What We Learned from Super Bowl XLVI

What We Learned from Super Bowl XLVI

By: Michelle Zehr

Michelle is a contributing writer with Gold Star Games, your tailgating games company.

The confetti has fallen and the hype surrounding what was one of the most anticipated Super Bowls in a while is over. While the New England Patriots may have walked away disappointed after a 21-17 loss to the New York Giants, the hundreds of millions of individuals around the world were not disappointed.

For Patriots fans, it was déjà vu all over again as Eli Manning took his team down the field in the final minutes of Sunday’s game. The Giants will be remembered for yet another spectacular ending to the NFL’s most anticipated game of the season. The time Mario Manningham’s 38-yard grab with just 3:19 left on the clock that took the Giant’s away from their own end zone. While it looked like the Giants may have found a way to lose, they held on and came out on top.

The Giants took home their second Super Bowl title in the past four years and their fourth overall Super Bowl win. The 2011-2012 season was an incredible run for an injury-stricken team that was written off early in the season.

Here’s what we learned from Super Bowl XLVI:

Chad Ochocinco was not the secret weapon that some had thought Belichick was going to use in Sunday’s game. With only 15 catches during the regular season, many had thought Ochocinco was going to have some sort of breakout game. When it came down to it, he only had one catch for 21 yards. This was the only time Brady even threw to him.
Tom Brady is not overrated. Despite coming up short in a couple of big games, Tom Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks around. In fact, he even outplayed Eli Manning in Sunday’s game. He went 27 for 41 for 276 yards. He had two touchdowns and one interception.
Mario Manningham is likely a household name. Manningham will be remembered and talked about for his incredible pass that moved the Giants from deep in their own zone to midfield.
The Patriot’s defense is not to blame despite giving up a game winning touchdown and giving up 6,577 yards on defense this past year, the Patriot’s defense had a strong game. They sacked manning three times and forced two fumbles.