Patriots-Giants: A Classic Boston-New York Clash

Rivalries are a huge part of what makes sports such a beloved pastime. The animosity between Boston and New York exemplifies one of the most intense rivalries across all sports. The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees share the AL East with a barely controlled hatred, while the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks have their share of battles in the NBA's Eastern Conference. 

The NFL has managed to add its own iteration to the rivalry between the cities, with the New England Patriots and the New York Giants adding plenty of massively important moments to the history books. In particular, the epic rivalry that blossomed between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Giants quarterback Eli Manning added another layer of hatred between the cities.

While this game did not come anywhere near the level of importance of the games listed below, it still highlighted how intense the rivalry between the two teams became. The undefeated 8-0 Patriots were coming into the Meadowlands to face a Giants team that was just hanging above .500 with a 5-4 record. The Patriots were 7.5-point favorites, further illustrating how almost everyone expected the game to go. 

After an eventful first three quarters, the Giants held a 23-17 lead as the game entered the witching hour. After a couple of minutes ticked off the clock, Brady struck with his own long touchdown, a 76-yard score to tight end Rob Gronkowski that gave the Patriots a one-point lead. The Giants were forced to punt on their next possession, but a Brady interception led to a New York field goal, putting the Giants ahead by two with 1:47 on the clock. 

The stage was set for more Brady heroics, and the legendary quarterback delivered. He marched the Pats into field goal range, allowing kicker Stephen Gostkowski to nail a 54-yard kick as time expired. The win obviously did not make up for all the hurt the Giants had inflicted on the Pats in earlier years, but it counted for something.

The second meeting between these teams on the biggest stage in sports led to an astoundingly similar finish to the first. The Patriots once again entered the Super Bowl after a dominant regular season that saw them win 13 games. Meanwhile, the Giants barely made the postseason at 9-7 before rattling off a fantastic streak of three victories, two of which they entered as underdogs.

Unsurprisingly, New York was the underdog in the Super Bowl, too. The first half featured a furious back-and-forth, with the Giants scoring nine unanswered points to open the game. The Pats responded with 10 points of their own in the second quarter and managed to hold New York to a couple of field goals in the third quarter while scoring a touchdown, entering the fourth quarter with a 17-15 lead.

The teams waited until the last minute to make the fourth quarter exciting. After exchanging empty possessions, the Giants started with the ball on their own 12. Manning immediately went deep down the left sideline to receiver Mario Manningham, who made an insanely difficult catch to move his offense 38 yards. Manning continued the drive, targeting Manningham and Hakeem Nicks to get the offense down to the 6-yard line. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw tore through the Patriots for a touchdown, sealing another upset victory for the Giants.

If the Super Bowl of the 2011 season didn't add much fuel the Boston-New York rivalry, the Super Bowl of the 2007 season fueled it more than enough on its own. The Patriots were on the heels of a perfect 16-0 regular season and two easy playoff wins, and the entire football world expected a third walk in the park to claim a championship. The upstart Giants, who were only 10-6 and had barely survived their postseason run, entered the game as 12.5-point underdogs.

The Patriots entered the fourth quarter with the lead, this time leading an unrelenting New York team 7-3. A touchdown from Manning to wide receiver David Tyree gave the Giants the lead, but Brady, not to be outdone, responded with a touchdown pass of his own to wide receiver Randy Moss, pulling New England ahead 14-10 with 2:42 to go. 

What ensued essentially guaranteed that the Giants and Patriots would be rivals. Manning began a frantic scoring drive before encountering a critical third-and-five from around midfield. Manning spun out of a sack and launched deep over the middle to Tyree, who made one of the most incredible catches in NFL history by pinning the ball against his helmet. Tyree did more than move the chains, moving his team 32 yards downfield. Four plays later, Manning found fellow wideout Plaxico Burress for a 13-yard score, driving the dagger into Pats fans' hearts, ruining a potential undefeated season, and stealing the Lombardi away at the last possible second.

While it seems that the Giants had the advantage in the head-to-head matchups between these teams, it is hard to ignore the stretch of dominance the Patriots enjoyed when they were not facing New York. The quality of both franchises makes this game a marquee matchup every time it occurs, even when there are no championship implications on the line.