One Giant Step
Super Bowl XLII, Feb. 3, 2008. New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14.
Line: Patriots by 13-14. Halftime show: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
One of the reassuring things about the NFL is that whenever any team threatens to match the unbeaten season of the 1972 Miami Dolphins — all have fallen short thus far — we’re presented with the inevitable images of at least one member of that Dolphins team downing a glass of champagne to celebrate the squad’s continued immortality. But even the most die-hard of Dolphins fans must have thought the jig was up during the 2007 season. The New England Patriots, who had already won three Super Bowls earlier in the decade, dispatched each opponent they faced in the regular season and playoffs with relative ease. In the final quarter of Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants, they were leading 14-10 with 2:42 to play. And that’s when “the catch” unfolded. On third down, Giants quarterback Eli Manning managed to evade three linemen and threw a hopeful pass that David Tyree somehow caught by holding the ball against his helmet. The completion was good for 32 yards and was the key moment in a 12-play, 83-yard drive that gave the Giants a 17-14 lead with 35 seconds left. They held on to shock the Patriots and allow those Dolphins to continue enjoying their bubbly.
See pictures of the New York Giants winning Super Bowl XLII.
Yard Knock Life
Super Bowl XXXIV, Jan. 30, 2000. St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16.
Line: Rams by 7. Halftime show: Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and Edward James Olmos
There were but six seconds remaining, and the Tennessee Titans could sniff the first overtime in Super Bowl history. Trailing 23-16, their quarterback, Steve McNair, drove his team down the field to the 10-yard line of the St. Louis Rams. Time for one final play. Titans offensive coordinator Les Steckel screamed into his headset, “Sliver right! Go sliver right!” The Titans had used the play only three times before, all in practice, all ending with a touchdown. Here’s how it was meant to go: Wide receiver Kevin Dyson and tight end Frank Wycheck line up side by side. Dyson then moves on a slant and catches the pass, while Wycheck runs downfield, taking two Rams defenders with him. Simple as that (ahem). And this is how it played out: Rams linebacker Mike Jones figured out that the Titans had no intention of getting the ball to Wycheck, so he forgot about him. Dyson caught the ball at the 5-yard line, and Jones closed in and lunged at him with four seconds to play. Dyson hit the deck, but he would still get the touchdown if any part of his body crossed the end-zone plane before his knee touched the grass. (Two seconds to play.) The ball was in Dyson’s right hand, but he couldn’t make it. (One second left!) Frantically switching hands, Dyson tried with his left, but Jones simply wouldn’t allow it, and time expired. Surely one of the greatest defensive plays in Super Bowl history.
Read TIME’s obit of Steve McNair.
