Super Bowl 42: Second Quarter

By Vinnie Iyer
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer blogs today’s action on the field. Refresh this page for the latest entries. Awful Announcing’s Brian Powell blogs throughout the Super Bowl broadcast. For more on today’s ads, read Spencer Hall’s live blog.
Halftime
I give the first half to the Giants, even though they trail by four points. It’s a moral victory with their three sacks and one takeaway as they are still very much in the game. But here are the keys for them to finish the upset in the second half. 1) More pressure. Justin Tuck, you gotta keep it up. 2) A score off defense or special teams to change the momentum. 3) Be more aggressive with the offensive play-calling with more home-run chances.
0:00
Whoa. A jump ball Hail Mary in the end zone nearly hits someone, but it’s still the same score. New England 7, New York 3. A pretty exciting half for a low score.
0:10
... The Giants’ pass rush responds again, with the second sack for Justin Tuck (MVP watch) and fumble recovery by Osi Umenyiora at the 49. However, Giants need a lot in a hurry to even have a chance at three more points.
0:22
Hold on. A first-down pass to Randy Moss for his first catch might change everything, but ...
0:25
Timeout, Patriots. So the Pats move back to get the first down with a pass to Kevin Faulk. But at their own 38, it doesn’t look like there will be any points now.
0:59
Pats tight end Ben Watson beat Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce for a penalty as a receiver to help New England score its touchdown, but Watson returns the favor in holding Pierce on a long first-down run by Kevin Faulk that would have put the Pats past midfield. Interesting individual duel.
1:47
Fewer than two minutes to go before halftime and the Patriots taking over at their own 11? No problem. I sense a quick, long scoring drive.
2:21
Man, am I jinxing the Giants’ rookies? I talk about them doing well, and then they make a mistake. This time it’s Ahmad Bradshaw, who gets called for illegally batting the ball forward after an Eli Manning fumble. The penalty pretty much squashes the drive, making it third-and-long out of field-goal range at the Pats’ 39.
5:46
Enter Ahmad Bradshaw again, and he immediately delivers with a 13-yard run on first down. Keep feeding him the ball, New York.
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6:45
Stop the presses: Another Patriots three-and-out. It’s a different kind of postseason “Tuck” for Tom Brady and the Pats -- Giants defensive end Justin Tuck. He stuffs Laurence Maroney on first down, and after a Kawika Mitchell blitz helps drop Brady on second down, Tuck gets the sack on third down to force the punt. The Giants’ D is playing great in its swarming mode, but will it have enough energy to keep it up in the second half?
9:18
It’s not fair. The Pats have so many contributors. After Jarvis Green and Le Kevin Smith converge on the inside for a three-yard sack of Eli Manning, special teamer Pierre Woods nearly comes up with an Eli fumble. This drive has been blown up and busted, but it could have been much worse with a second giveaway.
10:35
There’s Laurence Maroney going for eight yards on a screen again, but then the Pats get a little conservative with a pair of Maroney runs to the left that result in not picking up the two needed yards. So Steve Smith is saved -- for now -- as the Pats punt.
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11:53
Steve Smith is indeed an X-factor. For the Patriots. A catchable ball pops up from the rookie and becomes a red zone pick for Pats corner Ellis Hobbs. That’s not on Eli, but it’s on the Giants, who can’t afford to make mistakes like that with the potential for at least three points.
14:03
Good blitz pickup by Brandon Jacobs, great pass by Eli Manning down the sideline and even greater drag by Amani Toomer 38 yards later. The veteran has terrific hands, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his feet, legs and toes. Amazing sideline awareness. The Giants are in the red zone at the 19.
14:57
The Patriots don’t need to cover their second kickoff of the game, because Stephen Gostkowski nails it out of bounds. The Giants are confident after their first drive, so getting it back on the 40 is huge. New England 7, New York 3.
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14:57
There’s the aforementioned punch-in, by Laurence Maroney, of course. So let’s see, a great special teams play, some strong runs, and a touchdown. That’s a good start to an MVP candidacy.↵