Prospectus

Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Tom Fox/MCT The New York Giants' Michael Strhan celebrates after a 17-14 Giants' victory in Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, February 3, 2008.

GLENDALE, Ariz.-This is why they would have been the greatest. There is a reason why no NFL team has gone undefeated since the Miami Dolphins went 17-0 in 1972. To go 19-0 in this day and age, to win your last game in the Super Bowl, to overcome all the hype and pressure, is almost an impossible task. Not even these New England Patriots could pull it off.

"Any time you have a team that's 18-0, stop and think about that," New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Sunday night. "In this league? That's just an incredible accomplishment for them."

But that's why the Giants' 17-14 victory in Super Bowl XLII was such an incredible accomplishment for them, maybe the second-biggest upset in Super Bowl history, behind the Jets' victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

The Giants beat the unbeaten. Their defense suffocated the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. Quarterback Eli Manning, who led the league in turnovers this season with 27, led the team on a dramatic game-winning drive and was named most valuable player.

Manning proved he could do it. Sounds familiar. Big brother Peyton, who once couldn't win the big game, was named Super Bowl MVP just last year after leading Indianapolis over Chicago.

"The Patriots have had an unbelievable year," said Peyton Manning, who has had more epic battles with them than his brother has. "I can't tell you how good of a football team they are. For the Giants to have beaten them in this game tonight-and in these surroundings-it is going to go down as one of the greatest games of all time."

I didn't give the Giants much of a chance. Few did. To be honest, I didn't think they might actually win until Plaxico Burress caught that touchdown pass with 35 seconds left, and I didn't accept that they had pulled off the upset until Tom Brady's last desperate pass fell to the turf incomplete.

Give the Giants credit. They came out confident and played like they had nothing to lose. Their fearsome pass rush absolutely smothered Brady and never let the Patriots' offense get into rhythm. In the end, they made the plays; the Patriots didn't.

Continued...

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