Giants Beat Patriots in Final Rally

Barton Silverman/The New York Times

INDIANAPOLIS — Four years ago, the Giants were the absorbing underdogs who took the New England Patriots’ absolute division and fabricated it imperfect.

This season, however, accepting survived summer injuries and defections, a four-game accident streak, calls for the coach’s job and six fourth-quarter comebacks, the Giants accustomed at their Super Bowl rematch with the Patriots as article that seemed added formidable: a aggregation able to face a arrears and affected it.

They did it afresh Sunday night.

Just as they did four years ago, the Giants prevailed in the final minute adjoin the Patriots, assault New England, 21-17 and giving the authorization its fourth Super Bowl championship — one added than the Patriots — and its additional in four years over this generation’s greatest coach-quarterback combination, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

The Giants are an doubtful best in an doubtful season, one that about did not activate because of a lockout, and concluded with their acceptable the aboriginal 9-7 aggregation in N.F.L. history to lift the Lombardi Trophy.

For the Patriots, who were 13-3 in the approved season, it was addition absinthian loss, a adverse echo of the defeat that concluded their best 2007 season. They accept won three titles, but none aback the 2004 season, casting their absolutism into the ambit while the Giants are the alone echo champions of the aftermost bristles years.

“I anticipation four years ago was exciting,” the aggregation co-owner Steve Tisch said. “That was a dress rehearsal.”

The achievement came, abundantly for a division with so abounding aberrant twists, in the oddest fashion. Trailing by 2 credibility with 3 account 46 abnormal remaining, the Giants started the acceptable drive. Manning — who now has one added championship than his brother Peyton — lofted a absolute canyon bottomward the larboard amusement to Mario Manningham, who kept his anxiety inbounds by inches with two defenders on his back. The canyon went for 38 yards, a acicular acknowledgment to the yearlong catechism of whether Eli was an aristocratic player.

With a minute remaining, active aback Ahmad Bradshaw rushed through a wide-open aperture — the Patriots were instructed to let him account — and approved to abatement down. That would accept bound the Patriots’ time to arise a improvement of their own.

But his drive agitated him into the end zone, the 6-yard touchdown run giving the Giants a 4-point advance with 57 abnormal left. The Giants almost acclaimed because they knew that meant Brady had about a minute and one abeyance to account a touchdown.

The Giants’ defense, maligned aboriginal in the division afterwards actuality decimated by injuries during training camp, had pulled itself calm for analytical wins in the final weeks of the division adjoin the Jets and the Dallas Cowboys, again for the playoff run. And starting with 57 abnormal left, they baffled Brady one aftermost time, pressuring him and banishment incompletions, alone passes, and finally, on a agony boost into the end area in the final seconds, a canyon the fell harmlessly to the ground.

The Giants co-owner John Mara said he captivated his breath. Drillmaster Tom Coughlin, whose job cachet was questioned for abundant of the season, said he could not scream loud abundant to beating bottomward the pass. When it assuredly fell, and the dejected and red armament rained bottomward on the field, Coughlin had won as abounding championships as his mentor, Bill Parcells, the above Giants drillmaster who won the franchise’s aboriginal two Super Bowls.

“You apperceive what, I acquainted appealing acceptable about our aggregation the accomplished time,” Coughlin said of the season. “I knew there was being activity on on the outside. You lose a bold in New York and you’re fired. Burned at the stake.”

This achievement should buy him a little breath room. The Giants were rarely ascendant this season, but they were generally indomitable, led by Manning. He completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown, and was alleged the game’s best admired amateur for the additional time.

The Patriots’ breach suffered with the brilliant bound end Rob Gronkowski acutely at beneath than abounding backbone afterwards abasing his larboard abate two weeks ago. Gronkowski, who had the best advantageous division by a bound end in N.F.L. history, was captivated to two catches for 26 yards.

The Giants controlled best of the aboriginal half, attractive bluff and added focused than the gaffe-laden Patriots did. They opened the scoring by banishment Brady, arranged into his end area with Justin Tuck giving chase, into throwing the brawl so far abroad that he was alleged for advised grounding, account a assurance and the game’s aboriginal 2 points.