INDIANAPOLIS — Even though there were still 57 seconds left in the game when the Giants kicked off to the Patriots and handed the ball to Tom Brady, Justin Tuck didn’t think that was a problem.
“Nah,” he said. “At 57, I said, ‘Hey man, [I’ve got] an opportunity to go get another sack.”
Tuck did on the Patriots’ third play of their futile final drive when he dropped Brady for a 6-yard loss to force a fourth-and-16. The Patriots ended up converting that, but it proved moot when less than a minute later, Brady’s Hail Mary was batted down on the final play of the game to ensure the Giants’ 21-17 Super Bowl XLVI victory.
And once again, Tuck delivered a splendid Super Bowl.
COMPLETE GIANTS SUPER BOWL COVERAGE
The Giants defensive captain had two sacks in Super Bowl XLII, and last night he did even more. Tuck collected two sacks again and pressured Brady into a safety on the Patriots’ first offensive play of the night.
Tuck was a worthy MVP, even though Eli Manning took home the award.
“That’s what [Tuck’s] all about,” linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said. “The guy’s beat up, is banged up. And he comes out here every week, he practices hard and he gives us a great performance, but when the game’s on the line, he steps up, he shows up. You can’t talk enough about him.”
The safety came after the Giants’ opening drive stalled at the Patriots 42. Steve Weatherford then punted the ball down to the New England 6, and on the first play, Brady had all day to throw.
But nobody was open. Eventually Tuck emerged, drilling Brady in the end zone while he was still in the pocket. Brady got the pass away, but the officials ruled it intentional grounding for a safety and a 2-0 Giants lead.
“It is a referee’s judgment call,” Brady said. “I was looking down the middle of the field and Tuck was looking to come get me and I tried to get rid of it. The referee made the call.”
Tuck then racked up his first sack on a third-and-8 in the third quarter, mauling Brady for a 4-yard loss and forcing a Patriots punt.
“He’s our captain. He stepped up when we needed him the most,” cornerback Aaron Ross said of Tuck. “He’d been going through injuries and a tough, tough year this year. And to finish it like this, there’s no better feeling.”
As Ross and Kiwanuka said, Tuck suffered through injuries and had several family members pass away this season. He said it all ended up strengthening him.
“I’m tremendously blessed,” Tuck said. “I thank God for the things I went through this year. They made me a stronger person. They made me a better leader. I know my uncles and my grandfather and my grandmother, they’re up there smiling.”