INDIANAPOLIS -
The New York Giants have again taken a Super Bowl victory away from New England.
Ahmad Bradshaw fell into the end zone with a six-yard touchdown run to give New York a 21-17 lead in the final minute and the Giants held on through a tipped Hail Mary pass on the final play to win Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career. He completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's win.
"It just feels good to win a Super Bowl. Doesn't matter where you are," Manning said, clutching the silver Vince Lombardi Trophy. "It's been a wild season. We had a great, tough bunch of guys who never quit, and had faith in each other. I'm proud of these guys sticking together."
Manning also was the MVP in 2008, when he threw a scoring pass in the final minute to help New York upset New England and ruin the Patriots' bid for a perfect season.
Manning now is one of only five players in NFL history with multiple Super Bowl MVP awards.
Tom Brady threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but had a deep pass intercepted by Giants' lineman Chase Blackburn early in the fourth quarter.
"I thought we played very competitive. We were in the lead for a good part of the game. We just came up a couple of plays short," Belichick said. "You don't feel good after you lose this game."
Manning drove the Giants into Patriots' territory with the opening drive of the game, but was sacked on third-and-13, and were forced to punt. On the first play from scrimmage for New England, Tom Brady threw incomplete from his own end zone. After an officials' conference, referee John Parry threw a flag for intentional grounding and a 2-0 New York lead.
The safety was the first in a Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXV, when Buffalo Bills' lineman Bruce Smith sacked Giants' quarterback Jeff Hostetler in the end zone.
On the ensuing possession, Manning completed a pass to Victor Cruz, who appeared to have the ball stripped and recovered by the Patriots, but New England had 12 men on the field, giving the Giants a first down. Two plays later, Manning connected with Cruz in the end zone for a 9-0 lead.
Steven Gostkowski put the Patriots on the board early in the second quarter, capping a 60-yard drive with a 29-yard field goal, making it 9-3 New York.
After Terre Haute native Steve Weatherford pinned New England on their own four-yard line with a punt, Tom Brady drove the Patriots 96 yards, taking a 10-9 lead with a four-yard touchdown pass to Danny Woodhead with eight seconds left in the half.
After receiving the second half kickoff, Brady marched the Patriots 79 yards in 3:40, extending the lead to 17-9 with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez.
Lawrence Tynes, who kicked the Giants into the Super Bowl in overtime of the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco, converted a 38-yard field goal to bring New York back within 17-12.
A second Tynes field goal made it 17-15 New England with 35 seconds left in the third quarter.
Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a six-yard run with 57 seconds remaining to give New York a 21-17 lead. His teammates tried to get him to stop to spend more clock, but he lost his balance and fell backwards over the goal line.
"I was yelling to him, `Don't score, don't score,"' Manning said. "He tried to stop, but he fell into the end zone."
Manning led six comeback victories during the season and set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes. He showed that brilliance in the clutch on the winning drive. He completed five passes, including a sensational 38-yard sideline catch by Mario Manningham to open the drive.
"It's been a wild game, a wild season," Manning said. "This isn't about one person. It's about one team, a team coming together."
"That was quite a drive that he was able to put together," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "He deserves all the credit in the world, because he really has put his team on his shoulders all year."
"It's almost impossible to describe. This is a culmination of so much work. So many people are responsible for helping me get to where I am right now, but this is a dream come true," said Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, an Indianapolis native who played at Cathedral High School. "Indianapolis has already been on the map. Everybody talks about how hospitable everybody's been and that's something that we all around here know, from living here, that this is a great town to be in and, for now, to have world class events held on a stage like this in Indianapolis, it makes me so proud."
Brady took a sack on the final drive that burned New England's final timeout, but still completed two passes to set up the desperation heave that was nearly tipped into the outstretched hands of tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Pregame notes
Following Kelly Clarkson's performance of the national anthem, backed by the Indianapolis Children's Choir, the New England Patriots won the coin toss, but deferred to the second half. NFC teams had won the past 14 pregame coin tosses at the Super Bowl before Sunday's toss.
The game is a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, when the Giants upset the Patriots 17-14, ending New England's bid for a perfect season.
The Patriots (15-3) entered on a 10-game winning streak. Their last loss came against New York in the regular season, a 24-20 Giants victory on Nov. 6. The Giants (12-7) have won five consecutive games.
The roof is closed at Lucas Oil Stadium as Indianapolis hosts the NFL championship game for the first time, with an expected U.S. TV audience of 100 million or more.
Brady sets record
Tom Brady has broken the Super Bowl record for consecutive completions previously held by his idol Joe Montana.
The Patriots quarterback threw his 16th straight completion with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez on the opening drive of the second half Sunday. That gave New England a 17-9 lead over the New York Giants with 11:20 left in the third quarter. Brady threw an incomplete pass with 6:12 to go in the third to end the streak.
Brady broke Montana's record of 13 set in 1990 on a 5-yard completion to Wes Welker on the fourth play of the 79-yard drive.
On the final drive of the first half, Brady completed all 10 passes for 98 yards capped by a 4-yard scoring throw to Danny Woodhead, giving the Patriots a 10-9 lead.
Giants TEs Ballard, Beckum hurt
New York Giants tight ends Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard each suffered knee injuries in the Super Bowl.
Beckum tore his right anterior cruciate ligament with 12:55 left in the first half on Sunday. He was hit and knocked down by Patriots linebacker Tracy White on the play. The injury happened away from the play, a short pass out of the backfield. Two trainers had to help Beckum off the field.
Ballard sprained his left knee in the fourth quarter. He had hurt the knee earlier in the season and was wearing a brace on it. His return was listed as questionable.
Super Bowl XLVI inactives
All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski is active for the Patriots for the Super Bowl, as is wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
Gronkowski has been recovering from a high left ankle sprain suffered in the AFC title game. He practiced on a limited basis this week.
Receiver Ochocinco was inactive for the conference title game because of the death of his father a week earlier.
Inactive for New England is running back Kevin Faulk, who played in the Patriots' four previous Super Bowls under coach Bill Belichick. Others not suited up are third-string quarterback Ryan Mallett, DT Ron Brace, RB Shane Vereen, guard Donald Thomas, LB Gary Guyton and C Nick McDonald.
Inactive for the Giants are LB Mark Herzlich, who overcame cancer while in college before making the team, receiver Ramses Barden, RB Da'Rel Scott, C Jim Cordle, DE Justin Trattou, DT Jimmy Kennedy and OT James Brewer.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
