Feb. 3, 2008. New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14. The Giants upset the mighty 18-0 and assuming they were going to be 19-0 Patriots to win their third Super Bowl title. Mindful of all of the great history the Giants had before that day, this goes down as most likely the single greatest day in the history of one of the NFL’s original franchises.
Ahh, the memories. The David Tyree catch, the single greatest individual play in Super Bowl history. The Eli Manning escape that led to the catch. Plaxico Burress catching the game-winning pass.
Burress’ prediction of the Giants ultimate victory, and Tom Brady’s laughing reaction to it. The Giants putting a beating on Brady, sacking him five times.
No one thought the Giants had a chance and the Patriots had already printed 19-0 tee-shirts. What the Giants did, after all, had never been done. They became the first NFC wild-card team to win the Super Bowl. It is a feat the Green Bay Packers are trying to match this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.