A Giant upset: New York shocks Patriots

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After a first quarter where each team had only one drive and both teams scored, the game settled into a defensive struggle until the final period.

Trailing 7-3 and starting at their own 20, Manning hit rookie tight end Kevin Boss for a 45-yard gain aided by a missed tackle by safety Rodney Harrison. The drive continued until Manning found David Tyree in the end zone for the first time this season.

After the five-yard scoring pass, the Giants led 10-7 and suddenly the Giants were only 11:05 from snapping New England's 18-game winning streak.

After an exchange of punts, New England's Tom Brady, who was attempting to join Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana as the only quarterback to guide their teams to four Super Bowl victories, guided his team on a 12-play scoring drive. Randy Moss scored easily on a seven-yard pass from Brady when New York defender Corey Webster tripped and fell, and the extra point gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead.

All that did was set up Manning's heroics. One had a feeling destiny was with New York when Manning somehow spun away from a tackle, ducked and bobbed to buy just enough time to heave a pass downfield. In the past those passes would have been intercepted, but on this night Tyree outjumped a New England defender to make a one-handed catch that he brought in using the top of his helmet.

That put the Giants' in position to make the game-winning score.

After the kickoff, the Patriots had one final chance left, but lost the ball on downs after a sack and three incomplete passes. That left just 10 seconds on the clock, enough time for Manning to take a snap and the Giants to begin to celebrate.

The Giants opened the game with a 16-play drive that lasted one second less than 10 minutes. But the drive stalled and kicker Lawrence Tynes, whose overtime field goal won the NFC title game for New York against Green Bay, nailed a kick from 32 yards for a 3-0 Giants lead.

The Patriots answered with a long drive of their own, but New England came away with a touchdown. Laurence Maroney set up the drive with a 43-yard kickoff return and ended it on a one-yard dive on the first play of the second quarter after a pass interference call in the end zone put New England close.

The 7-3 New England lead stayed that way until the fourth-quarter dramatics.

New England was attempting to complete the first undefeated NFL season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins went 17-0. Ironically the Dolphins capped their season with the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history, a 14-7 decision over the Washington Redskins. Sunday's combined 31 points was the sixth lowest in the 42-year history of the game.

Manning, who has often been criticized for not living up to the play of his older brother Peyton and even his father Archie, now has something on both of them. Eli Manning is two years younger than when brother Peyton won last year's Super Bowl at age 30, a game that his dad never even came close to playing in.

Manning completed 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted for the first time in the Giants' improbable playoff run that also included road victories at Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay.

The Giants last loss came to the Patriots 38-35 on the last game of the regular season five weeks ago.