NFL Countdown: Eli Manning and David Tyree's 'Helmet Catch' heroics remains among one of Super Bowl's most clutch plays

Eli Manning and David Tyree are forever joined at the hip, simply because of one play back in 2008 that still, to this day, is remarkable.

For today's NFL Countdown, we go back 14 years to the first time that Eli stopped Tom Brady from winning the Super Bowl. But first, a little background on the teams that year.

The New England Patriots were the epitome of perfection at the time. Going through the entire regular season undefeated with a 16-0 record. They were the highest-scoring team in the NFL, averaging 36.8 points a game. They also had the fourth-best defense in the league, only allowing 17.1 points per game on average.

2007. 2010. 2017.

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The New York Giants were the polar opposite. They had a 10-6 record and were 14th in scoring and 17th for points against, roughly in the middle of the pack.

Brady was the MVP that year as he tossed 50 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. His relationship with Randy Moss was something special. Moss caught 23 touchdowns and had 1,493 receiving yards for the season. New England was just about unstoppable.

Regular season ending gave Giants hope

The two teams met in the final regular season game. As the Patriots were chasing the undefeated season, the Giants gave them a serious scare. A 38-35 win for New England signaled their 16th straight win, but the game gave the Giants all that they needed.

🏈 2007/08 New England Patriots

The Patriots are still the only NFL team ever to go 16-0 in the regular season, but a Super Bowl defeat to the New York Giants spoiled their perfect year. https://t.co/gwdKGqx2g4

It proved that the Patriots were not an unbeatable team and that the Giants' best was good enough.

After making it through three playoff games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and the Green Bay Packers, New York would get its chance for revenge. It would be on the NFL's biggest stage and boy, it didn't disapoint.

Eli Manning and David Tyree's 'Helmet Catch'

The Giants had played some good football and kept the high-octane offense of the Patriots to a mere 14 points.

New York had the ball with 1.15 remaining in the fourth quarter and were facing a third-and-five from their own 44-yard line. What happened next is described as the 'Play of the Decade' for the 2000's.

Eli escaped from the grasp of defenders and then David Tyree made an improbable play that led to the @Giants winning Super Bowl XLII 🏆

You know it as "The Helmet Catch" and it's the 3rd greatest play of all time 🙌 #NFL100

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Eli Manning dropped back to pass and was immediately set upon by and grabbed by Patriots defenders. However, they could not bring Eli Manning down and he somehow managed to escape, before launching a hopeful ball downfield to try to get it to David Tyree, who had three Patriots players around him.

Manning to Tyree.
Also known as... "The Helmet Catch." 😱

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Tyree jumped up and managed to secure the catch with the aid from his helmet as he pressed the ball against it to prevent it from hitting the ground. That incredible catch kept the drive alive for the Giants. Just four plays later, Plaxico Burress caught a touchdown pass from Eli Manning to put the Giants up 17-14, with just 35 seconds to go.

The Giants held on to hand the Patriots their first loss of the season and made history. What is perhaps more burning for New England fans is that in the play before the Tyree 'helmet catch', Asante Samuel dropped what would have been the game-winning interception. Yikes!