With this year’s Super Bowl just days away and Tom Brady back in the big game competing for yet another championship, there has been a lot of reflection on his past. One memory that Brady does not enjoy discussing is Super Bowl XLII.
Many will remember Super Bowl XLII as the ‘Giant Upset’ due to the fact that the New York Giants took down the undefeated New England Patriots in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. The game also included one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history.
David Tyree’s improbable helmet catch on the game-winning drive was recently ranked No. 1 among plays in Super Bowl history by NFL Films.
The catch only tells half the story.
The play, which was a third-and-5, also included the eventual Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning, escaping three Patriots defenders to avoid the sack and heaving the ball down the field in Tyree’s direction. The play came at a pivotal point in the game with the Giants trailing by four late in the fourth quarter.
Four years later, the Giants would beat Tom Brady and the Patriots again. Although not quite as iconic, Mario Manningham made a catch that was just as clutch as Tyree’s catch. Manningham’s catch ranked No. 10 on the list giving the Giants two plays in the top 10 on NFL Films’ list.
Tyree’s catch is one of the first things people think about when they remember Super Bowl XLII. It’s no surprise that Tyree’s catch ranks No. 1, although Pittsburgh Steelers fans may argue that it might not even be the greatest catch in Super Bowl history.
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