New England falls to NY Giants in Super Bowl XLII Rematch

FOXBOROUGH - In Super Bowl XLII it was David Tyree and Plaxico Buress. In the first rematch since that Super Bowl, it was Jake Ballard and… Jake Ballard. In a game with lead changes plenty, the New York Giants were able to best the Patriots in almost a mirror image of the last time they met. Eli Manning connected with Tight End Jake Ballard for an out-stretched, drive saving catch and then again for a touchdown to put away the Patriots with little time left.

In a game that was scoreless until the second half, the two teams traded blows until the last 15 seconds. The New York Giants got on the board with a Lawrence Tynes field goal with 10:09 left in 3 rd quarter and then again scored on a Brandon Jacobs 10 yard touchdown run a minute later. Patriot quarterback, Tom Brady got his team back within 7 after a drive that ended in a Stephen Gostkowski 32 yard field goal with 5:29 left in the 3 rd quarter. Brady then brought his team down and was finally able to break into the end zone with a 5 yard connection to Tight End Aaron Hernandez. After another Stephen Gostkowski field goal, the game seemed as if the winner would be the last team with the ball, as both defenses made their mistakes and gave up points at will.

With 3:03 left in the game Manning hooked up with Wide Receiver Mario Manningham for a 10 yard touchdown and a 17-13 lead. As proved many times before, Tom Brady would lead a two-minute drill to perfection as he hit Tight End Rob Gronkowski on 4 th-and-8 for a 14 yard touchdown to again re-gain the lead 20-17. The only problem for the Patriots was that there was 1:36 left on the clock and it was up to their weary defense to hold the lead.

> Find New England Patriots jerseys & hats as well as NFL Football Jerseys online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

The Patriots secondary was inefficient yet again as they could not stop Eli Manning in the last minute. On a 3 rd-and-10 Eli hooked up with Ballard for possible a season saving diving catch. The on 1 st-and-10, the Patriots secondary was caught off balance in the end zone and got called for a pass interference penalty that put the ball on the one yard line. After two plays that proved unsuccessful, Manning hit his new “go-to-guy” Ballard in the back of the end zone for the final score.

Eli Manning once again showed his ability to beat Brady and the Patriots throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Jacobs filled in nicely for an injured Ahmad Bradshaw, running for 72 yards and a touchdown. Tom Brady threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two crucial interceptions. Wes Welker added his usual huge receiving numbers catching nine balls for 136 yards.

The Giants(6-2) travel to San Francisco to take on a 7-1 Cinderella story 49er team. The Patriots(5-3) look to rebound as they travel to New York to face the Jets in a crucial AFC East matchup.

NOTES- David Tyree and Jake Ballard both wore number 85. Tom Brady breaks his streak of 31-straight wins in the regular season at home.

By: Matt Romano
ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent