Mario Manningham or David Tyree: Who had better Super Bowl catch?

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Mario Manningham made a spectacular catch of an Eli Manning pass late in the fourth quarter Sunday night to help set up the touchdown that gave the New York Giants a comeback victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

Sound kind of familiar? Well, just replace Manningham’s name with David Tyree and change the Roman numeral to XLII and you have a description of what took place four years ago in the NFL’s title game.

Back then, the Giants were a plucky wild-card team looking to prevent the mighty Patriots from becoming the first 19-0 team in league history. After starting their final drive down 14-10 with 2:39 remaining, the Giants faced third and five from their 44.

Manning scrambled out of what appeared to be a sure sack and launched the ball downfield to a leaping Tyree, who somehow managed to catch the ball against his helmet while fighting off defender Rodney Harrison on the way to the ground. The 32-yard gain set New York up for the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds remaining.

This year, the Giants were looking for a third straight win over New England, after a regular-season victory back in November. Down, 17-15, with 3:36 remaining, Manning threw a pinpoint pass into double coverage and Manningham tiptoed the sideline to pull in the catch while somehow remaining inbounds. The 38-yard gain set up the game-winning touchdown with 57 seconds remaining.

Both catches were huge and both are sure to be remembered among the best ever in Super Bowl history. Which do you think was the better catch? Vote, then leave a comment explaining why you voted the way you did.

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-- Chuck Schilken