Unlikely heroes, defense lead Giants

History was made in Super Bowl XLII on Sunday night, except it was the New York Giants who made it and not the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, who saw their winning streak snapped at 18.

Offensive leaders and stars Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress teamed up on a 13-yard scoring pass with 35 seconds left to help lift the Cinderella Giants to a 17-14 victory, one of the biggest upsets in the battle for the Lombardi Trophy.

Manning pulled a Tom Brady, rallying his team from 7-3 and 10-7 deficits in the fourth quarter to give his family a second straight Most Valuable Player award after completing 19 of 34 attempts for 255 yards. Burress, he of the guarantee, had caught only one pass before latching onto Manning's toss into the corner of the end zone to complete a 12-play, 83-yard march.

However, they wouldn't have enjoyed the spotlight had it not been for guys like Kevin Boss, Steve Smith and David Tyree, who hauled in gains of 45, 17 and 5 yards, respectively, the last a score, on New York's first TD drive in the final quarter. Tyree then leaped to pull down a 32-yarder after Manning's scramble to set the underdogs up at the Pats 24 with a minute left on the deciding possession.

New York's defense also played a huge role, putting relentless pressure on Brady and the explosive New England unit that had set several NFL records during the regular season. Justin Tuck had two sacks and a forced fumble in the first half, while long snapper and reserve lineman Jay Alford added a sack in the closing seconds. The Giants' unsung offensive line also outperformed the Patriots more heralded front seven, which helped New York keep the Pats offense off the field.

New England's one bright spot on offense was slot receiver Wes Welker, who tied a Super Bowl mark with 11 catches.

The outcome prevented New England from claiming its fourth championship in seven seasons and kept Brady from joining Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw and San Francisco's Joe Montana as a four-time winner.

This writer still isn't convinced that the Giants are the better team, but they outplayed and outcoached the Patriots in Arizona and walked away as NFL champions, so they deserve all the credit.