If Patriots fans are looking for an excuse as to why the Giants’ pass rush was able to dominate New England’s offensive line in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, Logan Mankins has provided them with a decent one. Before you rip me apart for being a Giants hater, I’m not saying it is an excuse and the Patriots would have won otherwise, but it certainly didn’t help. According to ESPNBoston.com, Mankins recently underwent surgery to repair the torn ACL that he played on during the Super Bowl.
It is likely that Mankins suffered the injury during a Dec. 24 win over the Dolphins. At the time, it was believed to be a sprained MCL and concern started to build about Mankins’ availability for the playoffs. Either a later hit caused more damage to the knee, or Mankins had actually suffered a small tear in his ACL. Had his ACL been fully torn, Logan would not have been able to play.
New York’s pass rush dominates New England’s line every time the two teams meet, so we’ll never know if a healthy Mankins could have changed the outcome of the game. As is the case with any Super Bowl match-up, both teams were dealing with a number of injuries heading into the game. However, the revelation does say a lot about Mankins’ toughness. He had to have been playing through a great deal of pain, and it’s amazing that he was able to be effective despite the injury. That toughness is one of the many reasons the Patriots gave Mankins a huge payday last season that will keep him with the team for years to come.
