Giants Stun Patriots With Upset Win

Eli Manning threw the winning touchdown for the New York Giants with 35 seconds left in the game to take the lead from the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

Writer Roy S. Johnson called it "the greatest upset in Super Bowl history." Johnson, the editor of <em>Men's Fitness</em> magazine, even bigger than Joe Namath's win over Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

"This was the greatest triumph ever for two reasons. Most important, these Pats had not been beaten," Johnson wrote in a piece on The Daily Voice taken from his blog. The Colts, he said were only 13-1. "They were being discussed as being one of the greatest NFL teams ever. If not the best ever. Brady? He was Joe Montana, Johnny U, John Elway and all the others rolled into one."

Johnson cited the Giants status as a wild-card team as a second reason for his declaration that it was the greatest triumph ever. "They were a wild-card team that was about to be run out of town on rails at midseason. (The Jets were 11-3) They were a team with a QB whose greatest asset was his last name. It was also his biggest burden. And their coach? A militaristic sourpuss. This team was simply not supposed to win."

But they did. The Giants took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the NFL's biggest prize, completing their Cinderella story with a 17-14 victory.