Two days later, I'm still trying to process the significance of the New York Giants' 17-14 victory over the New England Patriots. Of course, you know that the Giants won three straight playoff games on the road before they ended the Patriots hope of a perfect season – that's pretty important. There's also the fact that the game was the most-watched Super Bowl ever, with 97.5 million U.S. viewers – that's certainly worth noting.

But the image that will stick with me long after I forget the actual plays (although none of us will forget "The Holy Crap Play" – and I'll definitely come back to that) is Peyton Manning standing and clapping and beaming with pride after he watched his little brother defy his many doubters and lead the Giants on that improbable, game-winning drive.

Having watched the Patriots snatch victory from the jaws of defeat many times this season, there was a sense of inevitability about their touchdown that put them up 14-10 with under three minutes to go. Certainly, there was still plenty of time for the Giants to respond with a touchdown of their own, but Eli Manning hadn't exactly conjured up comparisons to John Elway up to that moment. 19-0 seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Well, it's safe to say that many of us underestimated Eli Manning. He was the kid who played in his older brother's shadow even within New York's blinding glare. He didn't have Peyton's arm, his brains, his will to win. Some people speculated that Eli Manning didn't even like football that much, but when your daddy was an NFL quarterback and your older brother is an NFL quarterback – what else are you supposed to do?

Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl championship last year, which got the monkey off his back that was put there by all the people who said he couldn't win the big one. However, that monkey needed a new home, and he didn't even need to leap to a new family tree because Eli seemed to be the perfect host.

Four seasons into his NFL career as starting quarterback in the sports media capital of North America, Eli Manning had shown nothing to indicate that he was capable of leading a team to a title. His regular season numbers were consistently unimpressive – including tying for the league lead in interceptions this season – and in his two playoff appearances before this season, he lost both games while throwing for two touchdowns and four interceptions.

In the 2008 NFL playoffs, we saw an entirely different Eli Manning. He led the Giants to three road wins while throwing four touchdowns and, most importantly, not a single interception. His one interception in the Super Bowl wasn't even his fault – his receiver tipped it right into the Patriot defender's hands.

So it's safe to say that Manning was playing the best football of his career when he walked out on the field with 2:42 left on the clock and the Giants down by four. Nevertheless, I don't believe that most of us thought he had it in him to do what he did against the almighty New England Patriots.

On third-and-five on the Giants' 44, Manning and wide receiver David Tyree executed what may be remembered as the most extraordinary play in Super Bowl history. As the pocket collapsed and two Patriots rushers got a hold of Manning, he incredibly broke free of their grasp, rolled right and tossed up a high pass that Tyree out-jumped Rodney Harrison to catch and secure against his helmet while Harrison threw him to the ground.

Many people have tried to come up with an appropriate name for this play so it can be remembered the same way we remember "The Immaculate Reception" and "The Music City Miracle". Well, until something sticks, I'm calling it "The Holy Crap Play" because that's my reaction every time I watch that play. I think I've watched it 17 times.

After that play, even the staunchest Manning doubter had to recognize that something special was happening. Sure enough, Manning hit Plaxico Burress in the corner of the end zone with 39 seconds remaining and the seemingly invincible Patriots were revealed to be mortal.

And so we return to the proud older Manning brother. Peyton still has many awards and accolades that Eli may never be able to match: eight Pro Bowl appearances, six All-Pro selections and a single-season NFL record for best passer rating in the 2004 season. It's not hard to see why Eli might have had an inferiority complex comparing his results to his brother's.

None of that matters now. On Sunday, Eli Manning broke the "Tommy Smothers curse" of having to live with unfair comparisons to his brother. Eli probably never said "Mom always liked you best" to Peyton but he must have known who most NFL fans would prefer to have as their quarterback.

Now that they are both Super Bowl MVPs and champions, Peyton and Eli can start having a fun rivalry about who will flash more rings at the end of their careers. If we're lucky, we might even see them face each other in a Super Bowl one year. After last Sunday, I'm no longer convinced it would be a mismatch.

Eli Manning is no longer the Tommy Smothers of the NFL. It's safe to say that New York Giants fans will like him best from now on.

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