns this town. Peyton Manning all but built this Super Bowl-hosting Lucas Oil Stadium. But, as he showed in his brother’s town and stadium, Eli Manning owns the Super Bowl and owns the New England Patriots.
Manning threw bulls-eyes early in Super Bowl XLVI to give the Giants the lead and threw them late when he needed to bring them from behind against New England for a 21-17 victory.
Manning, the Super Bowl MVP again, as he was four years ago, finished 30 of 40 for 296 yards and a touchdown. His first quarter approached perfection — 9 of 9 for 77 yards and that touchdown. His fourth quarter attained greatness — 10 of 14 for 118 yards in the quarter, when he drove the Giants 88 yards for the winning score.
That’s two Super Bowl wins in five seasons against New England. Oh, and the Patriots hadn’t returned to their locker room on the short side of a scoreboard since a 24-20 loss to the Giants on Nov.6 after Manning drove New York to a late game-winning score. Just as he did in Super Bowl XLII. Just as he did Sunday.
The Jersey Boys couldn’t start singing in celebration, however, until a final Hail Mary throw by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady
(27 of 41 for 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception) careened around the end zone and near 6-6 tight end Rob Gronkowski before falling to the turf. Only then did the NFL have its first seven-loss Super Bowl champion.
“This isn’t about one person,” Manning said. “This is about a team coming together, getting this win. I’m just proud of our guys, proud of the team and how we fought all year. Never got discouraged, kept their faith and kept their confidence and just fought to the very end.”
Throw in the 2007 regular-season finale, in which Manning went 22 of 32 for 251 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-35 Giants loss to the then-undefeated Patriots, and you see why Eli might be taking the Most Feared Patriots Opponent baton from his injured older brother.
Asked about the possibility of having two Hall of Fame quarterback sons, Archie Manning said, “I don’t know anything about the Hall of Fame. Eli is in his eighth year, and I know one thing: He might have said earlier in the year that he belonged with the elite quarterbacks. He will not be saying that he belongs in the Hall of Fame. I know Eli that well.”
The nine-play, 88-yard drive that ended with Ahmad Bradshaw’s 6-yard touchdown run felt as matter-of-fact as Manning’s standard manner. In fact, only Bradshaw’s touchdown went off script.
Down 17-15, the Giants took the ball at their own 12 with 3:46 and only one timeout left after blowing two on a drive earlier in the fourth. Manning opened the drive with a bomb up the left sideline that dropped into Mario Manningham’s arms at the 50 as Manningham got pushed out of bounds in front of the Patriots’ bench. Despite that vantage point and the quickly shown replay on the stadium’s big screens showing Manningham dragged his toes, New England challenged the call. That cost the Patriots a timeout when the call was upheld.
“That put us over the top,” Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said.
“They were in Cover Two,” Manning said. “Usually, that’s not your matchup. They had us covered pretty well to the right. I looked that way. I saw the safety cheated in a little bit and threw it down the sideline. Great catch by him, keeping both feet in.”
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Game Stats | Super Bowl XLVI 
