Fans determine best play from magical 2011 season
Last week, the Giants announced they would be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Super Bowl XLVI championship throughout the 2021 season.
"Winning Super Bowl XLVI was an incredible achievement in our franchise's history. We look forward to recognizing that historic season with the enthusiastic support of our fans, and the players, coaches and staff who dedicated so much that season to help us reach our ultimate goal of winning a championship," said John Mara, the Giants' president and chief executive officer.
The festivities began with the launch of the Bracket Challenge where fans voted for the top play from the championship season via the team's Twitter account (@Giants).
After starting off with 16 plays from various moments throughout the 2011 season, we are down to the final two.
First up is the play that got the Giants' final scoring drive started in Super Bowl XLVI. With Big Blue down 17-15 with just 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter and the ball on their own 12-yard line, Eli Manning connected with Mario Manningham down the sideline for a 38-yard reception, setting the Giants up at midfield with over three and a half minutes left in the game. It was a spectacular throw from Manning and catch by Manningham on a play that was ranked as the No. 10 top play in Super Bowl history earlier this year. The Giants would get into the end zone eight plays later when Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a six-yard run to give Big Blue a 21-17 lead with just over a minute on the clock.
Vying against the Manning-to-Manningham catch is a play that occurred during Week 16 of the regular season, when the Giants had an "away" game at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets. Heading into this matchup, the Giants sat at 7-7 and needed to win the final two games of the season just to make it into the playoffs. After the Jets got off to an early 7-3 lead, the Giants took the ball over at their own one-yard line with a little over two minutes remaining in the first half. Facing a 3rd and 10, Manning hit Victor Cruz near the sideline, who then proceeded to break a tackle and out-run several Jets defenders on his way to scoring a 99-yard touchdown. The Giants went on to win this game, 29-14, and the rest of the season is history.
The 10th anniversary celebration will feature additional touchpoints throughout the 2021 season, including:
Reunion Weekend: The 2011 Giants team will be honored with pregame activations, video board features, and a special halftime ceremony when the Giants take on the Los Angeles Rams on October 17th at MetLife Stadium. In addition, the team will honor the 10th Anniversary of Super Bowl XLVI during The Giants Foundation Golf Classic.
In addition, the team has announced a retail collaboration with CARL BANKS and the STARTER brand; fans can purchase limited edition "ALL IN" collector series t-shirts highlighting key plays and moments exclusively through the Giants online store at http://shop.giants.com.
Included in the retail collaboration with Carl Banks and the STARTER brand will be a limited-edition varsity jacket featuring the newly unveiled 10th Anniversary logo. The logo features traditional as well as contemporary elements. A bold 10th Anniversary banner sits atop a football with the words "2011 Championship Season." The logo includes the Giants team colors as well as its classic NY logo. Fans can pre-order the varsity jacket by visiting the Giants online store at http://shop.giants.com.
"ALL IN NYG" is an eight-episode podcast series launching in August which takes a closer look at key storylines from the championship season with members of the team. Guests include Victor Cruz, Justin Tuck, Eli Manning, and Antrel Rolle. Additional programming surrounding the 10th Anniversary will be featured across all Giants media platforms throughout the year.
Fans will have the opportunity to interact with members of the championship team through a series of virtual events all season long and will also have the chance to win autographed memorabilia, tickets, and other limited-edition product by following the team on social media.
Additional details of the 10th Anniversary celebration will be announced leading up to the start of the 2021 season.
Kyle Rudolph joins deep TE room with Evan Engram
The Giants made several splashes in free agency this offseason, adding players on both sides of the ball to be key contributors in 2021.
Rudolph, 31, had spent his entire career with the Vikings before signing with the Giants in March. He caught 453 passes for 4,488 yards and 48 touchdowns across 10 seasons in Minnesota, while playing in all 16 games six times. His 48 career touchdowns are tied with Travis Kelce for the third-most among active tight ends, trailing only Rob Gronkowski (86) and Jimmy Graham (82).
The 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight end recently joined the Giants Huddle podcast to discuss his excitement about joining Big Blue.
"For me, quite honestly, after spending 10 years in one place, I feel like a rookie all over again," Rudolph said. "I'm learning my way around the building, learning new names, learning new faces. Not just teammates but coaches, staff, cafeteria, everyone in the building is new to me. I'm trying to learn names and faces…
"It's been fun. It's exciting for me to be here in the building, to be around my teammates, be around my coaches. I'm not able to do a whole lot on the field, but it's been huge for me mentally to be able to be in the classroom and try to pick up this system as quickly as possible."
Giants' series history vs. 2021 opponents
Check out the gallery below to view photos of the history between the Giants and each of the team's 2021 opponents.
Single Game Tickets
A limited number of Giants 2021 single game tickets are on sale now
