Eli’s team may be down in the dumps, but he’s had the time of his life.
The perennially competitive New York Giants spent the entirety of this NFL season at the bottom of the league — so when the Super Bowl came around after their dismal 3-13 campaign, nobody expected to encounter any of the team’s players during the broadcast.
That was certainly the case until the second half of the hotly contested Pats-Eagles match. But during a commercial break, fans were treated to an appearance by not only Giants quarterback Eli Manning but also injured star receiver Odell Beckham, Jr.
The spot, which begins without reference to a product or brand (save the NFL shield in the corner), shows the duo ostensibly practicing a pass play. But the real action comes after Beckham catching the ball in the end zone.
Here’s the video, so you can watch it unfold without any further spoilers:
Remember the dance routine performed by Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) in the classic ‘80s movie, "Dirty Dancing"? Manning and Beckham Jr. recreated it perfectly — nearly step-for-step.
Naturally, the viewer holds their breath to see if it will culminate in a recreation of Johnny successfully lifting Baby. And to everyone’s delight, that's exactly how it unfolds, with Manning lifting and holding aloft an arching Beckham.
Sure, their prospects went down the toilet pretty early on this season, but for one brief ad, these two New York Giants did have the time of their lives.
And thanks to their willingness to cut loose and laugh at themselves, so too did millions of fans.