Super Bowl XLVI

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Lore & Background

Super Bowl XLVI featured a historic rematch between the Giants and Patriots, with both head coaches (Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick) and starting quarterbacks (Eli Manning and Tom Brady) returning from their previous meeting in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots entered seeking their fourth Super Bowl win, while the Giants aimed to spoil that run again. Despite a 9–7 regular season record—the lowest ever for a champion since the NFL expanded to 16 games—the Giants clinched the NFC East with a 31–14 victory over Dallas in Week 17. Their defense was anchored by Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul (16.5 sacks), and Osi Umenyiora, while offense relied on Eli Manning's franchise-record 4,933 passing yards and Victor Cruz's 1,536 receiving yards.

In Their Own Story

The Giants jumped to a 9–0 lead in the first quarter before the Patriots scored 17 unanswered points to take a 17–9 advantage by the third quarter. The Giants prevented New England from scoring again, and two consecutive field goals chipped the deficit to 17–15 late in the third. The deciding moment came on an 88-yard drive capped by running back Ahmad Bradshaw's 6-yard game-winning touchdown with just 57 seconds remaining. Manning, who had no interceptions and completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards and one touchdown, became the third consecutive quarterback to win MVP after Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. He was also the first Giants quarterback since Ed Danowski in 1938 to start and win two championship games.

Reader's Guide

Super Bowl XLVI remains the most-watched program in American television history at the time, with an average audience of 111.3 million US viewers and a total estimated audience of 166.8 million. It also set a record for social media engagement, generating 13.7 million tweets between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. PST. As of 2026, this stands as the Giants' most recent Super Bowl victory and appearance. The game was played in Lucas Oil Stadium, marking the first and only time (as of 2026) a Super Bowl has been held in Indiana. The broadcast on NBC broke the previous year's record for viewership. This victory ended a 14-year championship drought for New York City teams until the Knicks won the NBA title in 2026, making it the longest such drought in city history.

Did You Know?

• The Giants set a record for the lowest regular season win percentage (56.3%) by a Super Bowl champion with their 9–7 record.
• Eli Manning became the third consecutive quarterback to win MVP, following Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.
• Super Bowl XLVI generated 13.7 million tweets between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. PST, setting a record for most tweets per second during a sporting event.
• This was the first Super Bowl played in Indianapolis and the only one held in Indiana as of 2026.
• The Giants became the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl after being outscored by opponents in the regular season (394 points scored, 400 allowed).