( AP )- Lawrence Maroney scored on a short touchdown run to give the unbeaten New England Patriots a 7-3 lead over the New York Giants in the second quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
Looking masterful in his Super Bowl debut, Eli Manning led a long opening drive to give the New York Giants an early 3-0 lead.
The Patriots responded with a long march of their own and had second-and-goal at New York's 1-yard line when the first quarter ended. The key play came when New York linebacker Antonio Pierce was flagged for pass interference on Benjamin Watson in the end zone.
The Giants' march covered 63 yards in 16 plays and consumed 9:59 - the most plays on the opening drive of a Super Bowl.
New York kept the Patriots off balance, running eight times and throwing seven.
The Giants converted four times on third down during the drive - with Manning completing passes three times. He was 5-of-7 for 38 yards.
The first was a 14-yarder to Plaxico Burress at the Giants 42 on Manning's first throw. Manning then found Steve Smith for eight yards near midfield to move the chains again, and he hit Smith again to give the Giants a first down at New England's 17.
The drive stalled at New England's 14. Lawrence Tynes , the hero of New York's NFC championship game victory at Green Bay, came on and kicked a 32-yard field goal to give the Giants a 3-0 lead. It was Tynes ' fifth field goal in seven postseason attempts this season.
The Patriots were looking to make NFL history as the first team to go 19-0 and join the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who went 17-0, as unbeaten Super Bowl champs.
The Giants, who bounced back from an 0-2 start, hoped to pull off one of the bigger upsets in Super Bowl history. They won 10 straight road games, an NFL record for a season, and they wore their road white jerseys on Sunday.
The game was a rematch of New England's 38-35 victory in the Meadowlands on Dec. 29.
The game was billed as a duel between Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady and Manning, whose brother, Peyton, led Indianapolis to a Super Bowl victory a year ago.