By Egypt Hicks —
The New England Patriots and the New York Giants went head-to-head in what was a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. This year’s Super Bowl was held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and Kelly Clarkson were the pre-game opening acts.
The first half seemed to be an uninteresting game, with a few touchdowns. The Giants dominated possession, lead by QB Eli Manning. The Patriots ended up leading 10-9 by halftime, with a superb orchestrated drive by QB Tom Brady.
The halftime show was breath-taking, as Madonna sang her new single “Give Me Your Luvin” feat. LMFAO, Nikki Minaj, M.I.A., and Cee Lo Green. M.I.A. made post-Super Bowl headlines with an obscene gesture during the performance. Despite that, the halftime show was a success.
The second half was entertaining- Patriots CB Patrick Chung laid a huge hit on the Giants’ WR Mario Manningham. The huge hit inspired the Patriots, as they scored 14 unanswered points and took a 17-9 lead.
In the 4th quarter, where anything can happen, Giants TE Travis Beckum injured his ACL and missed the rest of the game. The Giants ended up punting on that drive. The following Patriot possession, QB Tom Brady threw an interception to LB Chase Blackburn. The pass was intended for TE Rob Gronkowski.
Following 2 Giants field-goals, the Patriots missed a crucial play- QB Tom Brady’s pass was dropped by WR Wes Welker. If that catch was made, the Patriots could have killed the clock, en route to a Super Bowl win.
It was the Giants who made a crucial play- QB Eli Manning threw a pass to WR Mario Manningham, who made the biggest catch of the game. Later on in that drive, RB Ahmad Bradshaw scored the eventual game-winning touchdown run, giving the Giants a 21-17 lead.
The Patriots had one last chance and could not convert- 2 dropped passes by WR Deion Branch and TE Aaron Hernandez, a sack by DE Justin Tuck, and a failed Hail Mary pass at game’s end.
The final score was 21-17 and Eli Manning was named Super Bowl MVP. Head coach Tom Coughlin, in his 8th year as Giants head coach, won his 2nd Super Bowl in a span of 5 years. He and Patriots head coach Bill Belichik embraced each other at midfield after the game. It was arguably the greatest Super Bowl ever played.
2007-08 was relived all over again. The Giants and Patriots played against in each other in Super Bowl XLII and just like that Super Bowl, the Giants were victorious.