View source for Super Bowl XLVI

{{Short description|2012 National Football League championship game}}
{{redirect|2012 Super Bowl|the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2012 season|Super Bowl XLVII}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox Super Bowl
| type = sb
| name = XLVI
| image = Super Bowl XLVI Logo.svg
| image_size = x220px
| visitor = [[2011 New York Giants season|New York Giants]]
| visitor_abbr = NYG
| visitor_conf = [[National Football Conference|NFC]]
| visitor_coach = [[Tom Coughlin]]
| visitor_record = 9–7
| visitor_place = 4
| home = [[2011 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]]
| home_abbr = NE
| home_conf = [[American Football Conference|AFC]]
| home_coach = [[Bill Belichick]]
| home_record = 13–3
| home_place = 1
| visitor_qtr1 = 9
| visitor_qtr2 = 0
| visitor_qtr3 = 6
| visitor_qtr4 = 6
| home_qtr1 = 0
| home_qtr2 = 10
| home_qtr3 = 7
| home_qtr4 = 0
| date = {{Start date|2012|02|05}}
| time = 6:30 p.m. [[Eastern Standard Time|EST]] ([[UTC-5]])
| stadium = [[Lucas Oil Stadium]]
| city = [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]]
| attendance = 68,658<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl XLVI–National Football League Game Summary|url=http://nflgsis.com/2011/Post/04/55502/Gamebook.pdf|publisher=National Football League|website=NFLGSIS.com|date=February 5, 2012|access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref>
| HOFers = 
| odds = Patriots by 2.5<ref>{{cite news|last=DiNitto|first=Marcus|title=Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll|url=http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2015-01-25/super-bowl-betting-history-patriots-vs-seahawks-point-spread-line-vegas-odds|magazine=[[Sporting News]]|date=January 25, 2015|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-date=February 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204100054/http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2015-01-25/super-bowl-betting-history-patriots-vs-seahawks-point-spread-line-vegas-odds|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Kevin |title=Super Bowl History |url=http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/superbowl/history/ |access-date=February 4, 2015 |website=Vegas Insider}}</ref>
| MVP = [[Eli Manning]], [[quarterback]]<ref name="EliMVP">{{cite news|title=Manning wins Super Bowl MVP with another comeback vs. Pats|url=http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/story/09000d5d826ad0bf/article/manning-wins-super-bowl-mvp-with-another-comeback-vs-pats?module=HP11_headline_stack|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=SuperBowl.com|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=February 5, 2012|access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref>
| anthem = [[Kelly Clarkson]]
| coin_toss = [[Curtis Martin]] representing the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame class
| referee = [[John Parry (American football official)|John Parry]]
| halftime = [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] featuring [[LMFAO]], [[M.I.A. (rapper)|M.I.A.]], [[Nicki Minaj]], and [[Cee Lo Green]]
| network = [[NFL on NBC|NBC]]
| announcers = [[Al Michaels]] (play-by-play)<br /> [[Cris Collinsworth]] (analyst)<br /> [[Michele Tafoya]] (sideline reporter)
| rating = 47.0 (national)<ref name="SUPER BOWL 50 DRAWS 111.9 MILLION TV VIEWERS, 16.9 MILLION TWEETS">{{Cite web |date=February 8, 2016 |title=HISTORICAL SUPER BOWL VIEWERSHIP |url=http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2016/super-bowl-50-draws-111-9-million-tv-viewers-and-16-9-million-tweets.html/1 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |website=Nielson.com}}</ref><br/>56.7 (Boston)<br/> 56.4 (Indianapolis)<br/>49.7 (New York)<ref name="Super Bowl XLVI sets viewership records">{{cite web|last=Deitsch|first=Richard|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/02/06/tvratings.record/index.html|title=Super Bowl XLVI sets viewership records|date=February 6, 2012|access-date=February 6, 2012|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222060508/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/02/06/tvratings.record/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><br/><small>US viewership: 111.3 million est. avg.,<ref name="Super Bowl XLVI sets viewership records"/> 166.8 million est. total</small>
| share = 71 (national)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Webb Mitovich |first=Matt |date=February 6, 2012 |title=Ratings: Super Bowl XLVI Is Most-Watched TV Program Ever, With 111.3 Million Viewers |url=http://tvline.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-xlvi-ratings |access-date=February 4, 2013 |publisher=[[TVLine]]}}</ref>
| commercial = $3.5 million<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Aaron |date=January 3, 2012 |title=NBC's Super Bowl ads sell out at record prices |url=https://money.cnn.com/2012/01/03/news/companies/super_bowl_ads/index.htm?iid=HP_LN |access-date=January 3, 2012 |work=CNN Money}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-06 |title=Super Bowl ads cost average of $3.5M |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/playoffs/2011/story/_/id/7544243/super-bowl-2012-commercials-cost-average-35m |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>
| radio = [[NFL on Westwood One Sports|Dial Global]]
| radioannouncers = [[Kevin Harlan]] (play-by-play)<br />[[Boomer Esiason]] (analyst)<br />[[James Lofton]] and [[Mark Malone]] (sideline reporters)
| last = XLV
| next = XLVII
}}
'''Super Bowl XLVI''' was an [[American football]] game between the [[National Football Conference]] (NFC) champion [[2011 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] and the [[American Football Conference]] (AFC) champion [[2011 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] to decide the [[National Football League]] (NFL) champion for the [[2011 NFL season|2011 season]]. The Giants defeated the Patriots by the score of 21–17.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://projects.nytimes.com/superbowl/2012/dashboard?hp|title=Live Coverage: Super Bowl XLVI|date=February 5, 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 5, 2012 |title=Eli Manning, Giants thwart Pats again to cap magical run with 4th Super Bowl title |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=320205017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201132000/http://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=320205017 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=February 8, 2012 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The game was played on February 5, 2012, at [[Lucas Oil Stadium]] in [[Indianapolis]], the first time that the [[Super Bowl]] was played in [[Indiana]].

In addition to winning their fourth Super Bowl in team history, the Giants set a new record for the lowest regular season record (9–7, win percentage of 56.3%) by a Super Bowl champion.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/ny-giants-beat-san-francisco-49ers-win-super-bowl-xlvi-ravens-patriots-worst-champion-modern-era-record-wise-article-1.1007642|title=If NY Giants beat San Francisco 49ers and go on to win Super Bowl XLVI against Ravens or Patriots, they would be the worst champion ever, record-wise|first=Filip|last=Bondy|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=January 17, 2012|access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref> The Patriots entered the game with a 13–3 regular season record, and were also seeking their fourth Super Bowl win.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/REG/PATRIOTS|title= NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 2011 SCHEDULE |date=January 2, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> This was a rematch of [[Super Bowl XLII]], which New York also won, spoiling New England's run at a [[2007 New England Patriots season|perfect 2007 season]]. The Giants and the Patriots also played in Week 9 a few months earlier, with the Giants winning on the road 24–20.

The Giants jumped to a 9–0 lead in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVI before the Patriots scored 17 unanswered points to take a 17–9 lead in the third quarter. But the Giants prevented the Patriots from scoring again, and two consecutive New York field goals chipped away New England's lead, 17–15, late in the third quarter. The Giants capped off an 88-yard drive with running back [[Ahmad Bradshaw]]'s 6-yard game-winning touchdown with 57 seconds left in the game. [[Eli Manning]], who completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, was named [[Super Bowl MVP]] for the second time in his career.<ref name="EliMVP" /> He became the third consecutive quarterback to win the award after [[Aaron Rodgers]] in [[Super Bowl XLV]] and [[Drew Brees]] in [[Super Bowl XLIV]]. He was also the first Giants quarterback to start and win two championship games since [[Ed Danowski]] in [[1938 NFL Championship Game|1938]].

The broadcast of the game on [[NBC Sunday Night Football|NBC]] broke the then record for the [[List of most watched television broadcasts in the United States|most-watched program]] in American television history, previously set during [[Super Bowl XLV|the previous year's Super Bowl]]. Super Bowl XLVI was watched by an estimated average audience of 111.3 million US viewers and an estimated total audience of 166.8 million, according to [[Nielsen Company|Nielsen]], meaning that over half of the American population watched at least some of the initial broadcast.<ref>{{cite web|first=David|last=Bauder|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-ratings-record-tv-giants-patriots_n_1258107.html|title=Super Bowl Ratings Record: Giants-Patriots Game Is Highest-Rated TV Show In US History|work=Huffington Post|date=February 6, 2012|access-date=February 7, 2012}}</ref> The game also set the record for most [[Twitter|tweets]] per second during a sporting event, with 13.7 million tweets from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. (PST).<ref>{{cite web |date=January 25, 2013 |title=Super Bowl XLVII: An Event of Epic Proportions |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlvii-an-event-of-epic-proportions-0ap1000000131115 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129001144/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000131115/article/super-bowl-xlvii-an-event-of-epic-proportions |archive-date=January 29, 2013 |access-date=January 25, 2013 |work=[[National Football League]]}}</ref>

==Background==
Per convention as an even-numbered Super Bowl, the Patriots as the AFC representatives had the [[Super Bowl#Home team designation|home team designation]]. Super Bowl XLVI was the sixth Super Bowl in which the two teams had competed in a previous Super Bowl matchup, as the Giants and Patriots had previously met in [[Super Bowl XLII]].<ref>Previous rematches: [[Super Bowl XIII]], [[1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh]] vs. [[1975 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas]]; [[Super Bowl XVII]], [[1982 Washington Redskins season|Washington]] vs. [[1982 Miami Dolphins season|Miami]]; [[Super Bowl XXIII]], [[1988 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco]] vs. [[1988 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati]]; [[Super Bowl XXVIII]], [[1993 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas]] vs. [[1993 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo]]; [[Super Bowl XXX]], [[1995 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas]] vs. [[1995 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh]]</ref> Both head coaches ([[Tom Coughlin]] and [[Bill Belichick]]) and both starting quarterbacks ([[Eli Manning]] and [[Tom Brady]]) returned from Super Bowl XLII.

===Host selection process===
[[Image:LucasOil.JPG|thumb|[[Lucas Oil Stadium]] in Indianapolis, Indiana]]
Three cities presented bids for the game:
*On January 31, 2008, the Greater [[Houston]] Convention and Visitors Bureau announced their plans to host the game at [[Reliant Stadium]], and holding events at the surrounding [[Reliant Park]], hoping that their city would host the championship game for the second time since Reliant Stadium opened.<ref name="HouSB">{{cite news | url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/01/28/daily33.html | title=Houston to bid for Super Bowl XLVI | publisher=Houston Business Journal | date=January 31, 2008 | access-date=April 3, 2008}}</ref>
*On February 19, 2008, the City of Indianapolis, led by [[Indianapolis Colts|Colts]] owner [[Jim Irsay]] and [[List of mayors of Indianapolis|Indianapolis mayor]] [[Greg Ballard]], officially announced details about their intentions to bid for Super Bowl XLVI.<ref name="Indy">{{cite web | url = http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/LOCAL/80219052 | title = Ballard says it's a go: Indy will seek 2012 Super Bowl | publisher = Indianapolis Star | date = February 18, 2008 | access-date =February 18, 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name="IndySB">{{cite web | url=http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/LOCAL18/804010358/1304/frontpagecities | title=Draft bid due for 2012 Super Bowl | publisher=Indianapolis Star | date=April 1, 2008 | access-date=April 1, 2008 | format=fee required}}</ref> Part of the agreement included a proposal to build a practice facility on the campus of [[Arsenal Technical High School]] that would be utilized by the school after the Super Bowl.
*On March 6, 2008, one month after hosting [[Super Bowl XLII]] at the [[University of Phoenix Stadium]] in [[Glendale, Arizona]], the second Super Bowl held in the [[Phoenix metropolitan area]], the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee led by Committee chair Mike Kennedy formally announced their intentions to bid for another one.<ref name="GlenSB">{{cite news | url=http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/03/03/daily62.html | title=Arizona will bid to host 2012 Super Bowl | publisher=Phoenix Business Journal | date=March 7, 2008 | access-date=April 3, 2008}}</ref>  Glendale would eventually win its bid for [[Super Bowl XLIX]] in February 2015.

[[List of NFL franchise owners|NFL franchise owners]] selected the Indianapolis bid at their meeting on May 20, 2008, in Atlanta.<ref name="Indy2012">{{Cite web |date=2008-05-20 |title=Indianapolis wins 2012 Super Bowl bid |url=https://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/7-13-p-m-update-indianapolis-wins-2012-super-bowl-bid/article_6e55a0f8-2303-5308-8a85-8366b184d0d6.html |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Herald Bulletin |language=en}}</ref>

[[2011 NFL lockout|A labor dispute]] had threatened the postponement or cancellation of the game during the spring and summer of 2011; league officials had set contingency plans to postpone the game one week if it had been necessary to postpone regular season games into the second week of January.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 16, 2011 |title=Goodell: Super Bowl could be delayed |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/goodell-super-bowl-could-be-delayed |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=FOX Sports}}</ref> Since the dispute was resolved well before the start of the regular season, no postponements were implemented, and the game remained as originally scheduled.

This was the first Super Bowl to be played in Indianapolis,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Max |date=2022-02-06 |title=10 years later, the impact of Indy’s Super Bowl still visible |url=https://cbs4indy.com/news/10-years-later-the-impact-of-indys-super-bowl-still-visible/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=WTTV CBS4Indy |language=en-US}}</ref> and only the fourth time that the Super Bowl has been played in a cold-weather city, after Detroit ([[Super Bowl XVI|XVI]] and [[Super Bowl XL|XL]]) and [[Minneapolis]] ([[Super Bowl XXVI|XXVI]]). [[Downtown Indianapolis]], the home of Lucas Oil Stadium, featured an outdoor Super Bowl Village and other programs at the [[Indiana Convention Center]].

===Teams===

====New York Giants====
{{main|2011 New York Giants season}}
Working around a series of injuries, the Giants ended with a 9–7 record during the regular season and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2008, winning the [[NFC East]] and finishing the season as the NFC's No. 4 seed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2011 New York Giants Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/2011.htm |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Finally back to full strength, the Giants entered their week 17 matchup with the [[2011 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] with both teams tied for the division lead with 8–7 records.  The Giants took a 21–0 first half lead and while the Cowboys closed the gap to make the score 21–14 early in the 4th quarter, the Giants held on to defeat the Cowboys 31–14, clinching the divisional title and a playoff berth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants - January 1st, 2012 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201010nyg.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Ed |date=2012-01-01 |title=Giants 31, Cowboys 14: New York Wins NFC East |url=https://newyork.sbnation.com/2012/1/1/2675718/giants-31-cowboys-14-new-york-wins-nfc-east |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=SB Nation New York |language=en}}</ref>

New York's offense was led by [[Super Bowl XLII]] winning quarterback [[Eli Manning]], in his seventh season as the team's starter.  Manning set new career highs in nearly every statistical category in 2011, throwing for a franchise record 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions, giving him a 92.9 passer rating.  His top target was receiver [[Victor Cruz (American football)|Victor Cruz]], who caught 82 passes for a franchise record 1,536 yards (3rd in the NFL) and 9 touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eli Manning 2011 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MannEl00/gamelog/2011/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> He had plenty of other targets, including [[Hakeem Nicks]] (76 receptions, 1,192 yards, 7 touchdowns), [[Mario Manningham]] (39 receptions and 523 yards in 12 games) and tight end [[Jake Ballard]] (38 receptions, 604 yards).

Although not on the field for four games due to injury, running back [[Ahmad Bradshaw]] was the team's leading rusher with 659 yards and 9 touchdowns.  He was also a reliable weapon in the passing game, hauling in 34 receptions for 267 yards and two touchdowns.  [[Brandon Jacobs]] also made contributions on the ground, rushing for 571 yards and 7 touchdowns.

New York's defensive line was led by defensive ends [[Justin Tuck]], [[Jason Pierre-Paul]] and [[Osi Umenyiora]].  Pierre-Paul racked up 86 combined tackles and ranked fourth in the NFL with 16.5 sacks, earning him the only Pro Bowl selection on the Giants defense, while Umenyiora, limited to 9 games because of injury, recorded 9 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The Giants secondary was led by [[Corey Webster]], who intercepted a career-high 6 passes. Defensive backs [[Kenny Phillips]] and [[Aaron Ross (American football)|Aaron Ross]] added four interceptions each, while safety [[Antrel Rolle]] picked off two passes and led the team in combined tackles with 96.

The Giants joined the [[2008 Arizona Cardinals season|2008 Arizona Cardinals]] and [[1979 Los Angeles Rams season|1979 Los Angeles Rams]] as the only other team to advance to the Super Bowl with fewer than ten victories since the NFL expanded to a 16-game season in 1978, and the only one of those three to win the Super Bowl they had advanced to. They have won six consecutive playoff games away from their home stadium, dating back to their victory over the [[2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] in the 2007 Wild Card round. That includes their [[Super Bowl XLII]] victory over these same Patriots, although that game was played at a neutral site (and the Giants were the designated "away" team for the game). The 2011 Giants are the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl after having been outscored by their opponents in the regular season (394 points scored, 400 points allowed).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2012/conference-championship-dvoa-ratings |title=Conference Championship DVOA Ratings |publisher=Football Outsiders |date=January 23, 2012 |access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref>

====New England Patriots====
{{main|2011 New England Patriots season}}
The Patriots finished with a 13–3 record, winning the [[AFC East]] and clinching the AFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs. New England lost 2 consecutive games to the [[2011 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]] and Giants in week 8 and 9 respectively, before rallying to win their remaining eight games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New England Patriots 2011 Games and Schedule |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2011/gamelog/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

Back at the helm of the offense was 12-year quarterback [[Tom Brady]], who earned his 7th Pro Bowl selection. Starting every game of the season, Brady completed 65.6% of his passes for a career-high 5,235 yards (the second highest total in NFL history at the time) and 39 touchdown passes, with just 12 interceptions and a rating of 105.6.  Brady also added 109 yards and three scores on the ground.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tom Brady 2011 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BradTo00/gamelog/2011/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>  His main weapon in the passing game was Pro Bowl receiver [[Wes Welker]], who led the NFL with 122 receptions (22 receptions ahead of second place) for 1,569 yards and 9 touchdowns.  New England also had two of the best tight ends in the NFL: Pro Bowler [[Rob Gronkowski]], who set new tight end records for receiving (1,327 yards) and touchdown catches (17); and [[Aaron Hernandez]], who caught 79 passes for 910 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also rushing for 45 yards.  Another big element of the passing game was veteran receiver [[Deion Branch]], who caught 51 passes for 702 yards and 5 scores. Receivers [[Chad Ochocinco]], [[Tiquan Underwood]], [[Julian Edelman]], and [[Matthew Slater]] made minor contributions to the passing attack; the latter two also served as emergency defensive backs.  Edelman was also a superb punt returner, returning 28 punts for 296 yards and a touchdown.

New England had several key contributors in the ground game.  Their main rusher was [[BenJarvus Green-Ellis]], who rushed for 667 yards and 11 touchdowns. Running back [[Stevan Ridley]] added 447 yards and a 5.1 yards per carry average. [[Danny Woodhead]] contributed 351 yards with a 4.6 YPC average, and gained another 437 yards returning kickoffs.  New England also had a solid offensive line, which was anchored by Pro Bowl guards [[Logan Mankins]] and [[Brian Waters]].  With all these weapons, New England ranked third in the NFL with 513 points.

The Patriots' defensive line featured two Pro Bowl selections: [[Vince Wilfork]], who generated 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble; and [[Andre Carter]], who contributed 10 sacks and forced two fumbles.  Defensive End [[Mark Anderson (American football)|Mark Anderson]] was also a major force on the line, earning 10 sacks and two forced fumbles of his own.  Behind them, [[Rob Ninkovich]] excelled at linebacker, gaining 74 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two interceptions.  In the secondary, cornerback [[Kyle Arrington]] had a breakout season.  After recording just one interception in his first three years, Arrington picked off 7 passes in 2011 to lead the NFL in that category, while also making 88 tackles. Linebacker [[Jerod Mayo]] led the team in tackles with 95.

With the victory in the 2011 AFC Championship Game Brady and head coach [[Bill Belichick]] became the first quarterback-head coach combination to reach the Super Bowl five times, surpassing the record held by [[Terry Bradshaw]] and [[Chuck Noll]] of the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]' 1970s Super Bowl teams. Belichick tied [[Tom Landry]] for second most appearances as a head coach in the Super Bowl, behind only [[Don Shula]]'s six.

===Season and playoffs===
{{Main|2011–12 NFL playoffs}}

The Patriots and Giants faced each other in New England during the regular season; the Giants won that game, 24–20.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Giants at New England Patriots - November 6th, 2011 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201111060nwe.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Incidentally, the Giants and Patriots had [[2007 New England Patriots–New York Giants game|also faced each other]] in New York during the regular season prior to Super Bowl XLII with the Patriots winning that regular season matchup and the Giants going on to win that Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLVI marked the 13th Super Bowl that was a rematch of a regular season game.  The loser in the regular season had been 7–5 in these games prior to Super Bowl XLVI.

The Giants finished the season as the NFC East champion and the No. 4 seed in the conference. The Giants defeated the No. 5 seed [[2011 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]] in the Wild Card round 24–2, the first playoff game at [[MetLife Stadium]]. Eli Manning threw for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, while the Giants defense shut down the Falcons, with the only Falcons points coming from a safety given up by Manning's intentional grounding penalty in his end zone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Card - Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants - January 8th, 2012 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201080nyg.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

The Giants then moved on to face the No. 1 seed and the defending [[Super Bowl XLV]] champion [[2011 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] in the divisional round. The Giants never trailed in the game, winning 37–20. One of the key plays in the game was a [[Hail Mary pass]] by Manning to [[Hakeem Nicks]], giving the Giants a 20–10 lead at the end of the first half. As they did to 2007 MVP [[Tom Brady]] and the [[2007 New England Patriots|Patriots' record-breaking offense]], the Giants generated significant pressure on Packers quarterback and season MVP [[Aaron Rodgers]], sacking him four times and disrupting his talented receiving corps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - New York Giants at Green Bay Packers - January 15th, 2012 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201150gnb.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>  This was the first time in NFL history a 15–1 team failed to make it past the divisional round in the playoffs.

The Giants then faced the No. 2 seeded [[2011 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] in the [[NFC Championship Game]]. After a series of defensive standoffs in the fourth quarter, the game went into overtime. Both teams continued to struggle on offense, until Giants linebacker [[Jacquian Williams]] stripped the ball from 49ers wide receiver [[Kyle Williams (wide receiver, born 1988)|Kyle Williams]] after a punt return. The Giants recovered the ball at the 49ers 24-yard line, setting up a 31-yard field goal attempt by Giants kicker [[Lawrence Tynes]]. Unlike Cundiff earlier that day, Tynes' kick was successful, giving the Giants a 20–17 victory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers - January 22nd, 2012 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201220sfo.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Patriots earned a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. In the divisional round, the Patriots defeated the [[2011 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] 45–10. The Patriots dominated the game throughout, setting new franchise postseason records for total yards (509), points (45), and margin of victory (35). Tom Brady completed 18 of 25 passes for 246 yards and a postseason record five touchdowns in the first half. The Patriots defense had a breakout performance: Broncos quarterback [[Tim Tebow]] was held to just 9 of 26 completions and was sacked five times.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Denver Broncos at New England Patriots - January 14th, 2012 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201140nwe.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[AFC Championship Game]], the Patriots faced off against the No. 2 seeded [[2011 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]]. Brady was out-dueled by Ravens quarterback [[Joe Flacco]], who threw for more yards and touchdowns on the same number of completions and attempts. Nevertheless, the Patriots managed to take a 23–20 lead in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Brady. With 1:44 left in the quarter, The Ravens got the ball back with one last chance to tie or win the game, driving all the way to the Patriots 14-yard line.  But the Patriots managed to hold them there, with cornerback [[Sterling Moore]] breaking up two consecutive Ravens pass attempts in the red zone, including one in the end zone. Facing fourth down, the Ravens attempted a 32-yard field goal by kicker [[Billy Cundiff]] that would tie the game and possibly bring it to overtime. Cundiff missed the kick wide left, allowing the Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots - January 22nd, 2012 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201220nwe.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Super Bowl pre-game notes===
The Patriots, as the designated home team, had a choice of wearing their home navy blue jerseys or their white away jerseys. Briefly, there was speculation that the Patriots might wear the white away jerseys in order to switch the jerseys from [[Super Bowl XLII]], where the Patriots wore dark blue and the Giants wore white. Also, the Giants were 4–0 in playoff games in their white away jerseys since the [[2007 NFL season|2007 season]]. However, the Patriots announced on the Monday following the Conference Championship Games that they would be wearing their customary navy blue home jerseys as the home team in Super Bowl XLVI.<ref>{{cite tweet|author=New England Patriots|user=Patriots|number=161557307287810049|date=January 23, 2012|title=As the home team in #SBXLVI, the Pats have chosen to wear their blue uniforms. Team will head to Indy Sunday. #PatsXLVI}}</ref>

Hospitality experts speculated that "Indianapolis will have seen the most severe hotel [[price gouging]] in Super Bowl history." The city has 6,000 hotel rooms, fewer than typical for a Super Bowl host city. Some rooms in downtown Indianapolis reportedly cost more than $4,000 a night. By contrast, rooms close to the stadium in previous Super Bowls were usually available for about $200. The room shortage and high prices caused some attendees to plan to stay in Chicago, 180 miles away, and ride buses to events.<ref name="manahan20120202">{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/super_bowl_indianapolis_hotels.html | title=Super Bowl: Indianapolis hotels treat fans to historic price gouging | work=The Star-Ledger | date=February 2, 2012 | access-date=February 2, 2012 | author=Manahan, Kevin}}</ref>

Because the Giants and Patriots drew their fan bases from [[Sports in New York City|New York City]] and [[Sports in Boston|Boston]] respectively, the Super Bowl echoed the fierce [[Yankees–Red Sox rivalry|rivalry]] between the [[New York Yankees]] and the [[Boston Red Sox]] in [[Major League Baseball]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120202&content_id=26559608&vkey=news_nyy&c_id=nyy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205180135/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120202&content_id=26559608&vkey=news_nyy&c_id=nyy|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 5, 2012|title=Sox-Yanks history adds to Super Bowl hype|first=John|last=Schlegel|publisher=Yankees.MLB.com|date=February 3, 2012|access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Spite to the finish|last=Pugmire|first=Lance|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=January 27, 2012|page=C1}}</ref> [[Tom Brady]] said of the rivalry: "There is a great rivalry...between Boston and New York...When I got to the team, it was always Red Sox-Yankees. We've had some pretty meaningful games against the Giants over the past few years, so I don't think anyone is disappointed that it's the Giants."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2012/02/05/patriots_fans_hoping_to_get_even_for_2008_loss/?page=full|title=The day of reckoning|date=February 5, 2012|access-date=February 7, 2012|first=Dan|last=Shaughnessy|newspaper=The Boston Globe|page=A1|author-link=Dan Shaughnessy}}</ref> Overall, this was the seventh meeting between teams from [[Boston]] and [[New York City]] for a [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports]] championship. This previously occurred in [[Super Bowl XLII]] in 2008, two Stanley Cup Finals ([[1929 Stanley Cup Finals|1929]], [[1972 Stanley Cup Finals|1972]]), and three World Series ([[1912 World Series|1912]], [[1916 World Series|1916]], [[1986 World Series|1986]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2105715,00.html|title=Top 10 NYC-vs.-Boston Showdowns|last=Sifferlin|first=Alexandra|website=[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]|date=January 31, 2012|accessdate=November 16, 2024}}</ref>

==Broadcasting==
===Television===
====United States====
In the United States, the game was televised nationally by [[NBC Sunday Night Football|NBC]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/2005-04-18-nbc-abc_x.htm | work=USA Today | first1=Michael | last1=Hiestand | title=Football shuffle: MNF to ESPN; NBC gets Sundays | date=April 19, 2005}}</ref>

[[Al Michaels]] called [[play-by-play]] for NBC, marking the eighth time that he was behind the microphone for a Super Bowl and the second time he called a Super Bowl for NBC (Michaels had previously done play-by-play for Super Bowls [[Super Bowl XXII|XXII]], [[Super Bowl XXV|XXV]], [[Super Bowl XXIX|XXIX]], [[Super Bowl XXXIV|XXXIV]], [[Super Bowl XXXVII|XXXVII]], and [[Super Bowl XL|XL]] for [[Monday Night Football|ABC]] and [[Super Bowl XLIII]] for NBC). [[Cris Collinsworth]] was the [[color analyst]] for the game, his second Super Bowl as a game analyst and first since he was in the booth for [[Super Bowl XXXIX]] for [[NFL on Fox|Fox]]. [[Michele Tafoya]] was the [[sideline reporter]]. [[Bob Costas]] and [[Dan Patrick (sportscaster)|Dan Patrick]] (who also presided over the trophy presentation ceremony) hosted the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for NBC with ''[[Football Night in America]]'' analysts [[Tony Dungy]] and [[Rodney Harrison]] and special guest analysts (who were seated next to Costas during the pre-game festivities), [[Aaron Rodgers]] and [[Hines Ward]]. Also helping out on NBC's broadcast were reporters [[Alex Flanagan]], [[Liam McHugh]], and [[Randy Moss (sports reporter)|Randy Moss]] and NFL insiders [[Mike Florio]] and [[Peter King (sportswriter)|Peter King]].

=====Advertising=====
All commercials for the game sold out by Thanksgiving 2011, at an average price of $3.5 million per thirty-second ad, by far the highest rate for [[Super Bowl advertising]] in the event's history.<ref name=usat13>[https://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/story/2012-01-02/super-bowl-ads-sell-out/52342052/1 Super Bowl ads sell out]. ''USA Today''. Retrieved January 3, 2012.</ref> At least one thirty-second advertisement commanded a price of $4 million.<ref name="AlexSherman">{{Cite web |last=Sherman |first=Alex |date=2012-01-03 |title=NBC Gets $4 Million for Super Bowl Ads, Sells Out Inventory |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-01-03/nbc-gets-4m-on-super-bowls-ad-slots-sells-out |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Bloomberg.com}}</ref>

[[Opposition to the legalization of abortion|Anti-abortion]] activist [[Randall Terry]] has said he was planning to run an advertisement featuring graphic photos of aborted fetuses during Super Bowl XLVI.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Devin  |date=January 18, 2011 |title=Anti-Abortion Activist Randall Terry Eyes Presidency, Graphic TV Ad During Super Bowl&nbsp;— ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/anti-abortion-activist-randall-terry-eyes-presidency-graphic/story?id=12639702 |access-date=August 27, 2011 |website=ABC News}}</ref> Terry was not allowed to air the ad nationwide, given that the networks have a policy under [[equal time]] rules to reject all political and issue related advertising during the Super Bowl.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Teinowitz |first=Ira |date=January 24, 2012 |title=Fox Won’t Sell Super Bowl Ads to Candidates |url=https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2008/01/fox-wont-sell-super-bowl-ads-t/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=TVWeek |language=en-US}}</ref> He was able, however, under the then-current Federal Election Commission "reasonable access" rules, to force up to 35 local stations (those located in states in which the [[Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2012|Democratic Party primaries]] are within 45 days of Super Bowl Sunday; Terry entered the primary as a [[dummy candidate]] primarily for the purpose of this advertisement) to run the advertisement uncensored, regardless of whether it meets [[Standards and Practices]] or Federal Communications Commission guidelines. The FCC ruled against Terry on February 3, two days before the game, when NBC owned-and-operated [[WMAQ-TV]] in [[Chicago]] refused to air the ad, citing the same equal-time statutes and the fact that Terry did not appear to be a ''bona fide'' candidate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boliek |first=Brooks |date=February 3, 2012 |title=FCC Can Nix Super Bowl Ad |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2012/02/fcc-tv-can-nix-abortion-ad-072430 |access-date=February 3, 2012 |website=Politico.com}}</ref> The largest station to allow Terry to air his advertisement was [[WHDH (TV)|WHDH]] in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]].<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/480176-FCC_Says_WMAQ_Had_Right_to_Deny_Super_Bowl_Ad_to_Candidate.php FCC Says WMAQ Had Right to Deny Super Bowl Ad to Candidate]. ''Broadcasting & Cable''. Retrieved February 8, 2012.</ref>

An advertisement from [[Pepsi]] featured [[Melanie Amaro]], the winner of [[The X Factor (U.S. season 1)|season one]] of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] series ''[[The X Factor (U.S.)|The X Factor]]''.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-xfactor-superbowl-idUSTRE7744US20110805 | work=Reuters | title="X Factor" winner will star in Super Bowl Pepsi ad | date=August 5, 2011}}</ref> Other confirmed advertisers included [[Doritos]] (continuing its [[user-generated content|user-generated]] "Crash the Super Bowl" contest), [[Bridgestone]], [[Volkswagen]] (a 60-second spot advertising the third-generation [[Volkswagen Beetle (A5)|Beetle]] featuring dogs barking to the tune of "[[The Imperial March]]"), [[General Motors]] (four for [[Chevrolet]]; including a commercial featuring "[[We Are Young]]" by [[Fun (band)|fun.]] that led to a massive sales spike; and one for [[Cadillac]]), [[Toyota]], [[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]], [[Acura]] (featuring [[Jerry Seinfeld]] in an ad for the [[Acura NSX|NSX]]),<ref>Hibberd, James. [http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/30/seinfeld-super-bowl/ Can Jerry Seinfeld's Super Bowl ad trump Ferris Bueller? – VIDEO]. ''Entertainment Weekly.'' Retrieved January 30, 2012.</ref> [[Kia Motors]] (advertising the [[Kia Optima|Optima]] with a spot starring [[Adriana Lima]]), [[Audi]] (parodying the ''[[Twilight (film series)|Twilight]]'' series with an ad for the [[Audi A7|S7]]), [[Honda]] (starring [[Matthew Broderick]] in a reprisal of the lead role in ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]''), newcomers [[Dannon Yogurt]] and [[Century 21 Real Estate]],<ref name=usat13/> [[Teleflora]], [[Mars, Incorporated]] (introducing the [[M&M's]] brown spokescandy), [[The Coca-Cola Company]], [[CareerBuilder.com]] (reprising their chimp advertisement campaign), [[Cars.com]], [[Skechers]], [[Relativity Media]] (running four advertisements for ''[[Act of Valor]]''),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gallagher |first=Brian  |date=January 10, 2012 |title=Act of Valor Running Four TV Spots During Super Bowl XLVI |url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/act-of-valor-running-four-tv-spots-during-super-bowl-xlvi |access-date=February 6, 2012 |publisher=MovieWeb.com}}</ref> [[Paramount Pictures]], [[Walt Disney Pictures]], and [[Universal Pictures]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Szalai |first=George |date=January 11, 2012 |title=Paramount, Universal, Disney Line up Super Bowl Movie Ads |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paramount-universal-disney-Super-Bowl-ads-280470 |access-date=February 6, 2012 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> [[Anheuser-Busch]] has purchased nine slots during the game.<ref>Schwarz, Kate (January 3, 2012). [http://www.newser.com/story/136689/super-bowl-ads-sell-out-and-30-seconds-cost.html Super Bowl Ads Sell Out, and 30 Seconds Cost...about $3.5M, up from last year's $3M]. ''Newser.com''. Retrieved January 3, 2012.</ref> An ad for [[Old Milwaukee]] beer featuring [[Will Ferrell]] aired a single time on only one station in Nebraska.

Disney's ad for its upcoming ''[[John Carter (film)|John Carter]]'' was seen as exacerbating concerns about the expensive [[tent-pole (entertainment)|tentpole film]]'s marketing that had been raised by its [[Teaser (trailer)|teaser]] the preceding August.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brodesser–Akner|first=Claude|title=The Inside Story of How John Carter Was Doomed by Its First Trailer|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/03/john-carter-doomed-by-first-trailer.html|newspaper=[[Vulture.com]]|date=March 12, 2012|access-date=April 10, 2012}}</ref> While admitting he was "pleasantly surprised" by it, ''[[Collider (website)|Collider]]''{{'}}s Adam Chitwood said he was "still not convinced that the general audience has a handle on what the film's about."<ref>{{cite web|last=Chitwood|first=Adam|title=Super Bowl Movie Commercials: ''The Avengers'', ''Battleship'', ''John Carter'', ''The Lorax'', ''G.I. Joe 2'', ''The Dictator'' and More|url=https://collider.com/super-bowl-movie-commercials-avengers-battleship/143185/|work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|access-date=February 7, 2012|date=February 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105172643/https://collider.com/super-bowl-movie-commercials-avengers-battleship/143185/|archive-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> An executive at a competing studio said the trailer strongly reinforced concerns that the film had experienced serious production problems that adversely affected its quality and box-office prospects. "It's like, 'Guys, this is your [[Hail Mary pass|Hail Mary]]?'"<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Chris|title='John Carter': Disney's Quarter-Billion-Dollar Movie Fiasco|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-carter-disneys-quarter-billion-dollar-movie-fiasco|newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=February 21, 2012|access-date=April 20, 2022}}</ref> The ad's ineffectiveness was cited as one of many reasons the movie failed upon its release the following month, leading Disney to take a $200 million [[writedown]] on the film.<ref>{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Drew|title=The Untold Story of Disney's $307 Million Bomb 'John Carter': It's a Disaster'|url=https://www.thewrap.com/john-carter-movie-history-why-it-failed|newspaper=[[TheWrap]]|date=March 9, 2022|access-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref>

[[Chrysler]] aired a two-minute half time advertisement titled "Half Time in America", produced by the [[Wieden+Kennedy]] agency and narrated by [[Clint Eastwood]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daunt |first=Tina  |date=February 7, 2012 |title=Clint Eastwood's Chrysler Super Bowl Ad: The Untold Obama Connection |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/clint-eastwood-chrysler-super-bowl-commercial-287778 |access-date=February 10, 2012 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> The ad drew the criticism of several leading U.S. [[American conservatism|conservatives]], who suggested that its messaging implied that President Obama deserved a second term and, as such, was political payback for Obama's support for the federal bailout of the company.<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/roeper/10498087-452/republicans-reaction-to-chrysler-super-bowl-ad-beautiful-for-dems.html Republicans' Reaction to Super Bowl ad beautiful for Dems"], [[The Chicago Sun-Times]], February 7, 2012</ref> Both Chrysler chief marketing officer Olivier François and Chrysler Chairman and CEO [[Sergio Marchionne]] denied that the ad was intended as a politically oriented message.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snavely |first=Brent  |date=February 9, 2012 |title=Chrysler marketing chief denies Super Bowl ad was political |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20120209/BUSINESS0103/202090486/Chrysler-marketing-chief-denies-Super-Bowl-ad-was-political |access-date=February 10, 2012 |website=[[Detroit Free Press]]}}</ref>  Overall, the ad was considered one of the better ones that aired during the game.<ref>{{cite news|last=Goodison|first=Donna|title=Doritos, M&M's ads top Super Bowl commercial surveys|url= http://bostonherald.com/business/media/view/20220206doritos_mms_ads_top_super_bowl_commercial_surveys|access-date=November 2, 2012|newspaper=Boston Herald|date=June 2, 2012}}</ref>

There has also been some conjecture regarding the possible plagiarism of Australian band [[John Butler Trio]]'s song "Zebra" by Yogurt giant [[Dannon]]. Spokesman for the band, Tom McNamara, commented that the band was currently exploring their proprietary rights with regards to the similarity of the tune to the band's hit single.<ref>Warren, Lydia (February 8, 2012). [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-08/john-butler-trio/3817414?section=wa Yoghurt ad accused of ripping off John Butler Trio]. ''ABC News''.  Retrieved February 8, 2012.</ref>

[[Matthew Broderick]] reprised his ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]'' role in a [[Honda]] commercial aired during this [[Super Bowl]] which featured the [[Oh Yeah (Yello song)|Oh Yeah song]].<ref name="Tele">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/filmvideo/9050065/Ferris-Bueller-stars-in-Honda-Super-Bowl-advert.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201224321/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/filmvideo/9050065/Ferris-Bueller-stars-in-Honda-Super-Bowl-advert.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 1, 2012 |date=January 30, 2012 |title='Ferris Bueller' stars in Honda Super Bowl advert |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |format=Article, Video |access-date=January 5, 2017}}</ref>  A teaser for the ad had appeared two weeks prior to the Super Bowl, which had created rumors of a possible film sequel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.today.com/popculture/oh-yeah-ferris-bueller-honda-ad-recreates-film-1C7100933 |title=Oh yeah! 'Ferris Bueller' Honda ad recreates film |date=January 30, 2012 |first1=Gael Fashingbauer |last1=Cooper |work=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|TODAY]] |publisher=[[NBC]] |access-date=January 5, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ferris-bueller-ad-story,0,5397206.story | title = Honda releases complete Ferris Bueller ad | work = [[Chicago Tribune]] | date = January 30, 2012 | access-date= January 30, 2012 | first = Rob | last = Manker }}</ref> It was produced by Santa Monica-based [[RPA (Rubin Postaer and Associates)|RPA]] and directed by [[Todd Phillips]].<ref name="adweek.com">{{Cite news |last=Nudd |first=Tim |date=January 30, 2012 |title=Honda Unveils Ferris Bueller Ad, and It Is Awesome |url=http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/honda-unveils-ferris-bueller-ad-and-it-awesome-137831 |access-date=January 31, 2012 |work=AdWeek}}</ref> [[AdWeek]]'s Tim Nudd called the ad "a great homage to the original 1986 film, with Broderick this time calling in sick to a film shoot and enjoying another day of slacking."<ref name="adweek.com" /> On the other hand, ''[[Jalopnik]]''{{'}}s Matt Hardigree called the spot "sacrilegious".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://jalopnik.com/5880570/save-ferris-from-hondas-sacrilegious-super-bowl-ad | title = SAVE FERRIS From Honda's Sacrilegious Super Bowl Ad | work = [[Jalopnik]] | date = January 30, 2012 | access-date= January 30, 2012 | first = Matt | last = Hardigree }}</ref>

====International====
NFL International televised the game to viewers outside of North America, with [[Kenny Albert]] and [[Joe Theismann]] calling the English language feed.

{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Country
! Channel
! Notes
|-
| {{flag|Australia}}
| [[ESPN]], [[Network Ten]], [[One (Australian TV channel)|One]]
|
|-
| {{flag|Austria}}
| [[Puls 4]]
| 120,000 viewers, 45.1% market share<ref>{{cite web|url=http://afboe.at/nc/aktuell/news/article/puls-4-rekord-in-der-super-bowl-nacht/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1&cHash=0ff6c83b81838213aa4c7a0817627d26 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709100637/http://afboe.at/nc/aktuell/news/article/puls-4-rekord-in-der-super-bowl-nacht/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1&cHash=0ff6c83b81838213aa4c7a0817627d26 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |title=PULS 4-Rekord in der Super Bowl-Nacht! |date=February 6, 2012 |publisher=American Football Bund Österreich |access-date=February 6, 2012 }}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Belgium}}
| [[Be 1|Be Sport 1]], Prime Sport 1
|
|-
| {{flag|Brazil}}
| [[ESPN]] (available in HD) and [[TV Esporte Interativo]]
|
|-
| {{flag|Canada}}
| [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[Réseau des sports|RDS]]
| NBC coverage [[simulcast]] on CTV and subject to [[simultaneous substitution]]. [[TSN Radio]] carried the [[Dial Global]] U.S. radio broadcast. Estimated 8.1 million viewers, with 50% of national population (17 million people) tuning in at some point (statistics from TSN).
|-
| {{Flag|China}}
| [[Dragon TV]], [[Shanghai Media Group|G-Sports]]
|
|-
| {{Flag|Denmark}}
| [[TV3+ (Denmark)|TV3+]], [[TV3+ HD]]
|
|-
| {{Flag|Finland}}
| [[Nelonen Pro 1]], [[Nelonen Pro 2]]
| Pro 1 Finnish commentary, Pro 2 English commentary
|-
| {{flag|France|1974}}
| [[W9 (TV channel)|BV sports W9 ESPN]]
| 326 000 viewers, 9.4% share and 17.3% in Men 15–49<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120523133807/http://www.fan2tv.com/france/audiences1986.php SuperBowl XLVI : W9 se classe 3e chaîne de France]}} sur Fan2tv.com</ref>
|-
| {{Flag|Germany}}
| [[Sat.1]], ran.de (online), [[Sport1 (Germany)|Sport1+]], [[ESPN America HD]]
| 1.23 million viewers, 27.1% market share;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quotenmeter.de/cms/?p1=n&p2=54786&p3|title=Sat.1-Übertragung beflügelt "Super Bowl"-Quote|date=February 6, 2012|publisher=Quotenmeter.de|access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref> Sat.1 has been criticised for its vast extent of commercial breaks during its broadcast, e.g. the touchdown that made the score 10–9 and field goal have not been shown live due to broadcast of image trailer<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/sport/sonstige-sportarten/kritik-der-zuschauer-sat-1-verpatzt-die-super-bowl-uebertragung/6166982.html|title=Sat.1 verpatzt die Super-Bowl-Übertragung|date=February 6, 2012|publisher=Handelsblatt.de|access-date=February 7, 2012}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Greece}}
| [[Nova Sports]]
|
|-
| {{flag|Hungary}}
| [[Sport 1 (Europe)|Sport 1]]
| NFL Network coverage.
|-
| {{flag|Ireland}}
| [[BBC]], [[Sky Sports]] (UK channels)
|
|-
| {{Flag|Iceland}}
| [[ESPN America]]
|
|-
| {{flag|Israel}}
| [[Sport 5]] (available in HD)
|
|-
| {{flag|Italy}}
| [[Sportitalia]] and [[ESPN America]]
|
|-
| {{Flag|Japan}}
| [[NHK]] BS1, [[Nippon Television|NTV G+]]
|
|-
| ''[[Latin America]]''
| [[ESPN Latin America|ESPN]] and [[Fox Sports Latinoamérica|Fox Sports]] (both available in HD)
|
|-
| {{flag|Mexico}}
| [[Televisa]], [[TV Azteca]]
|
|-
| {{flag|Netherlands}}
| [[ESPN]]
|
|-
| {{flag|New Zealand}}
| [[ESPN Australia|ESPN]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skysport.co.nz/article/american-football/super-bowl/super-bowl-xlvi-live-on-espn-56162/|title=Super Bowl XLVI live on ESPN|date=February 2, 2012|publisher=Skysport.co.nz|access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref>
|
|-
| {{flag|Norway}}
| Viasat Sport Norge, Viasat Sport HD
|
|-
| {{flag|Poland}}
| [[Polsat Sport]], [[ESPN America]]
|
|-
| {{flag|Portugal}}
| [[Sport TV|SportTV]]
| Live and in High-Definition on [[SportTV 2]] and [[SportTV 2]] HD from 11:00&nbsp;pm WET. The event was also shown live and in HD on [[ESPN America]] and [[ESPN America HD]].
|-
| {{flag|Romania}}
| [[Sport 1 (Europe)|Sport 1]]
|
|-
| {{flag|Russia}}
| [[NTV Plus]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Hobson |first=Geoff |url=http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Universal-language/1af5cfec-600c-4701-a755-dae704ecb377 |title=Universal language |publisher=Bengals.com |date=February 15, 2012 |access-date=February 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217151849/http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Universal-language/1af5cfec-600c-4701-a755-dae704ecb377 |archive-date=February 17, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| {{flag|Serbia}}
| [[ESPN America]]
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| {{flag|Slovenia}}
| [[Šport TV (Slovenia)|Šport TV]]
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|-
| {{Flag|South Africa}}
| [[ESPN]]
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|-
| {{flag|Spain}}
| [[Canal+ 1]]
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|-
| {{flag|Sweden}}
| [[TV10 (Sweden)|TV10]], [[Viasat Fotboll]], Viasat Fotboll HD
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| {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| [[BBC]], [[Sky Sports]] (both available in HD)
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|}

===Streaming===
This was the first legal online [[Streaming media|streaming]] of a Super Bowl telecast in the United States, available on computers via NFL.com and NBCSports.com, and mobile devices via [[Verizon Wireless]]'s NFL Mobile [[Application software|app]].<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/12/super-bowl-will-be-live-streamed-online-for-first-time/
|title=Super Bowl Will Be Live-Streamed Online for First Time|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|work=technology Review|first=Lauren|last=Effron|date=December 20, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/20/tech/web/super-bowl-online/index.html?hpt=hp_t3|title=NFL playoffs, Super Bowl to be streamed online|publisher=CNN|work=CNN Tech|first=Mark|last=Milian|date=December 20, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref>

As part of "Operation Fake Sweep", [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement|Immigration and Customs Enforcement]], along with the [[United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York]], seized and shut down 16 websites that had provided access to pirated [[Internet television]] feeds of NFL games on February 2, in an action similar to the crackdown they had implemented the previous year. For the first time, domains in the [[.tv]] [[top-level domain]] were also seized, despite that TLD's allocation to [[Tuvalu]].<ref>Neumeister, Larry (February 2, 2012). [http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SPORTS_STREAMING_WEBSITES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Feds in NY shut down 16 sports streaming websites]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. ''Associated Press''. Retrieved February 2, 2012.</ref>

===Radio===
Super Bowl XLVI was carried nationwide on radio over the [[NFL on Dial Global|Dial Global]] radio network, with [[Kevin Harlan]] as play-by-play announcer, [[Boomer Esiason]] as color analyst, and [[James Lofton]] and [[Mark Malone]] as sideline reporters. Locally, the game was broadcast by the [[New York Giants Radio Network]] flagship ([[WFAN (AM)|WFAN]]) and the [[New England Patriots Radio Network]] flagship ([[WBZ-FM]]). [[Bob Papa]] called the game for the Giants with [[Carl Banks]] as his analyst and [[Howard Cross]] as sideline reporter, while [[Gil Santos]] was at the microphone for the Patriots with [[Gino Cappelletti]] as analyst and [[Scott Zolak]] as sideline reporter. Santos and Cappelletti returned for their sixth Super Bowl as broadcast team for the Patriots while Papa and Banks called their third and second Super Bowls, respectively, for the Giants. This was the first Super Bowl broadcast for the Giants not to feature longtime analyst [[Dick Lynch]], who had retired from the team's radio booth following the 2007 season and died in 2008. As per the NFL's rules, all the other stations in the Giants and Patriots radio networks (as well as [[WCBS (AM)|WCBS-AM]] in New York, which serves as a preseason overflow station for the Giants) carried Dial Global's feed.

[[BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra]] produced its own radio broadcast, with Darren Fletcher, Rocky Boiman, and [[Greg Brady (broadcaster)|Greg Brady]] announcing.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bmpr7 Super Bowl XLVI]. ''BBC Radio 5 Live''. Retrieved February 5, 2012.</ref>

==Entertainment==

===Pregame===
The [[Indiana University Marching Hundred]] performed during the pre-game show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theindychannel.com/news/29937631/detail.html|title=IU's Marching Hundred To Take Super Bowl Stage|publisher=[[WRTV|RTV-6]]|work=Indiana News|date=December 7, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115043122/http://www.theindychannel.com/news/29937631/detail.html|archive-date=January 15, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On January 12, 2012, it was reported that former ''[[American Idol]]'' winner [[Kelly Clarkson]] would sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLVI.<ref name="fnc112">{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2012 |title='Idol' Kelly Clarkson to sing anthem at Super Bowl |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/idol-kelly-clarkson-to-sing-anthem-at-super-bowl-09000d5d825e8838 |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref> It marks the fourth time in the previous five years that an ''American Idol'' contestant has performed the national anthem (joining [[Carrie Underwood]], [[Jennifer Hudson]] and [[Jordin Sparks]]). Clarkson was accompanied by the Indianapolis Children's Choir. Husband-and-wife country musicians [[Blake Shelton]] and [[Miranda Lambert]] performed "[[America the Beautiful]]" as part of the ceremonies.<ref name=fnc112/>  [[American Sign Language]] translation for both songs was performed by Rachel Mazique, the currently reigning Miss Deaf America.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nad.org/news/2012/2/super-bowl-xlvi-pepsico-and-nad|title=Super Bowl XLVI: PepsiCo and the NAD|work=NAD|date=February 1, 2012|access-date=February 1, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204110057/http://www.nad.org/news/2012/2/super-bowl-xlvi-pepsico-and-nad|archive-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref>

The coin toss ceremony featured the recent inductees to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]. [[Curtis Martin]], one of the inductees, was originally selected to toss the coin,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reiss |first=Mike |date=February 5, 2012 |title=Curtis Martin to toss coin |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4717221/curtis-martin-to-toss-coin |access-date=February 6, 2012 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> but in what [[NESN]] described as "a rather awkward scene", referee John Parry ended up flipping the coin himself while Martin stood beside and watched.<ref name="NESNCoinToss">{{Cite web |last=Doyle |first=Ricky |date=February 5, 2012 |title=Curtis Martin Takes Part in Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss |url=http://www.nesn.com/2012/02/curtis-martin-takes-part-in-super-bowl-xlvi-coin-toss-america-wins-free-pizza-video.html |access-date=February 6, 2012 |website=NESN}}</ref> The Patriots won the toss, the first AFC team to do so in the Super Bowl in 15 years.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/giants-call-tails-nfc-loses-super-bowl-coin-flip-for-first-time-in-15-years/2012/02/05/gIQAxvnUsQ_story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226115956/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/giants-call-tails-nfc-loses-super-bowl-coin-flip-for-first-time-in-15-years/2012/02/05/gIQAxvnUsQ_story.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 26, 2018 | title=Giants call tails, NFC loses Super Bowl coin flip for first time in 15 years | agency=Associated Press | newspaper=Washington Post | date=February 5, 2012 | access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref> Because the coin toss landed on heads, the pizza chain [[Papa John's Pizza|Papa John's]] offered free pizza to millions of Americans who participated in a promotional contest.<ref name="NESNCoinToss" />

===Halftime===
{{Main|Super Bowl XLVI halftime show}}
[[File:Madonna Halftime show (6837586603).jpg|alt=|thumb|right|Madonna arrives for the halftime show.]]
Word had leaked as early as October 2011 that [[Madonna]] would be the performer for the [[List of Super Bowl halftime shows|Super Bowl halftime show]],<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2011/10/3/2465781/madonna-super-bowl-46-halftime-show|title=Exclusive: Madonna To Perform At Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show, Sources Tell SBNation.com|publisher=SBNation|first=Andrew|last=Sharp|date=October 3, 2011|access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref> with [[M.I.A. (artist)|M.I.A.]] and [[Nicki Minaj]] performing as well; all three are featured on Madonna's new single "[[Give Me All Your Luvin']]" which was performed as part of the show.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a347949/madonnas-new-single-give-me-all-your-love-to-star-nicki-minaj-mia.html
|title=Madonna's new single 'Give Me All Your Love' to star Nicki Minaj, MIA|publisher=Digital Spy|work=Music|first=Lewis|last=Corner|date=October 28, 2011|access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Tale Tela |url=http://uk.omg.yahoo.com/news/nicki-minaj-perform-super-bowl-m-madonna-064957378.html |title=Nicki Minaj To Perform During Super Bowl With M.I.A & Madonna? |publisher=Uk.omg.yahoo.com |date=December 21, 2011 |access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref> The league confirmed Madonna as the performer on December&nbsp;4.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://apnews.myway.com/article/20111205/D9RE62QO0.html
|title=Madonna to perform at halftime of Super Bowl|publisher=MyWay|agency=Associated Press|date=December 5, 2011|access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref> Other collaborators on the project included [[LMFAO (group)|LMFAO]], [[Cee Lo Green]], long time Madonna collaborator [[Jamie King]], [[Cirque du Soleil]], and Moment Factory.

The setlist included an Egyptian-themed "[[Vogue (Madonna song)|Vogue]]" with costumes by [[Givenchy]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Nika|first=Colleen|title=Behind the Scenes: Madonna's Elaborate Givenchy Superbowl Costumers|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/thread-count/behind-the-scenes-madonnas-elaborate-givenchy-super-bowl-costumes-20120206|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208082727/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/thread-count/behind-the-scenes-madonnas-elaborate-givenchy-super-bowl-costumes-20120206|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 8, 2012|publisher=Rolling Stone|access-date=September 16, 2012|date=February 6, 2012}}</ref> a medley of Madonna's "[[Music (Madonna song)|Music]]" and LMFAO's two largest hits ("[[Party Rock Anthem]]" and "[[Sexy and I Know It]]", with the LMFAO singers remaining fully clothed, unlike in the latter song's music video), followed by her then-current single "[[Give Me All Your Luvin']]", excerpts from "[[Open Your Heart (Madonna song)|Open Your Heart]]" and "[[Express Yourself (Madonna song)|Express Yourself]]" (in a duet with Green), and the finale, "[[Like a Prayer (song)|Like a Prayer]]", also featuring Green. Green and Shelton (who sang "America the Beautiful" as part of the pregame show) are both judges on the NBC TV series ''[[The Voice (U.S.)|The Voice]]'', which the network [[List of Super Bowl lead-out programs|broadcast after the game]].

M.I.A. came under controversy for giving the [[Finger (gesture)|middle finger]] during the performance of "Give Me All Your Luvin'", which was caught by the broadcast feed. The gesture was given when she appeared to sing "I don't give a shit", although it was hard to hear clearly if the expletive was said, stopped short, or cut off, as the censor unsuccessfully tried to blur the screen to cover the gesture.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bauder |first=David |date=February 6, 2012 |title=M.I.A. flips bird during Super Bowl halftime show |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2012/02/06/mia-flips-bird-during-super-bowl-halftime-show/29079862007/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

The show broke the record for the most viewed Super Bowl halftime show ever, defeating Michael Jackson's previous record, with 114 million viewers throughout the world.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/506406/madonnas-super-bowl-performance-watched-by-114-million|title=Madonna's Super Bowl Performance Watched BY 114 Million|date=February 12, 2012|access-date=February 4, 2013|last=Pietrolungo|first=Silvio|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media}}</ref>

==Game summary==

===First quarter===
The Patriots won the coin toss and deferred. This ended a stretch of 14 consecutive Super Bowls in which the NFC team won the coin toss.<ref>Assuming each conference has an equal chance to win each coin toss, the chance on either conference winning 14 straight coin tosses is 1 in 8,192 (or 1 in 2<sup>13</sup>).</ref>

New York opened the game with a drive to the Patriots' 33-yard line, threatening to score first. After quarterback [[Eli Manning]] completed a 19-yard pass to wide receiver [[Hakeem Nicks]], New England's defense stepped up to prevent a score. First, defensive end [[Brandon Deaderick]] sacked Manning for a 2-yard loss, then running back [[Ahmad Bradshaw]] was tackled behind the line of scrimmage on a blitz by cornerback [[Kyle Arrington]]. On third down, defensive end [[Mark Anderson (American football)|Mark Anderson]] sacked Manning for a 6-yard loss, pushing the Giants out of field goal range and forcing them to punt.

The Giants got a boost from punter [[Steve Weatherford]], whose 36-yard kick pinned the Patriots back at their own 6-yard line. On the Patriots' first offensive play of the game, quarterback [[Tom Brady]] attempted a [[play action pass]], but a heavy rush from defensive end [[Justin Tuck]] forced Brady to throw deep into the middle of the field, with no receiver anywhere near it. Brady was flagged for [[intentional grounding]], and since he was in the end zone when he threw the pass, the play resulted in a [[Safety (American and Canadian football score)|safety]],<ref>Holding penalties and intentional grounding penalties that take place when the player is in the end zone result in a two-point safety for the defense</ref> giving New York an early 2–0 lead.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Josh |date=February 5, 2012 |title=Super Bowl 2012 Score: Unlikely Patriots Safety Sends Las Vegas Asunder |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1054652-super-bowl-2011-score-unlikely-patriots-safety-sends-las-vegas-asunder |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref> It was the first safety in a Super Bowl since the [[Arizona Cardinals]] scored one in [[Super Bowl XLIII]]. After receiving the free kick, New York drove 78 yards in 9 plays. Aided by a key 24-yard run by Bradshaw, the Giants increased their lead to 9–0 on Manning's 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver [[Victor Cruz (American football)|Victor Cruz]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-05 |title=Super Bowl 2012 Score Update: New York Giants Have 9-0 Lead On New England Patriots After First Quarter |url=https://newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-giants/2012/2/5/2773855/super-bowl-2012-score-update-new-york-giants-have-9-0-lead-after-1 |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=SB Nation New York |language=en}}</ref>

On the Patriots' following drive, Brady completed passes to running back [[BenJarvus Green-Ellis]] for 7 yards and wide receiver [[Deion Branch]] for 15, while wide receiver [[Wes Welker]] picked up 29 yards on a reception and a run on a reverse, moving the ball to the New York 17-yard line.

===Second quarter===
New York managed to stop the drive at their own 11-yard line, but [[Stephen Gostkowski]] kicked a 29-yard field goal to cut New England's deficit to 9–3 early in the second quarter.

After the next three possessions resulted in punts, Weatherford's 51-yard punt gave the Patriots possession on their 2-yard line with 4:03 left in the half. However, this punt did not affect the Patriots, as they stormed 96 yards down the field in 14 plays, tying the record for the longest drive in Super Bowl history.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-06 |title=Long drive gives New England Patriots halftime lead over New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI |url=https://www.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2012/02/long_drive_gives_new_england_p.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=pennlive.com |language=en}}</ref> Brady completed a 20-yard pass to tight end [[Rob Gronkowski]], then followed it up with four consecutive completions to tight end [[Aaron Hernandez]] for a total gain of 38 yards. The drive ended with Brady's 4-yard touchdown pass to running back [[Danny Woodhead]], giving the Patriots their first lead of the game, 10–9, at halftime.

===Third quarter===
New England took the second half kickoff and started out strong; Brady completed a 21-yard pass to wide receiver [[Chad Johnson]] (his only reception of the postseason and Brady's longest pass of the game), and a reception and two runs by Green-Ellis gained 29 yards to the New York 24-yard line. Brady eventually finished the eight-play, 79-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Hernandez, increasing New England's lead to 17–9.

Starting their first drive of the half from their own 35-yard line after wide receiver [[Jerrel Jernigan]]'s 34-yard kickoff return, aided by Manning's two completions to Nicks for 19 yards, the Giants reached the New England 20-yard line, where kicker [[Lawrence Tynes]] made a 38-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 17–12.

On New England's next drive, New York forced a three-and-out, and safety [[Will Blackmon]] returned [[Zoltán Meskó (American football)|Zoltán Meskó]]'s 43-yard punt 10 yards to the Patriots' 47-yard line. The Giants subsequently drove back into scoring range on a drive that utilized several different players, including a 12-yard reception by seldom used tight end [[Bear Pascoe]] to reach the New England 9-yard line. On third down, however, a sack by Anderson and linebacker [[Rob Ninkovich]] forced New York to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Tynes, cutting the score to 17–15 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter.

===Fourth quarter===
On the second play of the fourth quarter, the game's only turnover occurred when Giants linebacker [[Chase Blackburn]] stepped in front of Gronkowski and picked off a deep Brady pass at the New York 8-yard line.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manahan |first=Kevin |date=2012-02-06 |title=New York Giants' Chase Blackburn, a former castoff, grabs key pick against Rob Gronkoswki |url=https://www.nj.com/giants/2012/02/new_york_giants_chase_blackbur.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=NJ.com |language=en}}</ref> The Giants then drove to the New England 43-yard line, but were stopped there and had to punt. The Patriots took the ball back at their own 8-yard line with less than 10 minutes left in the game. After Brady completed four consecutive passes for 34 yards to reach the New York 44-yard line, he threw to a wide-open Welker, but his pass was high and Welker was unable to reel it in while falling to the ground, crucially preventing a huge gain.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shpigel |first=Ben |date=2012-02-06 |title=Drop by Welker, Brady’s Most Reliable Receiver, Hurts Patriots |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/sports/football/welker-drop-and-brady-safety-led-patriots-miscues.html |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Brady's next pass was incomplete, and the Patriots were forced to punt, after which Brady's wife supermodel [[Gisele Bündchen]] famously blamed Welker, saying her husband could not both "[T]hrow and catch the ball." The television footage of the game showed [[Bill Belichick]] exhorting his defense to focus on stopping Cruz and Nicks, and to force the Giants to go to secondary options [[Mario Manningham]] and Pascoe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Paul |date=2012-02-10 |title=Belichick told Patriots, ‘Make them go to Manningham’ |url=https://nypost.com/2012/02/10/belichick-told-patriots-make-them-go-to-manningham/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=February 10, 2012 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Giants took possession from their own 12-yard line with 3:46 left in the game and one timeout. On the first play, in what would end up being one of the key plays of the game,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alper |first=Josh |date=2012-02-06 |title=The Mario Manningham catch from both sides |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/the-mario-manningham-catch-from-both-sides |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> Manning completed a deep pass along the left sideline to Manningham for a 38-yard gain to midfield (the longest play from scrimmage in the game), which would later draw comparisons to [[Helmet Catch|his pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zaroo |first=Philip |date=2012-02-07 |title=Mario Manningham, David Tyree vye for best New York Giants Super Bowl catch |url=https://www.mlive.com/sports/2012/02/mario_manningham_david_tyree_v.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=mlive.com |language=en}}</ref> Belichick challenged the catch, but the call on the field stood and it cost him his team's first timeout. Two more completions from Manning to Manningham gained another 18 yards. Manning then completed a 14-yard pass to Nicks on the New England 18-yard line at the two-minute warning. Three plays later, New England called their second timeout with 1:03 left after Bradshaw's 1-yard run set up 2nd-and-goal on the 6-yard line.

[[File:Giants Champs Trailer.jpg|thumb|Trailer honoring the Giants for winning the Super Bowl. The trailer was located on the New Jersey Turnpike near Exit 14.]]

On the second down play, which ''Sports Illustrated'' later called "perhaps the strangest play in Super Bowl history", Bradshaw's path to the end zone was clear as the Patriots chose to let him score. Once he realized what was happening, Bradshaw tried to stop running at the 1-yard line, but his forward momentum carried him over the goal line and the Giants took the lead on the uncontested touchdown run.<ref name="posnanski20120206">{{cite magazine | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/joe_posnanski/02/06/super.bowl.xlvi/?xid=cnnbin | title=Bradshaw's Reluctant Touchdown puts to rest an unusual Super Bowl | magazine=Sports Illustrated | date=February 6, 2012 | access-date=February 6, 2012 | author=Posnanski, Joe | archive-date=February 9, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209042357/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/joe_posnanski/02/06/super.bowl.xlvi/?xid=cnnbin | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hoffman|first=Benjamin|title=Bradshaw Backs Into a Victory|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/sports/football/bradshaw-backs-into-victory.html|access-date=February 7, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 6, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Ed |date=2016-02-02 |title=SB moments: The TD Ahmad Bradshaw tried not to get |url=https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/2/2/10873528/new-york-giants-super-bowl-moments-no-6-ahmad-bradshaw-touchdown-patriots |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Big Blue View |language=en}}</ref> The intentionally surrendered touchdown gave the Patriots 57 seconds to mount a game-winning drive, and they trailed 21–17 after Giants running back [[DJ Ware]] was stopped on the [[two-point conversion]] attempt.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Giants 21-17 Patriots (Feb 5, 2012) Play-by-Play |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/playbyplay/_/gameId/320205017 |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

The game's final drive began on the New England 20-yard line. Brady's first two passes fell incomplete and then he was sacked by Tuck for a 6-yard loss on third down, bringing up 4th-and-16 and forcing the Patriots to use their final timeout. Facing heavy pressure in the pocket, Brady eluded defensive end [[Jason Pierre-Paul]] and linebacker [[Mathias Kiwanuka]], then threw a 19-yard bullet to wide receiver [[Deion Branch]], who ran out of bounds at the 33-yard line for a first down. An 11-yard completion from Brady to Hernandez advanced the ball to the Patriots' 44, followed by a twelve-men-on-the-field penalty against the Giants, which moved the ball to the Patriots' 49 with nine seconds left. After an incomplete pass, Brady, on the game's final play, threw a [[Hail Mary pass]] intended for Hernandez in the end zone, but the ball was deflected by five Giants defenders. Gronkowski dove with outstretched arms toward the ball but was still a yard away when it hit the ground, giving the Giants their fourth Super Bowl title in franchise history.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-06 |title=Gronkowski: We almost had the Hail Mary, but almost isn't enough |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/rob-gronkowski-we-almost-had-the-hail-mary-but-almost-isnt-enough |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> As of 2024, this was the most recent North American professional sports championship won by a New York City-based team until the New York Liberty won the WNBA Finals in October of 2024.

===Box score===
{{Americanfootballbox
|bg=#eee
|titlestyle=text-align:center;background-color:#000; color:#fff
|title=Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17
|road='''Giants (NFC)'''
|R1=9
|R2=0
|R3=6
|R4=6
|home=Patriots (AFC)
|H1=0
|H2=10
|H3=7
|H4=0
|stadium=[[Lucas Oil Stadium]], [[Indianapolis|Indianapolis, Indiana]]
|attendance=68,658
|date=February 5, 2012
|time=6:30&nbsp;p.m. EST
|weather=Played with roof closed, retractable roof stadium<ref>{{cite news|title=Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/news/super-bowl-game-time-temperatures/|publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref>
|referee=[[John Parry (American football official)|John Parry]]
|TV=[[NBC Sunday Night Football|NBC]]
|TVAnnouncers=[[Al Michaels]], [[Cris Collinsworth]], [[Michele Tafoya]]
|reference=[http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012020500/2011/POST22/giants@patriots Recap]
}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart |VisitorName=NYG |HomeName=NE |state=expanded}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=8:52 |Team=NYG |DrivePlays=— |DriveLength=— |DriveTime=— |Type=SafetyOther |Info=[[Intentional grounding]] [[Penalty (gridiron football)|penalty]] on [[Tom Brady]] in the end zone for a [[Safety (American and Canadian football score)|safety]] |Visitor=2 |Home=0}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=3:24 |Team=NYG |DrivePlays=9 |DriveLength=78 |DriveTime=5:28 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Victor Cruz (American football)|Victor Cruz]] |QB=[[Eli Manning]] |yards=2 |kickresult=good |Kicker=[[Lawrence Tynes]] |Visitor=9 |Home=0}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=13:48 |Team=NE |DrivePlays=10 |DriveLength=60 |DriveTime=4:36 |Type=FG |yards=29 |Kicker=[[Stephen Gostkowski]] |Visitor=9 |Home=3}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=0:08 |Team=NE |DrivePlays=14 |DriveLength=96 |DriveTime=3:55 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Danny Woodhead]] |QB=Brady |yards=4 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Gostkowski |Visitor=9 |Home=10}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=3 |Time=11:20 |Team=NE |DrivePlays=8 |DriveLength=79 |DriveTime=3:40 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Aaron Hernandez]] |QB=Brady |yards=12 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Gostkowski |Visitor=9 |Home=17}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=3 |Time=6:43 |Team=NYG |DrivePlays=10 |DriveLength=45 |DriveTime=4:37 |Type=FG |yards=38 |Kicker=Tynes |Visitor=12 |Home=17}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=3 |Time=0:35 |Team=NYG |DrivePlays=9 |DriveLength=33 |DriveTime=5:01 |Type=FG |yards=33 |Kicker=Tynes |Visitor=15 |Home=17}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=4 |Time=0:57 |Team=NYG |DrivePlays=9 |DriveLength=88 |DriveTime=2:49 |Type=RushTD |Runner=[[Ahmad Bradshaw]] |yards=6 |2pt type=run |2pt result=no good |Visitor=21 |Home=17}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEnd |Visitor=21 |Home=17}}

===Statistical overview===
For the Giants, Manning completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Bradshaw was the top rusher of the game with 72 yards and a touchdown, also catching two passes for 19 yards. Nicks was the top receiver with 10 receptions for 109 yards. Blackburn, who had been cut by the Giants earlier in the season before being re-signed, had 6 total tackles and an interception. Tuck made 3 tackles and two sacks. For New England, Brady completed 27 of 41 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, becoming the first quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in five separate Super Bowls.  His top target was Tight End/H-Back [[Aaron Hernandez]], performing in a role similar to the one he played at [[University of Florida|Florida]], catching 8 passes for 67 yards and one score. A [[2010 NFL draft|2010]] 4th-Round selection, Hernandez's stellar performance in the game would only add to the tragedy when his career was cut short by a self-destructive spiral into crime, resulting in his conviction in 2013 for the murder of [[Odin Lloyd]]. Fellow second-year tight end [[Rob Gronkowski]], who came into Super Bowl XLVI battling a severe ankle injury, tallied 2 catches for 26 yards and Welker, despite the infamous drop, finished with 7 receptions for 60 yards and two carries for 21. Defensively, linebackers [[Jerod Mayo]] and [[Brandon Spikes]] each had 8 solo tackles, 3 assists, and a forced fumble.

With the win the Giants became the fifth team to win at least four Super Bowls, while the Patriots became the fourth to lose four. At the time, Brady had yet to win in Lucas Oil Stadium and had not won a game in Indianapolis since 2007, when the Patriots defeated the [[2007 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]] on their way to a perfect regular season. Belichick dropped to 3–2 as a head coach in the Super Bowl, while [[Tom Coughlin]] won his second Super Bowl in as many tries. Some news organizations, among them ''[[The St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'', said that their victory made them NFL's version of the [[2011 World Series]] champion [[St. Louis Cardinals]], saying that these two championship teams that had been given the last rites by many near the end of the season, emerged as champions at the end.<ref>{{cite news|title=Giants look good, but Pats have the goods|last=Miklasz|first=Bernie|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=February 5, 2012|page=C1|quote=The Giants seemingly are the NFL's version of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals: a rather ordinary team, prematurely counted out, only to launch an improbable and magical comeback to a world championship.}}</ref> Eli Manning was the only quarterback to throw for more than 4,900 yards and win a Super Bowl in the same season until [[Patrick Mahomes]] threw for 5,250 yards and won [[Super Bowl LVII]] during the [[2022 NFL season]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dragon |first=Tyler |date=February 12, 2023 |title=Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes named Super Bowl 57 MVP |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2023/02/12/patrick-mahomes-named-super-bowl-57-mvp/11246191002/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Giants and Patriots became the 3rd and 4th teams (after the [[Oakland Raiders]] and [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]) to appear in Super Bowls in four different decades (both in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s) and the second and third to appear in Super Bowls in four consecutive decades (joining the Pittsburgh Steelers).  The Giants became the first and only team in Super Bowl history to win Super Bowls in four different decades (1986, 1990, 2007, 2011).  The Patriots became the first and only team in Super Bowl history to lose Super Bowls in four different decades (1985, 1996, 2007, 2011).

[[Dan Shaughnessy]] said in a piece in ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' about Boston on the loss to the Giants under the headline, "History Repeats": "Instead of celebrating a grand slam–championships in every major sport over a period of four years and four months–New Englanders are spitting out pieces of their broken luck, bracing for the avalanche of grief from the New Yorkers they envy so badly."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shaughnessy |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Shaughnessy |date=February 6, 2012 |title=History repeats Giants edge Patriots in echo of gnawing 2008 upset |url=http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2012/02/06/giants_edge_patriots_in_echo_of_gnawing_2008_super_bowl_upset/?page=full |access-date=February 6, 2012 |work=Boston.com |page=A1}}</ref>

The Giants went into the half trailing 10–9. The Giants have trailed at halftime in all of their Super Bowl appearances, trailing 10–9 to the Broncos, 12–10 to the Bills, 10–0 to the Ravens, and 7–3 to the Patriots.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=William |date=2024-02-11 |title=What is the lowest and highest-scoring first half in Super Bowl history? |url=https://en.as.com/nfl/what-is-the-highest-scoring-first-half-in-super-bowl-history-n-2/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Diario AS |language=en-us}}</ref>

This would be the fourth time in the Giants' five Super Bowl appearances that they faced their AFC opponent earlier during the regular season. In every season in which the Giants have won the Super Bowl they have faced their AFC Super Bowl counterpart previously during the regular season.

The Giants are now 4–0 in Super Bowls in which [[Bill Belichick]] has been on the sidelines. Belichick was the Giants' defensive coordinator for their first two Super Bowl victories, and the opposing head coach in their last two. Three of the Giants' victories have come against [[AFC East]] teams, with the Giants having defeated the [[Buffalo Bills]] and Patriots twice.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Giants Playoff History |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/playoffs.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

The Giants continued their winning streak in road playoff games with their win in Super Bowl XLVI. The team won every playoff game they played away from their home stadium ([[Giants Stadium]] and [[MetLife Stadium]]) from 2007 to 2011. Prior to this run, last time the Giants were defeated in a game away from the Meadowlands was in 2006, when they were defeated by the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] in the Wild Card round.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Card - New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles - January 7th, 2007 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200701070phi.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> This streak came to an end in the [[2016–17 NFL playoffs]], where the Giants were defeated 38–13 by the Green Bay Packers at [[Lambeau Field]] in the Wild Card round.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Card - New York Giants at Green Bay Packers - January 8th, 2017 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201701080gnb.htm |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Two of the Giants' road playoff victories during this streak occurred at Lambeau.

This was the second Super Bowl, after [[Super Bowl X]], resulting in a final score of 21–17 with the winning score including a safety and a missed extra point as part of its 21-point total (although in this case it was a failed 2-point attempt while in the earlier case it was a blocked kick).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl Winners and Results |url=https://www.foxsports.com/nfl-super-bowl-winners-and-results |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=FOX Sports |language=en-US}}</ref>

This was the 5th set of teams to have a rematch in Super Bowl history and overall the 6th rematch. The others were the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins, who met in [[Super Bowl VII]] and [[Super Bowl XVII]]; the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, who met in [[Super Bowl X]], [[Super Bowl XIII]], and [[Super Bowl XXX]] and are the only teams to meet in the Super Bowl more than twice; the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals, who met in [[Super Bowl XVI]] and [[Super Bowl XXIII]]; and the Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, who met in [[Super Bowl XXVII]] and [[Super Bowl XXVIII]] and are the only teams to face each other in two consecutive Super Bowls; and later the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles becoming the 6th set of teams to have a rematch in Super Bowl history and 7th overall, meeting in [[Super Bowl LII]] after previously meeting in [[Super Bowl XXXIX]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl Winners and Results - Super Bowl History - National Football League |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/superbowl/history/winners |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

==Final statistics==
Sources: [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012020500/2011/POST22/giants@patriots#menu=highlights&tab=analyze NFL.com Super Bowl XLVI], [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/play_finder.cgi?request=1&super_bowl=1&match=summary_all&year_min=2008&year_max=2016&team_id=nyg&opp_id=nwe&quarter=1&quarter=2&quarter=3&quarter=4&quarter=5&tr_gtlt=lt&minutes=15&seconds=00&down=0&down=1&down=2&down=3&down=4&yg_gtlt=gt&is_first_down=-1&field_pos_min_field=team&field_pos_max_field=team&end_field_pos_min_field=team&end_field_pos_max_field=team&type=PASS&type=RUSH&type=PUNT&type=KOFF&type=ONSD&type=FG&type=XP&type=2PCR&type=2PCP&is_complete=-1&is_turnover=-1&turnover_type=interception&turnover_type=fumble&is_scoring=-1&score_type=touchdown&score_type=field_goal&score_type=safety&is_sack=-1&include_kneels=-1&no_play=0&order_by=yards Super Bowl XLVI Play Finder NYG], [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/play_finder.cgi?request=1&super_bowl=1&match=summary_all&year_min=2008&year_max=2016&team_id=nwe&opp_id=nyg&quarter=1&quarter=2&quarter=3&quarter=4&quarter=5&tr_gtlt=lt&minutes=15&seconds=00&down=0&down=1&down=2&down=3&down=4&yg_gtlt=gt&is_first_down=-1&field_pos_min_field=team&field_pos_max_field=team&end_field_pos_min_field=team&end_field_pos_max_field=team&type=PASS&type=RUSH&type=PUNT&type=KOFF&type=ONSD&type=FG&type=XP&type=2PCR&type=2PCP&is_complete=-1&is_turnover=-1&turnover_type=interception&turnover_type=fumble&is_scoring=-1&score_type=touchdown&score_type=field_goal&score_type=safety&is_sack=-1&include_kneels=-1&no_play=0&order_by=yards Super Bowl XLVI Play Finder NE], [http://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=2012020501 The Football Database Super Bowl XLVI]

===Statistical comparison===
{{col-float|width=50%}}
{| class="wikitable"
!
!'''New York Giants'''
!'''New England Patriots'''
|-
|First downs||26||21
|-
|First downs rushing||7||6
|-
|First downs passing||18||15
|-
|First downs penalty||1||0
|-
|Third down efficiency||5/11||6/12
|-
|Fourth down efficiency||0/0||1/1
|-
|Net yards rushing||114||83
|-
|Rushing attempts||28||19
|-
|Yards per rush||4.1||4.4
|-
|Passing – Completions-attempts||30/40||27/41
|-
|Times sacked-total yards||3–14||2–10
|-
|Interceptions thrown||0||1
|-
|Net yards passing||282||266
|-
|Total net yards||396||349
|-
|Punt returns-total yards||1–10||0–0
|-
|Kickoff returns-total yards||4–75||3–73
|-
|Interceptions-total return yards||1–0||0–0
|-
|Punts-average yardage||4–40.8||3–41.0
|-
|Fumbles-lost||2–0||0–0
|-
|Penalties-yards||4–24||5–28
|-
|Time of possession||37:05||22:55
|-
|Turnovers||0||1
|}

{{col-float-break|width=50%}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan=3|Records set<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl Records Set|url=http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-records-set/?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 6, 2012|access-date=October 31, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl records set, tied in XLVI|url=http://blogs.nfl.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-records-set-tied-in-xlvi/|publisher=National Football League|date=February 6, 2012|access-date=October 31, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|Oldest Winning Head Coach || 65 || [[Tom Coughlin]] {{small|(surpassed by [[Bill Belichick]] in [[Super Bowl LIII]]}})
|-
|Most Consecutive Completions To Start Game || 9 || [[Eli Manning]]
|-
|Most Consecutive Completions || 16 || rowspan=4 | [[Tom Brady]]
|-
|Most Passing Yards, Career || 1,277 yards
|-
|Most Passes, Career || 197
|-
|Most Completions, Career || 127
|-
|Most Punts Inside 10-yard-line, Game || 3 || [[Steve Weatherford]] (New York Giants)
|-
|Most First Downs Passing, Both Teams || 33 || New York Giants 18, New England 15 
|-
!colspan=3|Records tied
|-
|Most Games Started || 5 || Tom Brady & [[Matt Light]] (New England)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winthrop |first=Christian |date=2018-05-16 |title=Matt Light voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame |url=https://www.thenewportbuzz.com/matt-light-voted-into-the-patriots-hall-of-fame/15594 |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Newport Buzz |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|Longest Touchdown Drive || 96 yards || New England
|-
|Fewest Turnovers, Game, Team || 0 || New York Giants
|-
|Most Safeties, Game, Team || 1 || New York Giants
|-
|Fewest Touchdowns Rushing, Game || 0 || New England
|-
|Fewest Passes Had Intercepted, Game || 0 || New York Giants
|-
|Fewest First Downs By Penalty, Game || 0 || New England
|-
|Fewest Punt Returns, Game || 0 || New England
|-
|Fewest Fumbles, Game || 0 || New England
|- 
|Fewest Fumbles Lost, Both Teams || 0 || New York Giants 0, New England 0
|}
{{col-float-end}}

===Individual statistics===
{{col-float|width=48%}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|border=2}};"|Giants passing
|-
! 
!C/ATT<sup>1</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!INT
!Rating
|-
| [[Eli Manning]] || 30/40 || 296 || 1 || 0 || 103.8
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|border=2}};"|Giants rushing
|-
! 
!Car<sup>2</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Yds/Car
|-
| [[Ahmad Bradshaw]] || 17 || 72 || 1 || 24 || 4.24
|-
| [[Brandon Jacobs]] || 9 || 37 || 0 || 11 || 4.11
|-
| [[DJ Ware]] || 1 || 6 || 0 || 6 || 6.00
|-
| Eli Manning || 1 || –1 || 0 || –1 || –1.00
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|border=2}};"|Giants receiving
|-
!
!Rec<sup>4</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Target<sup>5</sup>
|-
| [[Hakeem Nicks]] || 10 || 109 || 0 || 19 || 13
|-
| [[Mario Manningham]] || 5 || 73 || 0 || 38 || 9
|-
| [[Bear Pascoe]] || 4 || 33 || 0 || 12 || 4
|-
| [[Victor Cruz (American football)|Victor Cruz]] || 4 || 25 || 1 || 8 || 4
|-
| Ahmad Bradshaw || 2 || 19 || 0 || 11 || 3
|-
| [[Henry Hynoski]] || 2 || 19 || 0 || 13 || 2
|-
| [[Jake Ballard]] || 2 || 10 || 0 || 9 || 3
|-
| DJ Ware || 1 || 8 || 0 || 8 || 1
|-
| Brandon Jacobs || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1
|}
{{col-float-break|width=48%}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New England Patriots|border=2}};"|Patriots passing
|-
! 
!C/ATT<sup>1</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!INT
!Rating
|-
| [[Tom Brady]] || 27/41 || 276 || 2 || 1 || 91.1
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New England Patriots|border=2}};"|Patriots rushing
|-
! 
!Car<sup>2</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Yds/Car
|-
| [[BenJarvus Green-Ellis]] || 10 || 44 || 0 || 17 || 4.40
|-
| [[Wes Welker]] || 2 || 21 || 0 || 11 || 10.50
|-
| [[Danny Woodhead]] || 7 || 18 || 0 || 6 || 2.57
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New England Patriots|border=2}};"|Patriots receiving
|-
!
!Rec<sup>4</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Target<sup>5</sup>
|-
| [[Aaron Hernandez]] || 8 || 67 || 1 || 12 || 14
|-
| Wes Welker || 7 || 60 || 0 || 19 || 8
|-
| Danny Woodhead || 4 || 42 || 1 || 19 || 4
|-
| [[Deion Branch]] || 3 || 45 || 0 || 19 || 6
|-
| [[Rob Gronkowski]] || 2 || 26 || 0 || 20 || 3
|-
| BenJarvus Green-Ellis || 2 || 15 || 0 || 8 || 3
|-
| [[Chad Johnson|Chad Ochocinco]] || 1 || 21 || 0 || 21 || 1
|}
{{col-float-end}}
<sup>1</sup>Completions/attempts
<sup>2</sup>Carries
<sup>3</sup>Long gain
<sup>4</sup>Receptions
<sup>5</sup>Times targeted

==Starting lineups==
Source:<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl XLVI–National Football League Game Summary|url=http://nflcdns.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/55502/NE_Gamebook.pdf|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFLGSIS.com|date=February 5, 2012|access-date=January 8, 2017}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:150px;" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|border=2}};" | New York !! Position !! Position !! style="width:150px;" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New England Patriots|border=2}};" | New England
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | '''Offense'''
|-
| [[Victor Cruz (American football)|Victor Cruz]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| WR || [[Wes Welker]]
|-
| [[David Diehl]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| LT|| [[Matt Light]]
|-
| [[Kevin Boothe]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| LG || [[Logan Mankins]]
|-
| [[David Baas]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| C || [[Dan Connolly (American football)|Dan Connolly]]
|-
| [[Chris Snee]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| RG || [[Brian Waters]]
|-
| [[Kareem McKenzie]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| RT || [[Nate Solder]]
|-
| [[Jake Ballard]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| TE || [[Rob Gronkowski]]
|-
| [[Hakeem Nicks]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| WR || [[Deion Branch]]
|-
| [[Eli Manning]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| QB || [[Tom Brady]]
|-
| [[Henry Hynoski]] || style="text-align:center;"| FB || style="text-align:center;"| TE || [[Aaron Hernandez]]
|-
| [[Ahmad Bradshaw]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| RB || [[BenJarvus Green-Ellis]]
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | '''Defense'''
|-
| [[Justin Tuck]] || style="text-align:center;"| LE || style="text-align:center;"| LB || [[Tracy White]]
|-
| [[Linval Joseph]] || style="text-align:center;"| LDT || style="text-align:center;"| DT || [[Vince Wilfork]]
|-
| [[Chris Canty (defensive end)|Chris Canty]] || style="text-align:center;"| RDT || style="text-align:center;"| DT || [[Kyle Love]]
|-
| [[Jason Pierre-Paul]] || style="text-align:center;"| RE || style="text-align:center;"| DL || [[Brandon Deaderick]]
|-
| [[Chase Blackburn]] || style="text-align:center;"| MLB || style="text-align:center;"| LB || [[Rob Ninkovich]]
|-
| [[Michael Boley]] || style="text-align:center;"| WLB || style="text-align:center;"| LB || [[Jerod Mayo]]
|-
| [[Corey Webster]] || style="text-align:center;"| LCB || style="text-align:center;"| LB || [[Brandon Spikes]]
|-
| [[Aaron Ross (American football)|Aaron Ross]] || style="text-align:center;"| RCB || style="text-align:center;"| LCB || [[Devin McCourty]]
|-
| [[Kenny Phillips]] || style="text-align:center;"| SS || style="text-align:center;"| RCB || [[Kyle Arrington]]
|-
| [[Antrel Rolle]] || style="text-align:center;"| FS || style="text-align:center;"| S || [[James Ihedigbo]]
|-
| [[Deon Grant]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| S || [[Patrick Chung]]
|}

==Officials==
*Referee – [[John Parry (American football official)|John Parry]]<ref name="officials">{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Nate |date=February 1, 2012 |title=John Parry to referee Super Bowl XLVI |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2012/02/john-parry-to-referee-super-bowl-xlvi/1#.UQ222We1v4w |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=USA Today}}</ref>
*Umpire – [[Carl Paganelli]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Imber |first=Gil |date=February 5, 2012 |title=Super Bowl XLVI: Meet the Officials |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1053942-meet-the-officials-of-nfl-super-bowl-xlvi-with-referee-john-parry-at-the-helm |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref>
*Head linesman – Tom Stabile<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-03 |title=Rock graduate Stabile to officiate in Super Bowl |url=https://rockathletics.com/news/2012/2/1/FB_0201125301.aspx |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Slippery Rock University Athletics |language=en}}</ref>
*Line judge – Gary Arthur
*Field judge – Gary Cavaletto
*Side judge – [[Laird Hayes]]
*Back judge – [[Tony Steratore]]
*Alternate referee - [[Alberto Riveron]]
*Alternate umpire - Bill Schuster
*Alternate flank - Wayne Mackie
*Alternate deep - Don Carlsen
*Alternate back judge - Greg Wilson

This was the last game officials wore the traditional white [[Knickerbockers (clothing)|knickers]]. Beginning [[2012 NFL season|the next season]], officials wore the full-length black pants introduced in 2006 for cold-weather games full-time.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Portal|American football}}
* {{YouTube|id=OgNoxlJpShk|title=Super Bowl XLVI: NFL Full Game}}
*[http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/46 Super Bowl XLVI page on NFL website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110201114212/http://www.indianapolissuperbowl.com/ Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090201063126/http://espn.go.com/nfl/superbowl Super Bowl XLVI at ESPN]
*[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201202050nwe.htm Super Bowl XLVI Box Score] at [[Pro Football Reference]]
* {{IMDb title|id=1579248}}

{{Super Bowl}}
{{Super Bowl XLVI}}
{{New York Giants}}
{{New England Patriots}}
{{2011 NFL season by team|state=collapsed}}
{{NFLC-SuperBowl}}
{{NFL on NBC}}
{{Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Super Bowl 046}}
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