It's safe to say that the first quarter was all Giants as New York scored nine points on a safety and a touchdown early in the game. However, as you can see from the headline, the Patriots went into the locker room at halftime with the lead, so it's safe to say the Patriots owned the second quarter.
The Patriots got on the board early in the second quarter with a field goal sent through the uprights by Stephen Gostkowski, cutting the Giants lead down to six points. The field goal capped off a drive that began in the first quarter.
For the rest of the quarter, the Patriots defense bent, but it didn't break. They gave up 39 yards on eight plays to Eli Manning and the Giants on the next drive but were able to stop New York just as they entered Patriots territory, forcing them to punt. The Patriots got the ball back on their own 20-yard line after Steve Weatherford's punt rolled into the end zone but Tom Brady and the New England offense were unable to get anything going as they went three-and-out.
They gave the ball back to the Giants and, once again, gave up a couple first downs but got the ball back. This time, Manning and the Giants offense went 22 yards down the field on seven plays before they were stopped, partially thanks to a holding penalty on Kevin Boothe. Weatherford came back on the field and, for the second time in the game, was able to pin the Patriots deep in their own territory.
The Patriots didn't start what would become the last drive of the half off on the right foot as a false start penalty took them even closer to their own end zone. The last time they were in that position, Justin Tuck hit Brady as he was throwing from the end zone and the referees called an intentional grounding penalty which resulted in a safety. Despite facing a healthy dose of pressure, that didn't happen this time, though.
Brady and the offense, starting at their own two-yard line, were able to navigate 98 yards down the field, capping off the drive with a four-yard touchdown to running back Danny Woodhead with less than 15 seconds left on the clock. The touchdown gave the Patriots a one-point lead over the Giants as the two teams headed for their locker rooms.
Since the Patriots deferred after winning the coin toss, they get the ball first in the second half.
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