USA TODAY International Edition
Halftime: Patriots 10, Giants 9
Pivotal play: New England takes its first lead with eight seconds remaining in the half. Tom Brady hits Danny Woodhead from 4 yards out.
Critical stat:
Neither team committed a first- half turnover.
How it played out:
The Giants led for all but eight seconds of the first half.
Starting from his own 4 ( and penalized back to his own 2), Brady directed a 14- play, 96yard drive, giving the Patriots a 10- 9 halftime lead.
Brady completed all 10 passes on the drive, getting tight end Rob Gronkowski involved on the longest play of the drive, 20 yards, from his 15.
New York’s Jason Pierre- Paul stopped Woodhead on secondandgoal with 15 seconds left, but Brady had time to find Woodhead for the touchdown a play later.
The Giants had dominated time of possession 19: 37 to 6: 20 before the Patriots’ TD drive.
The Patriots got on the board 1: 08 in on a 29- yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. The Patriots had a first down at the Giants 17, but Pierre- Paul batted down a Brady pass on thirdand4, forcing the Patriots to settle for the field goal on their 10- play, 60- yard drive.
Despite being sacked twice, Eli Manning became the first quarterback to start a Super Bowl with nine consecutive completions. His first pass of the second quarter was incomplete.
On third- and- 6, Hakeem Nicks went high to pull down an 18- yard catch over the middle for a first down at the Patriots 47. Facing third- and- 15, Manning found Ahmad Bradshaw for 11 yards; the Giants were forced to punt.
Gronkowski caught one pass in the first half. The Giants had their own concerns at tight end, losing Travis Beckum to a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament.