Sunday's Super Bowl ended with the team that needed a score trying not to score and the team that needed a stop allowing the score.
It was that kind of game.
Unless you live in Boston or New York or the surrounding areas or unless you enjoy the "sanctity" of the Super Bowl, it was not a very interesting or exciting game (as viewed from behind a plate of lovely paella in the home of a cousin). There was a high percentage of passes completed, but there were very few big plays.
The exception, of course, was Eli Manning's sideline throw to Mario Manningham, a beauty of a throw combined with an even better catch.
Two New England defenders were within a half-step of Manningham, yet Manning managed to put the ball past some outstretched fingertips and right on the sideline where Manningham was able to get his feet down before going out of bounds.
Thing of beauty really, and it must be related to the Manning/Manningham last name thing (try typing that 10 times real fast).
That play illustrated the difference in the game: Manning was that much better than Tom Brady, who had the most deceiving 27-for-41, 16-consecutive completion game in Super Bowl history.
Brady's receivers did not help him on every throw, but the beauty of Brady is that when he's on he leads his receivers perfectly. "Throws them open" is the operative phrase.
Sunday night he didn't always do that. He missed Deon Branch twice over the middle when Branch was open in key situations, throwing behind Branch both times. He danced around the pocket a couple times when he needed a completion – including on New England's last possession.
And the now-famous Wes Welker miss down the sidelines -- the one that could have iced the game for New England -- was not a good throw.
Brady normally doesn't miss on that throw. He puts it in a perfect spot for Welker. Not Sunday. He threw it high and behind.
Yes, it classifies as a drop because Welker got his hands on it and in the pros if you get your hands on it you should catch it. Welker didn't. But Brady's throw was off target and did little to help Welker make what should have been an easy catch.
That's a throw-and-catch Brady and Welker make in their sleep. But it didn't happen on Sunday.
However, Manning's throw to Manningham was a much more difficult one, which required precision, timing and accuracy. He and Manningham made it happen.
This game cements something that has been true for two months: Manning has been the best quarterback in the league. Since the Giants fell to 7-7, he has been without peer. Accurate, tough, clutch … perhaps the Manning pendulum has swung to Eli from the other guy with the same last name.
Since that inexplicable loss to Washington, Manning led the Giants to six wins in a row. In those games, the Giants averaged 27.5 points and Manning averaged 298 yards passing. He threw 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. Go back to the game before Washington, when he led the fourth quarter comeback in a 37-34 win against Dallas (400 yards, two touchdowns), and the case could be made that Manning should be the NFL's MVP. He did it best when it counted most.
As for Brady, he's the greatest quarterback of this generation – though if Eli Manning continues what he's doing, he may take the title for the next generation.
But … Brady now is 6-6 in the playoffs since he won his last Super Bowl, with 26 touchdowns and 17 interceptions – including the six-touchdown game against Denver this season. Of course the flip side of that is Brady has played in five Super Bowls, he's done it with a bunch of receivers who are nothing without him and he's been in 12 playoff games the past six years. Which isn't too shabby.
But Brady was not at his best Sunday night. After all the pregame chatter centered on how focused Brady looked and how ready he was, he started the game with an end zone penalty and a safety.
This was not a pretty game at all. It was herky-jerky, not fluid, sort of like that ridiculous halftime show. In the end, the defense let the offense score, so the offense tried not to score.
Except the offensive guy wound up in a squat just this side of the goal line, and could not stop himself from falling on his butt into the end zone.
If not for Manningham's fingertip grab that set up it up, that touchdown squat would be the game's lingering image.
