Super Bowl XLVI

"2012 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2012 season, see Super Bowl XLVII.

Super Bowl XLVI
DateFebruary 5, 2012 (2012-02-05)
Kickoff time6:30 p.m. EST (UTC-5)
StadiumLucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
MVPEli Manning, quarterback[1]
FavoritePatriots by 2.5[2][3]
RefereeJohn Parry
Attendance68,658[4]
Ceremonies
National anthemKelly Clarkson
Coin tossCurtis Martin representing the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame class
Halftime showMadonna featuring LMFAO, M.I.A., Nicki Minaj and Cee Lo Green
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersAl Michaels (play-by-play)
Cris Collinsworth (analyst)
Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
Nielsen ratings47.0 (national)[5]
56.7 (Boston)
56.4 (Indianapolis)
49.7 (New York)[6]
US viewership: 111.3 million est. avg.,[6] 166.8 million est. total
Market share71 (national)[7]
Cost of 30-second commercial$3.5 million[8][9]
Radio in the United States
NetworkDial Global
AnnouncersKevin Harlan (play-by-play)
Boomer Esiason (analyst)
James Lofton and Mark Malone (sideline reporters)

Super Bowl XLVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2011 season. The Giants defeated the Patriots by the score of 21–17.[10][11] 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.[12] The Patriots entered the game with a 13–3 regular season record, and were also seeking their fourth Super Bowl win.[13] This was a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, which New York also won, spoiling New England's run at a 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.[1] 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.

The broadcast of the game on NBC broke the then record for the most-watched program in American television history, previously set during 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, meaning that over half of the American population watched at least some of the initial broadcast.[14] The game also set the record for most tweets per second during a sporting event, with 13.7 million tweets from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. (PST).[15]

  1. ^ a b "Manning wins Super Bowl MVP with another comeback vs. Pats". SuperBowl.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Associated Press. February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  2. ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". Sporting News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  3. ^ Rogers, Kevin. "Super Bowl History". Vegas Insider. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "Super Bowl XLVI–National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). NFLGSIS.com. National Football League. February 5, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  5. ^ "HISTORICAL SUPER BOWL VIEWERSHIP". Nielson.com. February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Deitsch, Richard (February 6, 2012). "Super Bowl XLVI sets viewership records". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  7. ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (February 6, 2012). "Ratings: Super Bowl XLVI Is Most-Watched TV Program Ever, With 111.3 Million Viewers". TVLine. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  8. ^ Smith, Aaron (January 3, 2012). "NBC's Super Bowl ads sell out at record prices". CNN Money. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  9. ^ "Super Bowl ads cost average of $3.5M". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 6, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Live Coverage: Super Bowl XLVI". The New York Times. February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  11. ^ "Eli Manning, Giants thwart Pats again to cap magical run with 4th Super Bowl title". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 5, 2012. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  12. ^ Bondy, Filip (January 17, 2012). "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". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  13. ^ "NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 2011 SCHEDULE". January 2, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  14. ^ Bauder, David (February 6, 2012). "Super Bowl Ratings Record: Giants-Patriots Game Is Highest-Rated TV Show In US History". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  15. ^ "Super Bowl XLVII: An Event of Epic Proportions". National Football League. January 25, 2013. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.