Helmet Catch

Helmet Catch
DateFebruary 3, 2008
StadiumUniversity of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
FavoritePatriots by 12
RefereeMike Carey
Attendance71,101
TV in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersJoe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, and Chris Myers

The Helmet Catch was an American football play involving New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver David Tyree in the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008. It featured Manning escaping from the grasp of three New England Patriots defensive players and throwing a forward pass, followed by Tyree making a leaping catch by pressing the ball against his helmet. The play, a 32-yard gain during a drive on which the Giants scored the game-winning touchdown, was instrumental in the Giants' 17–14 upset victory over the Patriots, who were on the verge of becoming the first National Football League (NFL) team to finish a season undefeated and untied since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the first since the NFL adopted a 16-game regular season in 1978. NFL Films' Steve Sabol called it "the greatest play the Super Bowl has ever produced".[1] The play was also named by NFL Films as "The Play of the Decade (2000s)".[2] It was also the final catch of Tyree's NFL career.[3]

  1. ^ Sabol, Steve (February 10, 2008). "Sabol's Shot – Tyree catch". NFL Films. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  2. ^ "Play of the decade". NFL Films. February 5, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  3. ^ "What Happened to Giants Super Bowl Hero David Tyree?". Sportscasting. January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.