"How the Giants (Almost) Did It" is a series that will detail the Giants near defeat of the New England Patriots in week 17 of the regular season. Its purpose is to prove that the outcome of Super Bowl XLII is not a foregone conclusion and that the New York Giants have a legitimate chance at the biggest upset in NFL history.The 2007 NFL season wasn't very kind to New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Although his teammates repeatedly defended him, the media attacked him at every opportunity. And unfortunately, after an awful performance in week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings, it seemed like the fans had finally given up on him as well.
But then came week 17 and the New England Patriots.
Despite heavy pressure from both the media and fans, Tom Coughlin decided to play to win, and that meant putting Eli out there in the most pressure packed situation of his young career. But in typical Eli fashion, he let it roll right off his back, while focusing on the task at hand. And with all of American watching, he not only performed better than he had all season, he had one of the greatest game of his career.
Although the Giants came up on the losing end, Manning made some very impressive throws and nearly led the team to the improbable. When all was said and done, he had completed 68.8% of his passes and had tossed four touchdowns -- two more than Tom Brady.
Although no one knew it at the time, Manning had finally turned a corner. And because of his valiant effort, the Giants "almost did it."
Previously on FanHouse:
How the Giants (Almost) Did It: Part I
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-24-2008 @ 2:53PM
stanfordfan said...
This is the year of the upset. If Stanford, 41 point underdogs, can beat USC, ANYTHING can happen!
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1-24-2008 @ 6:21PM
mark said...
Yes, Eli & the Giants have stepped it up since the Viking game, more so in the post season. And they gave the Patriots all they could handle in wk 17. I would not say the the superbowl is a foregone conclusion, but i would say the Pats are an excellent team with awesome coaching and they Find ways to win. I hope the Bowl is as competitive as the last time these teams met.
I still believe the Pats will come out on top .
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1-24-2008 @ 7:33PM
bet the super bowl said...
Giants went 1-5 in the regular season vs teams with a 500 record. They were the last in their division agianst good teams. This playoff run has set them up to get crushed by the Pats. I'm thinking of giving the points.
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1-24-2008 @ 8:35PM
ciawhite2006 said...
If Tom wasn't trying to make sure that he got the records for himself and Randy, the Pats would have squished the Giants like bugs.
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1-27-2008 @ 8:19PM
bgs3402 said...
Very good point by CLAWHITE2006 in the prior posting.
People seem to forget that the bigger the game, the bigger Tom Brady plays. He has done it 14 times in the Playoffs including 3 Superbowls.
Peyton had the fluke victory against the Pats last year. Tom Brady is no fluke. This year he a has WEAPONS to spare. Whatever they try to atop, he will use what's available.
NY gets all this credit for SACKS. The Pats had just 6 less for the season and the Eagles were handing out sacks on McNabb like candy for NY. Take those 12 away and the Pats have more. Also, for a Sack team, the Giants have only had 4 in the last 4 games.1 against the Pats(Game 16), 1 against Tampa Bay,2 against Dallas and 0 against Green Bay. As frosting on the cake, Neal and Kazur did not play in their last game. Playoff games are different than regular season games.
The Giants think it is some sign that they are the away team as they have won 10 "AWAY" games in a row. Do you know when the last time the Pats lost a "HOME" game. Check and Checkmate.
Go Pats !!!
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2-02-2008 @ 12:08PM
rob said...
remember This is the GIANTS year, ALl have written them off for dead. The NY media is/was/and will be brutal. The edge goes to the Gianst. The nervous party is New England. They ahve the perfect season, but what Happens when they lose the SUPER BOWL, then all year of being undefeated means nothing.. Now if they ahppen to win, hats off to them being teh best. SUNDAY 630 pm, Giants/Pats, will show who is best, there is no excuses just a good game i hope we see. I do vote Giants, Take them straight up in betting and if you are wimpy take the points and make less cash, but the Gianst will WIN WIN WIN
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