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This Day In Sports…February 3, 2008:
In the NFL’s biggest upset since the Jets’ win over Baltimore guaranteed by Joe Namath in Super Bowl III, the New York Giants derail New England’s hopes for a perfect season with a 17-14 stunner in Super Bowl XLII. MVP Eli Manning, a year after his brother Peyton was MVP in the Colts’ win over the Bears, hit Plaxico Burriss on a 13-yard fade for the winning touchdown with 35 seconds left to cap an 83-yard drive. The Patriots had set an NFL record for points and were 18-0, but the 1972 Miami Dolphins remained the NFL’s only undefeated team.
This one was kind of a snoozer for the first three quarters, with the Patriots leading 7-3. But man did that change. The Giants struck quickly early in the fourth, with Manning directing a six-play, 80-yard drive and hitting little-known wide receiver David Tyree on a five-yard touchdown pass for 10-7 lead. Tyree wouldn’t be little-known for long. After the two teams traded punts, Tom Brady did what he does. With just under eight minutes left, Brady engineered an 80-yard drive of his own, connecting with Randy Moss on a six-yard TD throw that put the Pats up 14-10.
There was just 2:39 remaining when the Giants got the ball back on their own 17. Manning found Amani Toomer twice for 20 yards, but New York would soon have to convert a fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive. Ironically, with 1:15 left, Manning overthrew Tyree on the sideline but was clearly irked by the route the receiver ran. Then came one of the Super Bowl’s all-time great moments on the next play.
On third-and-five from the New York 44-yard line, Manning was running for his life but broke two tackles on his scramble and threw the ball deep. Tyree went up for the ball with New England star safety Rodney Harrison—and Tyree miraculously came down with the catch by wedging the ball against his helmet. It wasn’t quite over, as Manning would have to convert a third-and-11. But one play later, Burriss was wide open in the corner of the end zone, and history was secured.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
