Super Bowl 2012 final score and recap: Giants beat Patriots, Eli Manning wins MVP award

Last night (Sun., Feb. 5, 2012) the New York Giants once again slayed the beast when they outlasted the New England Patriots to record a 21-17 win at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Indiana.

And Eli Manning, who was 30/40 for 296 yards, 1 TD and 0 INTs, won the MVP award.

It was an amazing game between two teams who have built one of the best Super Bowl rivalries in the history of the NFL. Their two battles, in 2008 and last night, rival that of those engaged in by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s or the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals in the 1980s.

Tom Brady valiantly attempted to bring his team back from a four point deficit with just one minute remaining, and nearly completed a Hail Mary pass for a touchdown in the closing play of the game to do it. But alas, it was not to be and the Giants are world champions once again.

Remember to watch out for gloating fans today (cough, Jesse Holland, cough, Tom Myers, cough). After the jump, check out all our coverage of Super Bowl XLVI.

SUPER BOWL XLVI

• Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs. Patriots first quarter

In which New York came furiously out of the gate to establish a 9-0 lead, at one point having run 19 plays to just one for New England.

• Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs. Patriots second quarter

In which the Patriots came clawing back into the game with the cold efficiency we've come to know from Tom Brady and his band of cohorts.

• Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs. Patriots third quarter

In which New England continued to run like a well-oiled machine but the Giants continued to chip away with the blue-collar work ethic they've shown since Tom Coughlin has been running the show as head coach.

• Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs. Patriots fourth quarter

In which we saw the thrilling conclusion of another great game between two incredible teams. Eli Manning established himself as a future Hall of Famer while Tom Brady was once again unable to finish the job in the biggest game of the year.

• Super Bowl XLVI: Giants beat Patriots 21-17 to become world champions

After a great game that saw many shifts in momentum between two heavyweights slugging it out to the finish, the Giants pulled out a 21-17 victory four years after defeating the Patriots 17-14 in Arizona.

And there you have it, Maniacs.

So concludes our rare coverage of the NFL. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.