Patriots' 'Winning' Gear Finds a Home

But in Super Bowl XLVI, Manning made a hero of himself

(NEWSER) - Last night's big game was intensely fought, undeniably exciting—and a little mystifying, thanks to Eli Manning's unusual brand of heroism. Analysts weigh in on the game's place in football history:

• Last night brought us "the most Eli Manning moment of Eli Manning’s career." During the game-winning touchdown, we saw "a hero shot in which the conqueror looks totally confused by his conquest," with "arms half-raised in quasi-triumph." His quiet humility was the polar opposite of Tom Brady's "aggro posture," but it remains "difficult to understand," writes Josh Levin at Slate .

Tom Brady has minute to win it, but New England Patriots can't pull it off

(AP) - Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 for New York's fourth Super Bowl title. It was a rematch of the 2008 NFL championship, when Manning led New York past New England to ruin the Patriots' bid for a perfect season. This was the first Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who previously won the big game's MVP award—and they took turns being brilliant. More»

Manning leads last-minute comeback to shock the world, mar perfection for the Pats

(NEWSER) - Tom Brady had one of his trademark brilliant fourth-quarter comebacks—but three minutes later, Eli Manning did, too, and the Giants shocked the formerly perfect Patriots, 17-14. Manning hit Plaxico Burress, who had guaranteed a Giants win several days before, on a 13-yard fade with 35 seconds left, and the Patriots were unable to answer. More»

Prognostications out in from informed and clueless alike

(NEWSER) - Seems everyone has an idea about how things will go down tonight in Phoenix. The Vegas line currently hovers around 12 points in the Patriots' favor, but the Giants' Plaxico Burress has already promised a 23-17 upset victory by his team. ESPN's experts don't have a consensus prediction, although the overwhelming favorite seems to be the Pats. More»

Giants put up fight but can't stop New England's sweet 16

(NEWSER) - The Giants didn't get the memo that their matchup with unbeaten New England was meaningless, as they put up a commendable fight in a 38-35 loss, reports The New York Times. The Patriots became the first team to finish the regular season undefeated since 1972, and also set several records in the process, including most points scored in one season. More»