The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17. Eli Manning took home the MVP award after a 30-40, 296 yard performance capped off by what proved to be a 78 yard game winning drive late in the fourth quarter. It’s the second title for the Giants during the Tom Coughlin/Eli Manning era and fourth overall.
The game winning TD was actually a tactical move by the Patriots, who allowed Ahmad Bradshaw to score with about :57 left. Had they not, or had he realized that’s what was happening, they likely would have only gotten the ball back with :20 left. In the end however, it didn’t really matter as the Patriots could barely move the ball and ended up attempting a hail mary from about the 50. The Giants defended it and sealed their second title since 2007.
The Patriots will certainly be haunted by a few bad drops in the fourth quarter that could have changed their fortunes. At the same time, the Giants will relish their continued incredible good luck. They fumbled three times tonight, but recovered two and had the other negated by a Patriots penalty.
Now, the offseason begins. Teams can begin using franchise tags on February 20th. NFL free agency begins on 3/13 at 4pm.