Brady atoned for a brutal start.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) passes against the New York Giants during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012, in Indianapolis. INDIANAPOLIS – Not a great half for the New England Patriots, but things could be much worse.
They made a lot of mistakes, came out flat, but still managed to take a 10-9 halftime lead and get the ball coming out of the break. All things considered, this game could be out of hand.
Tom Brady’s first half was horrendous, but he atoned for that on the final drive by completing 10 consecutive passes, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown pass to Danny Woodhead. He threw four consecutive passes in the middle to tight end Aaron Hernandez to help the Patriots move 96 yards on the drive.
It was the third drive of such distance in Super bowl history.
The first half notes take on a bit of a negative tone, but New England is in a good position heading into the final 30 minutes.
DUMB MISTAKES: One of the typical characteristics of a Bill Belichick coached team is that they don’t make avoidable mental mistakes. That wasn’t the case in the early going. Quarterback Tom Brady started out his first drive with an intentional grounding penalty while in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Giants defensive end Justin Tuck had Brady in his sights, causing the quarterback to panic and chuck the ball downfield despite having tight end Rob Gronkowski wide open. On the ensuing drive, defensive back Sterling Moore forced a fumble on Victor Cruz that was recovered by Brandon Spikes, but the play was negated by having 12 men on the field after cornerback Antwaun Molden was slow getting to the sidelines. The Giants were awarded a first down and quickly punched the ball in the end zone to go up, 9-0.
PATS CRUSHED IN TIME BATTLE: The biggest issue with the safety was that it put the Patriots defense back on the field. New York won the time battle, 11:28-3:32, in the first quarter as New England ran just seven offensive plays. This is how the Giants want to play, the Patriots cannot afford to help them achieve their goals. New York currently holds a 19:45-10:15 edge.
DEFENSIVE LINE AN ISSUE: Much like the last time the Patriots and Giants played, the defensive line is causing Brady issues without actually getting to him. Brady feels the pressure and has rushed his throws, and the defensive line has found other ways to cause issues. On New England’s first series of the second quarter, Brady had Gronkowski open in the end zone but felt the pressure and hurried a throw to Aaron Hernandez that was batted to the turf by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. New England was forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal.
MANNING’S RECORD PACE: Eli Manning completed his first nine passes for 78 yards, setting a Super Bowl record for most completions to start a game. His tenth pass was an incompletion to the right sideline. Manning completed passes to six different receivers during the stretch, including a 2-yard touchdown strike to UMass alum Cruz in the first quarter. Manning finished the half 13 of 17 for 120 yards with a touchdown.
BECKUM DONE: Giants tight end Travis Beckum suffered a torn ACL during the second quarter. His day is done.
GRONK OUT: Rob Gronkowski, who is playing through a high left ankle sprain, was a non-factor during the first half. He got open several times, but Brady neglected to target him. Gronkowski came off the field on a few third downs when the team went to three wide receivers. His first target was a 20-yard reception, coming with less than three minutes remaining in the half.
FIELD POSITION BRUTAL: The unsung hero of the first half was Giants punter Steve Weatherford. He pinned the Patriots inside the 5-yard line on two punts, the first leading to Brady’s safety.