Patriots lead Giants 10-9 after 1st half
Indianapolis, IN – Tom Brady's four-yard touchdown pass to yard drive and gave the Patriots a 10-9 lead over the Giants at halftime of the Super Bowl.
Brady was 10-for-10 on the drive and completed his last 11 passes in the half. The 96-yard drive, coming after the Patriots were pinned in deep by a punt, tied a record for the longest in Super Bowl history.
Earlier, Eli Manning started the game 9-for-9 and threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz to give New York a 9-0 lead over New England after the first quarter.
New York also got two points on a safety when Brady was called for intentional grounding on New England's first play from scrimmage.
Brady's pass, under pressure, was thrown 45 yards downfield from the front of the end zone with no receiver in the vicinity and was the sixth safety in Super Bowl history.
Manning led the Giants on a 78-yard drive after that, which included a penalty on New England for too many men on the field that reversed a fumble by Cruz. The drive was capped by Manning's short pass to Cruz behind two defenders with 3:24 left in the quarter, making it 9-0.
The Giants ran 19 of the game's first 20 plays from scrimmage as New England had trouble getting out of its own way early.
But the Patriots started a 60-yard drive that spanned the first and second quarters and ended in Stephen Gostkowski's 29-yard field goal, pulling them within 9-3.
The game is a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, which the Giants won, 17-14, on Plaxico Burress' 13-yard touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining. The game- winning drive, led by MVP Manning, included David Tyree's famous helmet catch.
The game is also a rematch from Week 9 this past season. Manning threw a TD pass in the final minute of that one to give the Giants a 24-20 win over the Patriots.
Brady was 15-of-18 for 147 yards in the first half and Manning was 13-of-17 for 120 yards. New York's Ahmad Bradshaw led all rushers with 44 yards on nine carries, while New England's Aaron Hernandez had five catches for 40 yards.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, playing with a high ankle sprain, made his only catch of the first half on the 96-yard drive -- a 20-yard grab for a first down early on.
The Giants are 3-1 all-time in the Super Bowl and have seven titles overall.
The Patriots are 3-3 in the Super Bowl.
Brady is trying to win his fourth ring in the last 11 seasons and his first since winning back-to-back titles after the 2003 and '04 seasons. His idol, Joe Montana, and Terry Bradshaw also won four.
New England's Bill Belichick can tie Hall of Fame Steelers coach Chuck Noll for most Super Bowl wins by head coach in NFL history at four.