Skip to main content
New York Giants homepage
Advertising

Giants News | New York Giants – Giants.com

Giants Now

Presented by

Giants Now: Remembering 'The Helmet Catch' on birthday of Eli Manning & David Tyree

ELI-MANNING-DAVID-TYREE-GN

Remembering 'The Helmet Catch' on birthday of Eli Manning & David Tyree

January 3 marks the birthdays of two very important figures in New York Giants history - Eli Manning and David Tyree.

Both players left their respective marks on the franchise in their own way. Of course, the two each played a crucial role in perhaps the greatest play in not only Giants history, but in Super Bowl history.

The Giants were down 14-10 with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated New England Patriots. Faced with a third-and-five on their own 44-yard line, Manning escaped the grasp of Patriots defensive ends Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green and was able to stay on his feet as he scrambled backwards to find some space.

Manning then launched a pass down field, where Tyree was somehow able to pin the ball against his helmet as he fell towards the ground, with Patriots All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison draped all over him.

The play went for 32 yards and set the Giants up right outside of the red zone with less than a minute to go. Manning found Plaxico Burress in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown a few plays later, and the Giants were able to stop the Patriots from completing the first and only 19-0 season in NFL history.

Tyree entered Super Bowl XLII with just one catch for four yards total in the first three games of the 2007 playoffs. However, he saved his best for the biggest stage. Tyree finished the game with three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. It marked just the fifth, and final, touchdown of his NFL career which spanned 91 regular season and postseason games.

Meanwhile, Manning registered 255 passing yards and two touchdowns, which led to him being named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLII. This was the first of two Super Bowl MVPs for Manning, with the veteran quarterback once again leading the Giants to a victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

View iconic photos from the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory over the undefeated Patriots.

View rare photos of the historic rivalry between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

24_TextAlerts_Generic_1920x1080

Subscribe to Giants Text Alerts to stay up to date on breaking news, ticket offers, gameday entertainment, and more!

Related Content

Advertising