It never came. A last-gasp, end-zone heave for Aaron Hernandez bounced around and then fell to the turf, sending the Giants sprinting toward one another in celebration and a hail of confetti swirling at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In the dusty interview area in the bowels of the stadium, there were Patriots players everywhere taking the blame for some part of the loss. Sterling Moore, the hero against the Ravens in the AFC Championship game, pointed the finger at himself for Manningham’s catch, saying he tried to roll up on the receiver and put a hit on him, to give safety Patrick Chung enough time to help in coverage.
“Eli threw just a perfect pass,’’ Moore said. “I put that one squarely on me.’’
Wes Welker, his eyes red and holding back tears, took the blame for almost the entire game: a Brady fourth-quarter pass to an open Welker went off the receiver’s hand. The pass wasn’t perfect, but that didn’t stop Welker from taking the blame for not making the play.
“It’s one of those plays I’ve made a thousand times. Just didn’t make it,’’ Welker said. “The ball is right there. I’ve just got to make the play. It’s a play I’ve made a thousand times in practice. It comes to the biggest moment of my life and I don’t come up with it.’’
Teammate Deion Branch agreed that Welker would make the catch 99 percent of the time.
Bill Belichick, who had the chance to become just the second man to win four Super Bowls as a head coach, said there were “100 plays’’ he might want to see play out differently.
Manning was able to claim his second title and second Super Bowl MVP in the house his older brother, Peyton, built. But last night belonged to Eli, coach Tom Coughlin, and a Giants team who began training camp with one motto: finish.
New York pulled off six must-win games - its final two of the regular season, which got them into the playoffs as the NFC East champion and the No. 4 seed in the conference - plus four postseason games to do just what they set out to do when camp kicked off in late July.
