Super Bowl XLII

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Lore & Background

The Patriots entered the game as 12-point favorites after becoming the first team to complete a perfect regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the only one since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season schedule in 1978. The Giants, who finished the regular season with a 10–6 record, were seeking to become the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl, and were also looking for their seventh NFL championship and first since they won Super Bowl XXV seventeen years earlier. The game featured five total lead changes (New York took it three times and New England twice) and the fourth quarter saw a Super Bowl-record three lead changes. After David Tyree's 3-yard touchdown reception at the beginning of the quarter, Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss made a 6-yard touchdown reception, making the score 14-10 with 2:42 left in the game. The Giants started their subsequent drive on their own 17-yard line with 2:39 left. On the drive's most memorable play, Tyree made the 'Helmet Catch' on 3rd down, a leaping one-handed catch pinning the football with his right hand to the crown of his helmet for a 32-yard first down conversion. After a second first-down conversion by Steve Smith on 3rd and 11, wide receiver Plaxico Burress scored the game-winning touchdown on a 13-yard reception. The Patriots then proceeded to turnover on downs on their final drive as the Giants ran out the clock. The game became one of the lowest scoring Super Bowls since Super Bowl IX 31 years earlier; it would be followed by Super Bowl LIII in 2019, a game that also involved the Patriots. This game was also the first, and as of the 2024 season, only, Super Bowl with three fourth-quarter lead changes.

In Their Own Story

The game remained tight throughout, with both defenses dominating until the final minutes. After David Tyree scored on a 3-yard reception to make it 14–10, Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss answered with a 6-yard touchdown, leaving just 2:42 remaining. Starting from their own 17-yard line, the Giants began a drive that would define the game. On third down, Tyree made the legendary "Helmet Catch," leaping to pin the ball against his helmet for a 32-yard first down. Following another conversion by Steve Smith on 3rd and 11, wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught a 13-yard pass for the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots subsequently turned the ball over on downs as the Giants ran out the clock. This result made it one of the lowest-scoring Super Bowls since Super Bowl IX and the only Super Bowl in history to feature three fourth-quarter lead changes.

Reader's Guide

Super Bowl XLII is often considered the greatest Super Bowl of all time in retrospect by several media outlets. The Giants' victory is remembered as one of the greatest 'Cinderella' stories in professional sports history, and their game-winning drive is regarded as one of the greatest of all time. Several outlets and sports publishers have also considered the game to be a moment that defined sports in the 2000s. Super Bowl XLII was ranked fifth on the NFL's 100 Greatest Games list, the highest ranked Super Bowl game, while Tyree's catch was ranked third on the NFL's 100 Greatest Plays. The game's broadcast on Fox broke the then-record for the most watched Super Bowl in history with an average of 97.5 million viewers in the United States. The Giants and Patriots would once again meet in Super Bowl XLVI four years later, where the Giants would win again 21–17.

Did You Know?

• The game featured five total lead changes, with New York taking the lead three times and New England twice.
• Super Bowl XLII was the first Super Bowl played on a retractable natural-grass field surface.
• The game was the first, and as of the 2024 season, only, Super Bowl with three fourth-quarter lead changes.
• The Giants were seeking their seventh NFL championship and first since Super Bowl XXV.