Giants 21, Patriots 17.

That was the final score to Super Bowl XLVI which, all in all, did justice to the last Super Bowl these franchises faced off in four years ago.

The difference, much like in the 2008 Super Bowl, was a ball from the arm of Eli Manning that fell into the waiting hands of an unsung receiver, this time Mario Manningham. The ensuing drive, capitalized by a half sitting-half crouching Ahmad Bradshaw, left Tom Brady with less than a minute to lead his team down the field for the game-winning touchdown.

Of course, Brady was unable to do so, failing to connect on a 55-yard Hail Mary as time expired, giving the Giants their second Super Bowl title in four years, and fourth in team history.

For Patriots fans, however, one play stands out that, had fate decided otherwise, would have in all likelihood propelled Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Bill Belichick to champion status once again.

With only four minutes left in the final quarter and the Patriots ahead 17-15, the Giants’ Cinderella story seemed to be running out of time. Due to a miscommunication on defense, New York allowed Wes Welker to become wide open 20 yards downfield. A catch would have essentially ended the game, but sometimes destiny is just too much.

Brady, seeing his receiver uncovered down the field, threw a ball to Welker’s back shoulder, which required Welker to jump backwards, extending toward the ball in what was a catch that should be made in the NFL.

However, even after getting two hands on the pigskin, Welker dropped the ball as he fell to the turf, resulting in a third down for New England. On the next play, Brady threw another incomplete pass which resulted in the Giants getting the ball back with 3:46 left in the game.

On the very next play for New York, Manning dropped back and floated a perfect ball over two Patriots defenders to Mario Manningham, who, after securing the ball, managed to keep both feet in play for a 38-yard gain, the longest play of the Super Bowl.

Down by only two, the Giants needed but 20 yards to get in field goal range and win by one. New York would eventually score via an Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown which replays indicate that he didn’t mean to score.

With just 57 seconds left, Brady had his chance, but his receivers did not help his cause. On the first two plays of the drive, Deion Branch and Aaron Hernandez each dropped passes that would have resulted in big gains. The Hail Mary followed, and when the ball hit the turf, the New York Giants were Super Bowl champions.

Time will tell of the legacy of both Super Bowl XLVI and those who played in it. Will Wes Welker or Tom Brady be blamed for The Drop? Will Mario Manningham’s catch surpass David Tyree’s Super Bowl XLII catch as the greatest play in Giants history?

In all, one thing is certain: the Giants are 2-0 against a team featuring a Hall of Fame coach and quarterback. That should be the only statistic that matters.