The New York Giants finished the New England Patriots 18 game winning streak this season. Before facing the Giants, the Patriots won their last three Super Bowl appearances. The Giants started the season 0-2, but they've defeated the Patriots 17-14 to become Super Bowl Champions of 2007-08 season.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning had 255 yards and completed 19 of his 39 pass attempts. He threw an interception, but finished with two touchdown passes.
"There's something about this team," Manning said. "The way we win games, and performed in the playoffs in the stretch. We had total confidence in ourselves. The players believed in each other."
Manning is happy about his season, and said it couldn't get better. "That's a position you want to be in," Manning told reporters. "You can't write a better script. There were so many big plays on that drive."
Seeing Indianapolis Colts quarterback Payton Manning win his Super Bowl ring, motivated little brother Eli. "When I saw Peyton go through it last year, I was proud of him and I was happy for him," Manning said. "Seeing it up close and what he was going through, it definitely makes you want one yourself and want to be here."
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin believes every team could be defeated. "Every team is beatable, you never know," Coughlin said. "The right moment, the right time, every team is beatable". The Giants won 10 consecutive road victories this season."It's the way we went about our work," Coughlin said. "The road signified the coming together of a team. We rode that emotion all the way through."
Giants running back Brandon Jacobs had fourty two yards, and fourteen rushes. Ahmad Bradshaw had forty five yards, and nine rushes. Plaxico Burress had two receptions, for twenty seven yards, and one touchdown. "We just hung in there on offense, kept executing," said receiver Burress, whom predicted a 23-17 Giants victory. "It came down to one play and we made it."
"All this is entertainment," Burress said. "It's sports and sports are entertainment. So 23-17 is the prediction I made, but the game still has to be played."
Safety James Bulter had 10 tackles, linebacker Antonio Pierce had 8 tackles. Defensive end Michael Strahan had 2 tackles. "That's the best team in the league," Strahan said. "Now we have a better understanding of them and we had never played anybody like that. Obviously, no one has since they are an undefeated team. So now we have that opportunity and if you want it, you ask for it and you better make the most of it."
The Patriots finish the season 18-1, and coach Bill Belichick admits it was disappointment. "They played well," Belichick said while upset. "They made some plays. We made some plays. They just made a few more. We played as hard as we could. We just couldn't make enough plays."
Belichick understood the toughness from the Giants, and it wasn't a surprise to him. "We knew when we played the Giants down there they had a very physical football team," Belichick said. "We felt they were as good as any team we had played and they have gone on to play even better than that in the playoffs and I clearly feel now they are the best team we have played all year. That's a huge challenge."
Tom Brady was 29-48, with 1 touchdown, and threw for 266 yards. "We played them five weeks ago and it was a three-point game," Patriots quarterback Brady said, whom was sacked five times. "And they made enough changes and really eliminated what we did offensively."
Despite losing, Brady still enjoys the 18 consecutive wins this season. "Being 18-0 I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished thus far and I think we have talked as a team that for the rest of our lives we'll all remember this week," Brady said. "We are all going to do our best to hopefully make that one of the weeks that we remember for all of the great reasons and not a week we would like to forget."
Patriots running back Laurence Maroney had 36 yards, with 14 rushes, and 1 touchdown. Kevin Faulk had 7 receptions, tight end Wes Welker had 11 receptions, and Randy Moss had 5 receptions with 1 touchdown. "Hats off to us," reciever Moss said. "I know a lot of people didn't think we were going to do it. A lot of people didn't want us to do it. In this game of football, it's hard to go 16-and-0. As a football player and a fan of the game, my hat's off to this organization."
