New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker was left to rue a rare mistake in the "biggest moment" of his life in Super Bowl XLVI.

While most of the focus in the immediate aftermath of the New York Giants' 21-17 victory was on the role of MVP Eli Manning and the decisive late touchdown, Welker knows he also effectively had the game in his hands.

With the Patriots leading 17-15 late in the fourth quarter and driving down the field, Welker had the chance to secure a vital first down which could have led to a vital score or taken valuable time off the clock.

But the man who led the NFL with 122 catches this season was unable to hold onto the slightly off-target pass from quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots were forced to kick the ball back to the Giants.

That led to the winning score from Ahmad Bradshaw and Welker's reaction at the time - he stayed kneeling on the turf with his head in his hands for a moment - told its own story.

"It's one of those plays I've made a thousand times," a dejected Welker said.

"I mean ... the ball is right there. I've just got to make the play. It's a play I've made a thousand times in practice and everything else.

"It comes to the biggest moment of my life and I don't come up with it. It's discouraging.

"It hit me in the hands. I mean it's a play I never drop. I always make. Most critical situation and I let the team down."

Welker was far from the only Patriots player to drop a vital catch and Brady - who also blundered in conceding a safety in the first quarter - vowed to continue utilising Welker as much as possible.

"Wes was running down the field and it looked like [the Giants defence] messed the coverage up a little bit and I threw it to him," Brady said. "He went up to try and make it, as he always does, and we just couldn't connect.

"He's a hell of a player. I'll keep throwing the ball to him for as long as I possibly can. He's a phenomenal player and team-mate and I love that guy."

On the other side of the ball, Giants quarterback Manning was named most valuable player for the second time in the Super Bowl, the first also coming against the Giants in 2008.

And head coach Tom Coughlin believes the 31-year-old deserves all the plaudits coming his way.

"His performance, coming down the stretch, was outstanding," Coughlan said. "He is the guy who has done it for us all year. He is the guy who put us in position.

"He's won the MVP two of the last four years and he deserves them. He should for that last drive. It was quite a drive he was able to put together.

"He deserves all the credit in the world because he really has put this team on his shoulders the whole year."