National Football League

Super Bowl XLVI blog from Indy

Published Feb. 5, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Assistant managing editor Zack Pierce, along with several other FOXSports.com writers and editors, blog live about Super Bowl XLIV at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Updated at 9:58 p.m. ET

A breathless finish to an amazing game. Tom Brady's desperation hail mary comes up so agonizingly short for the Patriots as the Giants hang on for the 21-17 win and their second Super Bowl title in four years. Eli Manning now has more Super Bowl rings than Peyton. Giants 21, Pats 17 (final). -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 9:46 p.m. ET

The Giants finally break through the end zone again, giving them the lead with under a minute to go. The two-point conversion fails but they are up 21-17 with 57 seconds left. Eli is on the verge of number two. Another thrilling Super Bowl between these teams. Giants 21, Pats 17. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 9:34 p.m. ET

We're headed for an insane finish here. A Patriots drive stalls and now on the first play of the ensuing drive, Eli Manning finds Mario Manningham deep down the sideline for the biggest play of the game so far. The Patriots challenge, but the Giants will win this one. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 9:26 p.m. ET

Wow ... another Giants injury. Antrel Rolle goes down this time, walking off the field on his own. They are taking a pounding. If New York can't get back in this game, it'll rue their missed opportunities. They've been in Patriots territory six times, scoring only one touchdown and two field goals while punting three times. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 9:20 p.m. ET

Another Giants drive stalls in Patriots territory. On third-and-5, a false start penalty backs Eli's crew up five yards, then a borderline pass interference situation goes uncalled, forcing another Weatherford punt. Pats still clinging to their slim lead. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 9:15 p.m. ET

The third Giants injury of the night: tight end Jake Ballard. He writhes on the field, then limps his way to the sideline. Another big loss for New York if he can't come back. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 9:05 p.m. ET

Brady tries to do his best Eli-to-David-Tyree impression, but underthrows Gronkowski downfield and gets picked off by Blackburn. Puzzling decision from Brady ... felt like a desperation throw yet he's up two points. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 9 p.m. ET

Tom Brady's left shoulder is bothering him after a hit on the last drive, but the Patriots have another drive in the works. The third quarter comes to an end with New England up by two. Fifteen minutes to decide a world champion. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 8:57 p.m. ET

Once again, just when the Giants look like they have a touchdown in the works, the Pats clamp down on defense. We nearly had our first turnover of the game -- Hakeem Nicks made a reception, then lost the ball, but the Giants recovered. A Lawrence Tynes field goal cuts the Pats lead to two as we have another close Super Bowl between these two rivals. Patriots 17, Giants 15. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 8:46 p.m. ET

Or maybe they don't. After Jason Pierre-Paul goes out, the Giants put pressure on Tom Brady twice in a row, getting an incompletion and a sack to force a punt. "Let's go Giants!" chants now ringing around the stadium. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 8:45 p.m. ET

Big three-way collision between BenJarvus Green-Ellis of the Pats and Chase Blackburn and Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants leaves Pierre-Paul down on the ground. Giants fans chant "J-P-P!" then cheer big as he walks off under his own power. New York needs him dearly to help stop this Patriots onslaught. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 8:40 p.m. ET

Patriots' defense is very "bend but don't break" tonight. Twice the Giants have had promising drives end in punts, and now here they have to settle for a field goal, thanks in part to Patrick Chung lighting up Hakeem Nicks to break up a pass near the sideline. The Giants settle for three near the end of the third quarter. Patriots 17, Giants 12. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 8:27 p.m. ET

The rest of the Patriots are picking up the slack for Gronkowski. Woodhead, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Welker, Hernandez and, yes, even Chad Ochocinco factor in as Brady leads New England down for a touchdown on the first drive of the third quarter. It's all Pats right now. Patriots 17, Giants 9. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 8:15 p.m. ET

We were all strangely transfixed by the Madonna show. Good use of lights. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:54 p.m. ET

We have quite the interesting game here. The Pats take a one-point lead into the break. Brady is all of a sudden outperforming Eli on the stat sheet. Now it's time for the real reason we're all here: Madonna. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:49 p.m. ET

Danny Woodhead has become the go-to guy for Brady. He did practically everything on that drive, culminating with a short touchdown catch. Somehow, some way the Patriots are winning this thing. Patroits 10, Giants 9. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:44 p.m. ET

Brady is under constant pressure but is making plays. He hit Aaron Hernandez for a completion even though his arm was hit at the end of the throw. Then he evaded a rush to hit Wes Welker for a first down. His numbers aren't too shabby either. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:30 p.m. ET

A costly holding penalty kills this Giants drive and forces a punt. You get the feeling they should be up a lot more than 9-3 the way this game has gone. Weatherford hits another treasure of a punt, bouncing it out of bounds at the 2. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:24 p.m. ET

Travis Beckum won't return due to an ACL injury. Not a marquis name but a tough loss for the Giants. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:21 p.m. ET

So much for that. The Giants defense forces a three-and-out. Brady has his second pass of the game knocked down, as predictions of a successful New York pass rush are starting to bear fruit. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:20 p.m. ET

Patriots defense holds again, and it feels like the momentum might be shifting. Weatherford drops another excellent punt inside the 5-yard line, but the Giants fail to down it before it gets in the end zone. Let's see if Brady can build off the last drive. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:14 p.m. ET

Giants are driving again, but they lose Travis Beckum to injury. Didn't look good as he needed help from two trainers to get off the field. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 7:02 p.m. ET

Brady gets the Pats rolling a little bit, but the drive stalls inside the 20. Gostkowski nails a 29-yarder to get New England on the board. Rob Gronkowski has not touched the ball yet. Giants 9, Patriots 3. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated 6:52 p.m. ET

Touchdown Giants! This is a completely one-sided Super Bowl in the early going. Eli's 9-of-9 throwing and New York's running game has broken off a big one. Brady laid an egg on his first pass. The Pats defense had a fumble recovery taken away by a costly penalty. Victor Cruz is salsa dancing. Couldn't ask for much better to start to the game for the Giants fan. Giants 9, Patriots 0. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 6:43 p.m. ET

Tom Brady's first pass ... goes for a safety. The refs deliberated after Brady's pass to nowhere landed about 50 yards downfield. The Giants contingent behind the end zone was all over that call. An unlikely start, but advantage Giants. Giants 2, Patriots 0 -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 6:41 p.m. ET

The Giants operated a six-minute drive on the first series, but came up empty with no points. Eli Manning was sacked on third-and-13 by Mark Anderson and the Giants were forced to punt. Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride looks to get the wide receivers involved early and take advantage of a significant disadvantage against a struggling Patriots’ secondary unit. Eli Manning completed all four pass attempts in the first series and hooked up with Hakeem Nicks for a 19-yard gain. -- ROSS JONES

Updated at 6:40 p.m. ET

The New England comes to life just in time. After Eli Manning carved the Patriots up up early, New England sacked him twice and stoped a run for a loss to force a Giants' punt. The kick takes a great bounce for New York and the Giants down it at the six. A long way to go for Brady and company. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 6:35 p.m. ET

Eli Manning starts strong, completing his first three passes. One of them goes to Victor Cruz -- who didn't get drafted and now has a stadium full of fans chanting his last name at the Super Bowl. Not a bad turn of events for Cruz. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 6:30 p.m. ET

Between Hyundai's Rocky-themed commercial, as well as the already-released Ferris Bueller and Star Wars homages that we're will see later tonight, it's evident advertisers think the easiest way to reach consumers is by referencing beloved '80s movies. And they may just be right. Save Ferris.-- TODD BEHRENDT

Updated at 6:26 p.m. ET

It's amazing how many people it takes to flip a coin at the Super Bowl. The Giants call tails and the flip comes up heads as six Hall of Famers and a host of others look on. The Patriots defer and the Giants will start with the ball. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 6:17 p.m. ET

The teams come out onto the field. Every Patriot is wearing his helmet except Tom Brady -- and he looks intense. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert belt out America the Beautiful. Kelly Clarkson wraps up the National Anthem in a tidy 1 minute, 35 seconds on my clock. We're just about ready for football after two weeks of hype. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 5:53 p.m. ET

After a warm-up period, both teams have headed back into the locker rooms. Gronkowski looked to be favoring the ankle maybe just a bit, but seemed sharp. The stadium is just about filled up here 40 minutes to kickoff. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 5:40 p.m. ET

Rob Gronkowski took the field in pregame warmups and was jogging next to Aaron Hernandez. Gronkowski was also working on blocking drills to loosen up. It was reported earlier on Sunday that head coach Bill Belichick said Gronkowski will “definitely” play. It’s unknown how much or how effective he will be against the Giants. Gronkowski, who has been limited in practice during the week, suffered a severe high-ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens. His status for the Super Bowl was unknown, but it’s been expected he would be activated and play. Gronkowkski, 22, was seen without a walking boot most of the week and reports cited that the All Pro was eyeing a special shoe for game day. -- ROSS JONES

Updated at 5:35 p.m. ET

Rob Gronkowski just came on the field and was shown on the big screen, drawing a large cheer from Patriots fans. The record-setting tight end suffered a high left ankle sprain in New England's win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC title game. He will play today, but how effective can he be? The Pats' chances may rest on his health. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 5:24 p.m. ET

Tom Brady takes the field for warm-ups. One way or another, he's making history tonight. He'll either tie Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback with four, or he'll pass Rex Grossman for most Super Bowl losses to a Manning brother with two. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 5:15 p.m. ET

Inactive today for the Giants: WR Ramses Barden, RB Da'Rel Scott, LB Mark Herzlich, C Jim Cordle, DE Justin Trattou, DT Jimmy Kennedy, T James Brewer.

Inactive today for the Patriots: QB Ryan Mallett, RB Kevin Faulk, RB Shane Vereen, LB Gary Guyton, OL Donald Thomas, OL Nick McDonald, DL Rob Brace.

Also, after a second polling of the crowd, Patriots fans are still louder. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 5:03 p.m. ET

Giants punter Steve Weatherford is on the field practicing punts. Later, he'll practice celebrations to top his running double fist pump with helmet in hand after the NFC title game.. Lawrence Tynes is getting some field-goal practice in. Here's why it might come down to his right leg tonight. -- ZACK PIERCE

Updated at 5 p.m. ET

Greetings from Indianapolis! We are about an hour and a half away from game time. The stadium is about half full already. The NFL Network crew just asked all the Giants fans in the house to cheer, followed by the Patriots. Judging from cheer volume, the Patriots have the upper hand right now. Unfortunately they do not get any points for that. -- ZACK PIERCE