That is why NFL.com has posed the question: Who had the better championship performance – Manning or Flacco? It was broken down into “Pregame Pressure” and “In-Game Performance.”

Here is what NFL.com had to say about the quarterbacks:

Eli Manning, Super Bowl XLVI
Giants 21, Patriots 17
30-for-40, 296 YD, 1 TD, 0 INT

“Eli Manning entered Super Bowl XLVI with the opportunity of a lifetime. If he could beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl for the second time in five years, he’d cement his legacy as a New York sports icon and possibly even reserve a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Those who are into all that talk about “elite” status (not my bag) noted that a win would induct him into that club, as well. If Manning and the New York Giants had gone down in flames in their rematch with the New England Patriots, however, it would have fueled talk that Super Bowl XLII had been a fluke.

“Manning was as cool as ever against the Patriots. You have to have nerves of steel to start a game of this magnitude with nine straight completions, a Super Bowl record. More importantly, he directed the nine-play, 88-yard touchdown drive that put the Giants ahead for good with 57 seconds to go. Manning finished 30-of-40 for 296 yards with one touchdown pass and zero interceptions, winning his second Super Bowl MVP award in five years.”

Joe Flacco, Super Bowl XLVII
Ravens 34, 49ers 31
22-for-33, 287 YD, 3 TD, 0 INT

“Joe Flacco entered Super Bowl XLVII on the precipice of greatness. Three playoff wins had significantly boosted his credentials and ensured he’d receive a huge payday from the Baltimore Ravens. But Flacco still needed one more win to put a stamp on one of the greatest postseason runs by a quarterback in NFL history. If Flacco had struggled against the San Francisco 49ers, his earlier conquests would have been largely forgotten. Flacco had started something, but now he had to finish it.

“You know how a 16-bit player turned into a ball of fire when he was going off in NBA Jam? That was Flacco on Sunday night. Every throw he made — even the throws he shouldn’t have made — were right on target. He finished 22-of-33 for 287 yards and three touchdowns, capping a postseason in which his touchdown-to-interception margin stood at a god-like 11-0. Flacco was named Super Bowl MVP, a well-earned honor for a quarterback who had made the leap.”

Who do you think had the better overall performance?

Chronicling every Super Bowl season, “America’s Game” has looked at the Giants’ four titles through the eyes of notable coaches and players. Here’s a look at the Giants’ features:

1986: Bill Parcells, Phil Simms, and Lawrence Taylor (Narrated by Laurence Fishburne)

1990: Otis Anderson, Jeff Hostetler, and Carl Banks (Narrated by Alec Baldwin)

2007: Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, and Tom Coughlin (Narrated by James Gandolfini)

2011: Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Victor Cruz, and Tom Coughlin (Narrated by Alec Baldwin)

QUICK HITS

» Top-Five Offensive Plays of 2012

» Giants React to Bill Parcells HOF selection

» A complete list of Giants in the Hall of Fame, including 2013 inductee Bill Parcells

» Giants Insider: LB Spencer Paysinger chats with Giants.com in this exclusive Insider interview

But what sets them apart in the sports world – not just among Giants fans – has been their flare for the dramatic.

From “Wide Right” to David Tyree’s helmet catch, these moments have shaped the annals of NFL championship lore. But where do they rank? NFL.com tackled that subject.

As determined by Gil Brandt and Elliot Harrison, two of the Giants’ four titles made the top five list, while their most recent – Super Bowl XLVI – came in as the 16^th-most exciting Super Bowl of all time.

From I to XLVI, here is a look at how they stack up:

46. Super Bowl XXIV – San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10
45. Super Bowl IV – Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7
44. Super Bowl XI – Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14
43. Super Bowl XXIX – San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26
42. Super Bowl VIII – Miami Dolphins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7
41. Super Bowl IX – Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6

40. Super Bowl XLI – Indianapolis Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17
39. Super Bowl XXXV – Baltimore Ravens 34, New York Giants 7
38. Super Bowl XII – Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10
37. Super Bowl XXXVII – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21
36. Super Bowl XL – Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10
35. Super Bowl XXVI – Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24
34. Super Bowl I – Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10
33. Super Bowl XXVII – Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17
32. Super Bowl XV – Oakland Raiders 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10
31. Super Bowl XXXIII – Denver Broncos 34, Atlanta Falcons 19

30. Super Bowl XXII – Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10
29. Super Bowl XVIII – Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington Redskins 9
28. Super Bowl VI – Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3
27. Super Bowl II – Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14
26. Super Bowl XIX – San Francisco 49ers 38, Miami Dolphins 16
25. Super Bowl V – Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
24. Super Bowl VII – Miami Dolphins 14, Washington Redskins 7
23. Super Bowl XX – Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10
22. Super Bowl XXI – New York Giants 39, Denver Broncos 20
21. Super Bowl XXVIII – Dallas Cowboys 30, Buffalo Bills 13

20. Super Bowl XXXI – Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21
19. Super Bowl XXXIX – New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
18. Super Bowl XVII – Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17
17. Super Bowl XXX – Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
16. Super Bowl XLVI – New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17
15. Super Bowl XLV – Green Bay Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25
14. Super Bowl XLIV – New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17
13. Super Bowl XVI – San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21
12. Super Bowl X – Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17
11. Super Bowl XXXII – Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24

10. Super Bowl XXXVI – New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
9. Super Bowl XLIII – Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
8. Super Bowl XXXIV – St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee TItans 16
7. Super Bowl XXXVIII – New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
6. Super Bowl XIV – Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
5. Super Bowl XXIII – San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16
4. Super Bowl XXV – New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
3. Super Bowl III – New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
2. Super Bowl XLII – New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
1. Super Bowl XIII – Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31

Here are five segments from the hour-long documentary of the Giants’ fourth Super Bowl run as told by Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, and Victor Cruz:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

Beginning on September 12, A Football Life focuses on the life and career of provocative subjects intertwined in the fabric of NFL history. Coughlin will be featured in the Sept. 26 episode at 8:00 PM ET.

Additional subjects profiled this season include:

» Super Bowl-winning head coaches Tom Coughlin & Jimmy Johnson

» Late Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair

» Hall of Fame running backs Marcus Allen & Barry Sanders

» Former owner of the San Francisco 49ers Eddie DeBartolo, Jr.

» Pro Bowl linebacker Chris Spielman

» The Los Angeles Rams’ Fearsome Foursome

» A celebration of “The Immaculate Reception” on its 40th anniversary

» The untold legacy of the 1995 Cleveland Browns

Below is the September and October broadcast schedule for A Football Life, airing on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM ET:

» September 12 – Tim Tebow

» September 19 – Ray Lewis

» September 26 – Tom Coughlin

» October 3 – Cleveland ‘95

» October 10 – Fearsome Foursome

» October 17 – Steve McNair

» October 24 – Eddie DeBartolo

» October 31 – Chris Spielman

Former NFL team executive and current NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi ranked such individuals in his annual list of blue-chip/red-chip players and coaches.

In total, seven members from the defending Super Bowl champions made the cut. But first, here’s a look at Lombardi’s qualifications:

Definition of a blue-chip player

» Demonstrates rare abilities and creates mismatches that have an obvious impact on the game.

» Is a premier player in the league and a weapon on the field.

» Combines competitiveness and skill to provide a consistent championship-level performance.

» Rates in the top five at his position in the league.

Definition of a red-chip player

» Has abilities that can create mismatches vs. most opponents in the league.

» Is a featured player on his team and has an impact on the outcome of the game.

» Can’t be taken out of the game in a one-on-one matchup.

» Is consistent from week to week.

» Plays at a championship level.

» Rates in the top 10 at his position in the league.

With that said, two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning was considered a blue-chip quarterback, along with Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger. Wide receiver Victor Cruz and guard Chris Snee rounded out the three Giants on offense receiving blue-chip labels at their respective positions.

On defense, Jason Pierre-Paul was the lone blue-chipper, while Lombardi considered Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka as red-chip players.

Tom Coughlin also earned a blue chip, joining Mike McCarthy (Packers), Bill Belichick (Patriots), Jim Harbaugh (49ers), and John Harbaugh (Ravens).

Fans, coaches, and players never tire of re-living those moments. Themes emerge and games stick out when looking back at a championship run. Half a year removed from the Giants’ victory in Super Bowl XLVI, the MVP himself gave his take on MSG’s “Giants Chronicles,” which premiered last week.

Speaking with the voice of the Giants, Bob Papa, quarterback Eli Manning hit on what kept the team alive all season – the fourth-quarter comeback.

“We had that comfort and confidence that if it comes down to the fourth quarter and it’s a final drive, we are going to go down and score,” Manning said. “But sometimes weird things happen. In San Francisco, ball gets tipped. Against Seattle, Victor Cruz kind of slips a little bit out of a break, ball gets tipped up and intercepted and returned for a touchdown, game over. So there are always going to be those plays.

“You don’t want to have to be in that situation all the time, but I told those guys after both those circumstances, I said, ‘Hey, that was a fluke. Next time if we get in another two-minute drive, we’re going to go down and score.’ But that’s the reason you don’t want to have to be in those circumstances all the time. That’s part of football. We won a lot of them, but lost a couple.”

Then the four-game losing streak hit in November, spilling into December. But the team didn’t fall apart.

“It wasn’t that we were playing bad football – I think that was the important thing that coach Coughlin tried to get across to the players,” Manning said. “It’s not like we went through a slump and just played terrible. We had one bad game against New Orleans, they put a pretty good beating on us. But the other ones – San Francisco, a great team, we played them tough into the final minutes; Green Bay was undefeated and we played them into the final 50 seconds to a tie game; Philadelphia, same deal. We played pretty close in all those games.

“We just couldn’t find that little edge and that one- or two-play difference to get better. So that was kind of our focus – ‘hey, let’s turn up the heat a little bit more, let’s get a little more prepared, let’s work a little harder during the week and make sure we’re at our best. We’re all in at this point into this final stretch and we’re not far off from being a very good team.’”

QUICK HITS

>> CB Prince Amukamara is feeling confident after suffering a high angle sprain Friday.

>> DT Shaun Rogers may be able to return in 2012, but nothing is certain yet.

The NFL Network’s Emmy Award-winning series is back to recount the 2011 New York Giants’ run to their fourth Super Bowl victory. The program premieres Tuesday, September 4 at 10:00 PM ET, and a few more details were released on Monday.

Here’s a peek at what you’ll see in the hour-long special:

- Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Victor Cruz & Head Coach Tom Coughlin recount winning franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy

- “It probably changes the way I’m viewed. I don’t think it changes the way I view myself.” – Manning on winning second Super Bowl MVP

- “I literally sat in the dark for the whole evening. I didn’t talk to anybody.” – Coughlin on 2010 Week 15 loss to Eagles

- Emmy Award-Winning Actor Alec Baldwin Narrates

- Coughlin’s Preseason Message Rings True

Below are some quotes from America’s Game: 2011 New York Giants…

Tom Coughlin delivers preseason motivation…

Following a disappointing 2010 season in which the New York Giants failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year, head coach Tom Coughlin showed his team a video of a high school cross-country runner for motivation.

“One particular girl who really was their best runner, coming down the stretch she began to struggle. She collapsed within feet of the finish line. She said to herself, ‘You have to finish, that’s the point.’ She literally crawled across the finish line and her team won the state championship. When the movie ended, you could have heard a pin drop in the room.” – Coughlin on the video he showed to his team

“Normally when coach shows us videos, we kind of look at him and go, ‘OK, I got his point.’ But seeing someone not getting paid give that much effort, guys really, really took that to heart and it really set the tone for this season.” – Tuck

“You’re going to hear me say this a thousand times: finish, finish, finish.” – Coughlin to the team during a team meeting

The emergence of Victor Cruz…

Prior to the Giants’ Week 3 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver Victor Cruz had two career catches. After a breakout 110-yard, two touchdown game, Cruz would go on to set the franchise single-season receiving yard record, proving to be a more than capable replacement for the departed Steve Smith.

“I was worried about that slot position [and] who was going to fill that role. I knew we had a couple of guys who were going to compete for it, but I didn’t know if anyone would be as good as what Steve Smith was able to produce for us the last couple of years.” – Manning on Steve Smith signing with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 2011 season

“There was a little voice in the back of my mind that was telling me in this league, chances come few and far between, and if you don’t take advantage of them they can slip away just as fast as they came. Thank God I got another opportunity.” – Cruz on the first two games of the 2011 season prior to the Week 3 game against Philadelphia

“I [said], ‘We found our guy.’ There are some things that other guys might do better, but when you get the ball in his hands, he makes special things happen.” – Manning on Cruz’s performance against the Eagles

“I never dreamed of doing anything like that. It was just awesome. No words can even describe the journey each and every week.” – Cruz on setting the Giants’ single-season record for receiving yards

Finishing strong…

The Giants were 7-7 and needed to win their final two games to make the playoffs. Starting with a win over the in-stadium rival Jets, the Giants never looked back until they hoisted the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy.

“Rex [Ryan], him saying all of those things [before the game], I didn’t necessarily care about. But covering up our Super Bowls? That’s different.” – Tuck on Jets covering up the Giants’ Super Bowl murals at MetLife Stadium the day of the game

“If you wanted to define the defining moment in the season when things really came together and took off, that was it right there. From that point on, we started to combine confidence with cohesiveness, with intelligence, with masterful play.” – Coughlin on Victor Cruz’s 99-yard touchdown against the Jets

“The idea of everybody telling you that you can’t do something, I like that. That’s a good thing. These guys took this to the extreme.” – Coughlin on entering the playoffs with a 9-7 record

“We thrive in people not giving us a shot. We went through the most adversity this year of any team. That made us that much stronger. We were all-in and we were going to lay it on the line for what it was worth. When the dust cleared and the last man was standing, we expected it to be us.” – Tuck 

More quotes…

“It probably changes the way I’m viewed. I don’t think it changes the way I view myself. It doesn’t change the way I’m going to improve as a player to make sure I give my teammates and the new guys that will come be a part of this team an opportunity to have those same experiences.” – Manning on winning his second Super Bowl

“It’s the best throw of Eli’s career.” – Tuck on Eli Manning’s 38-yard pass to Mario Manningham during the game-winning drive in Super Bowl XLVI

“I literally sat in the dark for the whole evening. I didn’t talk to anybody; I sat in a room with no lights on and I just reflected.” – Coughlin on the Giants’ 38-31 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15 of the 2010 season

“I think I’m an elite dad, yes. I think so,” he told Steve Serby of the New York Post.

The two-time Super Bowl MVP is grasping the gifts of fatherhood, Serby writes, while he and his wife Abby raise their 16-month-old daughter, Ava.

“ ‘Dada’ is one of her favorites,” Manning said. “‘Ball’ was actually, I think, one of her first words. She’s big into any sort of football or basketball, baseball. She likes to pick ’em up, she’s got a pretty good arm so far, so she’s got a little coordination.”

QUICK HITS

>> WR Isaiah Stanback’s one-handed touchdown catch came in at No. 5 on NFL Network’s Top 10 plays of the preseason Week 1.

>> Q&A with Eli Manning: QB talks best Super Bowl catch and roughhousing with Peyton. [Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports]

>> WR Hakeem Nicks passes physical and is eligible to practice for the first time since the Giants reported to training camp. [Giants.com]

>> DE Adrian Tracy dubbed ‘Young Os’ [Ryan Hayner, ESPNNewYork.com]