THE STORY OF 2008 SUPER BOWL XLII
NEW YORK GIANTS CHAMPIONSHIP RING
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THE STORY OF 2008 SUPER BOWL XLII
NEW YORK
GIANTS
CHAMPIONSHIP RING
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2007 season. The Giants defeated the Patriots by the score of 17–14. The game was played on February 3, 2008, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
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THE STORY OF 2008 SUPER BOWL XLII
NEW YORK
GIANTS
CHAMPIONSHIP RING
The game is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports,as well as perhaps the finest Super Bowl game. The Patriots entered the game as 12-point favorites after becoming the first team to complete a perfect regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the only one since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season schedule in 1978. The Giants, who finished the regular season with a 10–6 record, were seeking to become the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl, and were also looking for their third Super Bowl victory and first since they won Super Bowl XXV seventeen years earlier. This Super Bowl was also a rematch of the final game of the regular season, in which New England won, 38–35.
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THE STORY OF 2008 SUPER BOWL XLII
NEW YORK
GIANTS
CHAMPIONSHIP RING
The game is best remembered for the Giants' fourth-quarter game-winning drive. Down 14–10, New York got the ball on their own 17-yard line with 2:39 left and marched 83 yards down the field. In the drive's most memorable play, David Tyree made a leaping one-handed catch pinning the football with his right hand to the crown of his helmet for a 32-yard gain. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress then scored the winning touchdown on a 13-yard reception with 35 seconds remaining. The game was tight throughout. Only 10 total points were scored in the first three quarters. The Giants consumed a Super Bowl record 9 minutes and 59 seconds on their opening drive, but could only manage a field goal. The Patriots then responded with running back Laurence Maroney's 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. www.championshipringclub.com
THE STORY OF 2008 SUPER BOWL XLII
NEW YORK
GIANTS
CHAMPIONSHIP RING
After a scoreless third quarter, the fourth quarter saw a Super Bowl record three lead changes, including New England wide receiver Randy Moss making a 6-yard touchdown reception with 2:42 left to play before New York's game-winning drive. Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who completed 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, was named Super Bowl MVP. Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who retired before the following season, had two tackles and one sack. This game was the first since Super Bowl IX (a 16-6 Steeler win over the Vikings) that neither team scored at least 20 points.
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THE STORY OF 2008 SUPER BOWL XLII
NEW YORK
GIANTS
CHAMPIONSHIP RING
The telecast of the game on Fox broke the then-record for the most watched Super Bowl in history with an average of 97.5 million viewers in the United States. With this game, the Giants set a record with 11 consecutive victories away from home in a single season. The Giants' matchup in Week 8 vs. the Miami Dolphins in London was an official Giants road game because it was originally scheduled to be played at Dolphin Stadium. The Giants were also officially classified as the "road" team for Super Bowl XLII based on the annual Super Bowl rotation where the NFC champions serve as the away team in even-numbered years. Also note that the Week 5 game vs. the New York Jets was considered a "home" game for the Giants.
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