By Vincent Mecogliano

It is difficult to conceive at this point in time the magnitude of the New York Giants monumental upset over the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, but don’t be fooled: we have just witnessed one of the most improbable events in NFL history.

The storylines heading into this Super Bowl were focused on what many seemed to believe would be a fitting ending to the Patriots perfect season.

Nine out of every ten experts picked the Patriots to win in convincing fashion, capping what would surely be considered the greatest season in NFL history (along with the undefeated season of the 1972 Miami Dolphins). No matter how you look at it, this game is one of the greatest upsets in the history of the league. Without question, this is the greatest upset in the history of the free agent era.

The argument can be made that the New York Jets victory in Super Bowl III over the Baltimore Colts will forever be considered the biggest upset of all-time because of what it did for the league at that time. In 1969 the AFL was widely considered to be the inferior league; which was evident by the manor in which the Green Bay Packers of the NFL dominated the first two Super Bowls.

To this day, the spread of 16 points is still the largest margin overcome by any underdog in a Super Bowl. The victory by the Jets, which was guaranteed by quarterback Joe Namath, will be remembered as the game that showed the world that the AFL could compete with the NFL. Such is the company the Giants now keep.

The game itself was low-scoring, but at the same time very exciting. The Patriots came into the game with statistically one of the greatest (if not the greatest) offenses the game has ever seen.

The Patriot’s record-setting quarterback Tom Brady laughed at Giants’ wide receiver Plaxico Burress’ prediction that the Pats would only score 17 points – turns out Burress gave them too much credit.

The unit that deserves the most credit would be the Giants defense; more specifically their defensive line. Led by the wily veteran defensive end Michael Strahan, the Giants d-line manhandled the Patriots offensive line unlike any team has done this season.

Brady was sacked five times (more so than in any other game this season), twice by unheralded defensive lineman Justin Tuck, on top of being hit hard and often.

As a result, the Pats were held to their lowest point outcome of the season. Although Giant quarterback Eli Manning was awarded the MVP, and in many ways deserving, the real MVP of this game was the Giant’s defensive line which for the first time all season, made Brady look human.

In a game which did not have much action in terms of scoring early on, it did have one of the most exciting fourth quarters in recent memory. Brady threw a touchdown pass to All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss with 2:42 remaining in the game, causing a giant sigh of disappointment to spread across New York. Even though Manning had performed well in the playoffs against all odds, the Pats still seemed destined to make history.

The Giant’s responding drive, while not necessarily the prettiest, will be remembered as one of the biggest drives in Super Bowl history.

And as with most game-winning drives, this one had its own signature play.

Perhaps one of the most unlikely candidates, wide receiver and special teams standout David Tyree, made the catch of a lifetime at a critical point in the drive.

Manning, who has been criticized for his inability to stand in the pocket and elude pressure, appeared to be wrapped up by several Patriot defenders. Somehow he managed to wiggle his way free to find Tyree who was being smothered by safety Rodney Harrison, yet still managed to prevent the ball from hitting the ground by trapping it between his one free hand and his helmet. This play seemed to swing momentum in the Giant’s direction, and Manning capped the drive by finding a wide open Burress in the corner of the end zone with less than a minute remaining in the game.

With too little time to put together any type of a drive, Brady and his Patriots fell by a final score of 17-14. Manning and his Giants now sit atop the football world as unlikely heroes, and no one outside of their own locker room believed it was possible.

“We shocked the world,” said Giant linebacker Antonio Pierce. “But not ourselves.”

Coming into the season, most figured they would take a step backwards as they had lost one of the top running backs in team history (Tiki Barber) and appeared to have a lame-duck head coach in Tom Coughlin, who could not get along with his own players. But doubters only seemed to inspire this team which came together at the perfect time to end the Patriots perfect season.

As for the Patriots, they will forever be remembered as the only team ever to win all of their regular season games and go on to lose in the Super Bowl. Their downfall can be directly contributed to their arrogance which starts at the top of the organization with head coach Bill Belichick.

The regular season gave them a false sense of overconfidence as they dominated teams so badly that they began to ease off the gas pedal. It was as if they felt they were in a league of their own, even though no one on the team would dare say so.

Despite a few close calls towards the end of the season, the Pats finished the regular season and AFC playoffs without losing a single game. They had their opportunity to be remembered as the greatest team of all-time, and they allowed it to slip through their fingers. They are still the team of the decade as a result of their previous three Super Bowl championships, but this blemish will stain the team’s legacy forever.

Now they are left to answer questions about Spygate, the cheating scandal that seems to be picking up steam. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania appears determined to expose the Patriots as cheaters, and as more information is released, the Patriots will continue to look increasingly bad.

But this day is about the New York Giants. One of the least likely teams has cemented their place in history by completing one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports.

The Patriots were unable to seize their opportunity and the Giants were happy to take advantage.

“The Giants just had a better game plan,” said a reflectiveMoss. “I think their intensity from the beginning snap to the end of the game, was really higher than ours. We just couldn’t meet that intensity.”