Super Bowl Monday_ From the Persian Gulf to the Shores of West Florida - Adam Lazarus [143]
The game was so exciting that inside the White House, George W. Bush stayed up “later than [he] normally stays up to see the conclusion.” The president had earned some R & R. That week he delivered a State of the Union Address centered around the two wars America was in the middle of fighting, one in Afghanistan, one in Iraq.
Late in the fourth quarter, the explosive Brady-to-Moss duo pushed New England into the lead 14-10. But via one of the most memorable drives in Super Bowl history, Manning and a receiving corps that showed a newfound knack for impossible plays retook the lead 17-14.
With under a minute to play, the Giants needed a stop.
“That offense is built to stay in rhythm,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “Some things we showed (Brady) up front and in the secondary threw him off rhythm. It’s the culmination of pressure in his face and the secondary doing a good job of locking down receivers.”
As they had all night, New York’s defense came through. A sack and two incompletions by Brady brought the Giants to within one play of a stunning victory.
New York’s sideline exploded when Brady’s final attempt for Moss fell to the ground. Giants fullback Madison Hedgecock dumped the contents of a Gatorade cooler atop coach Coughlin’s head and the celebration began.
“This is the greatest feeling in professional sports,” Plaxico Burress said afterward. “For us to come out and win a world championship tonight—
nobody gave us a shot.”
When it comes to Super Bowls, history has a way of repeating itself.
Appendix 1
Super Bowl XXV Statistics
January 27, 1991, Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
SCORE BY QUARTER
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Totals
Bills
3
9
0
7
19
Giants
3
7
7
3
20
TEAM SCORING
New York: 46-yard field goal by Matt Bahr
11 plays, 58 yards, time of possession: 6:15
New York 3, Buffalo 0; 7:14 remaining in 1st quarter
Buffalo: 23-yard field goal by Scott Norwood
6 plays, 66 yards, time of possession: 1:23
New York 3, Buffalo 3; 5:51 remaining in 1st quarter
Buffalo: 1-yard touchdown run by Don Smith (Norwood kick)
12 plays, 80 yards, time of possession: 4:27
Buffalo 10, New York 3, 12:30 remaining in 2nd quarter
Buffalo: safety by Bruce Smith, 7-yard sack of Jeff Hostetler
Buffalo 12, New York 3, 8:27 remaining in 2nd quarter
New York: 14-yard touchdown pass, Stephen Baker from Hostetler (Bahr kick)
10 plays, 87 yards, time of possession: 3:24
Buffalo 12, New York 10, 0:25 remaining in 2nd quarter
New York: 1-yard touchdown run by Ottis Anderson (Bahr kick)
14 plays, 75 yards, time of possession: 9:29
New York 17, Buffalo 12, 5:31 remaining in 3rd quarter
Buffalo: 31-yard touchdown run by Thurman Thomas (Norwood kick)
4 plays, 63 yards, time of possession: 1:27
Buffalo 19, New York 17, 14:52 remaining in 4th quarter
New York: 21-yard field goal by Bahr
7 plays, 74 yards, time of possession: 7:32
New York 20, Buffalo 19, 7:20 remaining in 4th quarter
Final Score: New York 20, Buffalo 19
TEAM STATISTICS
BILLS
GIANTS
FIRST DOWNS
18
24
Rushing
8
10
Passing
9
13
Penalty
1
1
TOTAL NET YARDS
371
386
Total Offensive Plays
56
73
Average Gain
6.6
5.3
NET RUSHING YARDS
166
172
Attempts
25
39
Average Rush
6.6
4.4
NET PASSING YARDS
205
214
Completed Attempts
18-30
20-32
Average per Attempt
6.83
6.69
Times Sacked-Yards Lost
1-7
2-8
Interceptions
0
0
PUNTS-Yards
6-213
4-175
TOTAL RETURN YARDS
124
85
Punt Returns-Yards
1-33
2-37
Kickoff Returns-Yards
5-81
3-48
Interceptions-Yards
0-0
0-0
PENALTIES-Yards
6-35
5-31
FUMBLES-Lost
0-0
0-0
TIME OF POSSESSION
19:27
40:33
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
COMPLETIONS-ATTEMPTS-YARDS
Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly: 18-30-212
New York Giants: Jeff Hostetler: 20-32-222
RUSHES-YARDS
Buffalo Bills: Thurman Thomas: 15-135; Jim Kelly: 6-23; Kenneth Davis: 2-4: Jamie Mueller: 1-3;