#they've been scored against 0-7 over 2 games

[bunnymustdieagain]

witnessing your team lose to 2 shutouts in a row is so humbling

[justjarminsports]

     Who’s to blame for Giants’ miserable 1-5 start?

By: Benjarmin Munguia

Date: October 21, 2023

A year ago. The New York Giants surprised the NFL by going 9-7-1, and making the playoffs with new head coach Dave Daboll who later would win AP Coach of the Year. They beat the Minnesota Viking 31-24 in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, but were bounced by their divisional rivals the Philadelphia Eagles  38-7 in the Divisional round. 

Things seemed to make a new turn for the gloomy franchise to get back their winning ways. Daniel Jones was granted a contract extension a four-year, $160 million. Details included $82 million fully guaranteed and an additional $35 million of incentives. This made him a top ten paid quarterback in the NFL. Barkley stuck around for another year, signing him to a one-year $11 million deal after an “intense” holdout over the offseason. Things seemed to go the Giants way.

Until the 2023 season.

The New York Giants, heading into week 7 are off to a miserable 1-5 start. Not scoring any points in the first six quarters of the season, 32nd scoring offense. Its been a mess. 

A lot of the blame has been put on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Nobody wants to see a player get a contract extension and go backwards in their career.

Jones, in 5 games, has thrown for 2 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. 2 of those touchdowns came from their win of the season against the Arizona Cardinals.

While Jones has been below subpar this season, does he deserve all the blame for the 1-5 start? There are other massive problems to address. 

The O-Line

The offensive line has been a problem for the Giants over the past decade, but this is by far the worst season this franchise has ever seen. In 7 games they've allowed 33 sacks this season. 2nd most in the NFL behind their divisional rivals, the Washington Commanders (34.) 

Jones missed the Week 7 matchup due to a neck injury. Playing the first 6 games, Jones has been sacked 28 times. That was the most for a quarterback up until that point this season. There's not much a quarterback can do when you are being sacked almost 6 times a game.  

Defensive Line

Dead last in the NFL in sacks is the Giants, having only 5 sacks on the year. Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux has four of those sacks. They are currently on pace to have 10 sacks on the year, which is a big difference from a season ago when they had 41 sacks throughout the year. They had 13 sacks through the first six games a season ago.

The Giants are on pace to break their franchise record of least amount of sacks with 10 this season. That would beat their 1971 season of 18 sacks. That team went 4-10 in 1971.

The Giants are 31st in rush defense, giving up 885 rushing yards this season. Only behind the Denver Broncos with 1034 rushing yards.

The Giants have allowed 100+ rushing yards every game this year, including 222 yards when they faced the Miami Dolphins where they lost 16-31. 

It may look like the season could be over. There have been three teams who've reached the playoffs after a 1-5 start. 

The 2018 Indianapolis Colts started 1-5 and finished 10-6 making to the divisional round where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 13-31.

2015 Kansas City Chiefs started 1-5 and finished 11-5, making it to the the divisional round where they were beaten by the New England Patriots 20-27.

The 1970 Cincinnati Bengals were also a team that started 1-5, then finished 8-6, but were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts 17-0. 

If the Giants address these problems, could they have a shot at making the playoffs?? They only play 3 teams that have winning records. Dallas Cowboys, Los Angles Rams, and they play the Philadelphia Eagles twice.  

[twins2994]

Los Angeles Dodgers-Minnesota Twins Series Preview

4.8.24-James Paxton LHP (1-0) 0.00 ERA Vs. Bailey Ober RHP (0-1) 54.00 ERA

4.9.24-Tyler Glasnow RHP (2-0) 3.18 ERA Vs. Louie Varland RHP (0-1) 6.75 ERA

4.10.24-Bobby Miller RHP (1-1) 5.87 ERA Vs. Chris Paddack RHP (0-0) 4.50 ERA

The Dodgers At A Glance- The Dodgers lost their first series of the year as the Cubs took two of three from them at Wrigley Field over the weekend. The Cubs put up eight runs to take the rainy series finale yesterday. Mookie Betts is off to a great start with a .386 average, five homers, and eleven RBI's. Will Smith is hitting .415 with eight runs knocked in. Shohei Ohtani has picked things up lately with four straight two-hit games. Teoscar Hernandez has been a nice addition with four homers and fourteen RBI. The Twins won't have to face Gavin Stone or Yoshinobu Yamamoto in this series. They will face just their second left-handed starter in James Paxton on Monday. He threw five shutout innings in his lone start. Tyler Glasnow and Bobby Miller aren't guys you want to see when the offense has been struggling. Evan Phillips is quietly one of the best closers in baseball. He has three saves and a 1.93 ERA on the young season. Daniel Hudson is healthy again, Ryan Brasier is a good reliever, and Joe Kelly can still throw hard. This Dodgers team is one of the most complete teams they've had.

The Twins At A Glance- The Twins have struggled lately with four losses in their past five games. The offense has been getting guys on base, but a 0-for-24 stretch with men in scoring poisition has haunted them. The Indians swept them in a shortened two-game series over the weekend. Maybe the rainout on Sunday was good for the team to reset. Alex Kirilloff has stayed hot with a .385 average and five extra-base hits. Carlos Correa went 4-for-7 in the Indians series and is hitting .364. Max Kepler has struggled with a 1-for-20 start, but drew a walk on Saturday. Manny Margot will get a start against a lefty on Monday. Austin Martin could find his way in the lineup as well. The pitching staff has given up just twenty-six runs through seven games. The record should be better than (3-4) based off that. Bailey Ober finally gets another start after a bad outing to start the year. The Twins bullpen has a 0.98 ERA and has allowed just three runs in the first seven games. Jorge Alcala has thrown 4 2/3 shutout innings.

What To Watch For- The Dodgers took two of three games from the Twins last year at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers took all four games from the Twins in 2022. The Dodgers are (12-1) in their past thirteen games versus the Twins. James Paxton is (4-1) with a 2.61 ERA in seven games against the Twins. Carlos Correa has a .407 career average against Paxton. Bailey Ober threw six innings and allowed a run in his lone start against the Dodgers last year. Tyler Glasnow has a 5.00 ERA in nine innings against the Twins. Louie Varland and Bobby Miller have never faced their opponent before. Chris Paddack is (1-4) with a 7.03 ERA in seven starts against the Dodgers. A big storyline should be that Gus Varland and Louie Varland get to share a big league field for the first time. Both guys are from St. Paul and their families will definitely represent them.

-Chris Kreibich-

[highbuttonsports]

Oilers Finally Realizing their Full Potential

(Feb 17 EDM; 3, WPG; 2)

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Wednesday night, acquiring two out of a possible 4 points in the series.

The Oilers started off strong with Jesse Puljujarvi and Leon Draisitl jumping up on the rush and scoring back to back goals within 21 seconds of each other, giving the Oilers an early 2-0 lead.

Connor Mcdavid picked up the primary assist on Puljujarvi’s 4th of the season, cementing his place among hockey royalty with his 500th career point in just 369 games.

Mcdavid tied Sidney Crosby for 8th fastest in NHL history to reach that milestone.

Mark Scheiffle scored on the Jets power play at the end of the first period to cut the Oilers lead in half heading into the first intermission.

Although the Oilers were outshot 35-30 on the night, Mike Smith put on another impressive performance, making 33 saves and posting a .943 save percentage on the night, securing the Oilers 3-2 win.

(Feb 19 EDM; 2, CGY; 1)

The Oilers extinguished the Flames 2-1 on Friday night in Edmonton, putting on a low scoring clinic.

Edmonton started the first period on time with Jesse Puljujarvi scoring just 5 minutes in to give the Oilers an early 1-0 lead. Not only was the offence flying high, but the flames were stamped out early and were unable to even register a shot in the first 7 minutes of the game.

They closed out the first period with a 1-0 lead over the flames, and Gaetan Haas extended the lead late in the second, but the flames responded with a goal from Rasmussen Anderson less than a minute later, bringing the flames within one heading into the third.

Defensively, the Oilers were confidently able to shut down the Flames offense and hold on to secure the win, improving their record to 10-8-0 and winning 5 of their last 6 games.

(Feb 20 EDM; 7, CGY; 1)

The Oilers dominated the Flames in the second half of their back to back meetings, defeating them 7-1 at home.

Connor Mcdavid, who was held off the scoresheet last game came back with a vengeance scoring a natural hat trick with two assists, leading the Oilers to the dominant win.

Mikko Koskinen made 43 saves and posted a .977 save percentage on the night.

“Your team has to grow.” Said head coach Dave Tippett postgame, who seemed happy, but not yet satisfied with his team’s overall performance.

“Early in the year there’s lots of video, there’s lots of growing to do. I give our guys a ton of credit; they've embraced how we wanna play as a team.”

The offense is buzzing, both goaltenders are performing well, and the Oilers have passed Montreal for second place in the North division. But as Tippet highlighted postgame on Saturday, there is definitely still room for growth.

The Oilers D-men have a tendency to cycle low in the offensive zone, creating dynamic pressure on the opposition. While this can prove to be an effective offensive strategy, it can often result in odd man rushes from the opposition.

So team defence is obviously an issue. The Oilers are missing players like Bear and Klefbom desperately, as they currently rank 27th in goals against. But as they continue to build upon their forward momentum, certain issues have be improved upon in order to keep up with a rapidly accelerating North division.

“We’ve found some results but there’s still more growth than this… there’s just parts of our game that can continue to improve if we wanna become the team we really wanna be.”

Dave Tippett seems ready for the challenges that lie ahead for his team

(Feb 23 EDM;4, VAN;3)

The Oilers stunned the Canucks with a 4-3 comeback win in Vancouver last night, extending their winning streak to 4 straight.

Although the Oilers seemed feisty and physical early on, they’re offense was immediately deflated as Bo Horvat managed to score from an awkward angle off the boards, giving the Canucks the early lead.

Seven minutes later, Tyler Myers scored with an unforgiving blast from the point (and an unfortunate tip from Tyler Ennis) extending the Canucks lead to 2-0. Elias Pettersson would then score at 15:17 to extend the lead further, but it was later undone by Dominik Kahun, settling the score at 3-1 heading into intermission one.

After a scoreless second, the Oilers came out flying in the third period, quickly climbing within one with another tally from Kahun at 0:55. Connor Mcdavid would then tie the game on the powerplay, causing for a dramatic finale.

With the Oilers confidently cycling the puck in the Canucks zone, Adam Larsson released a blast from the point richoteting first off the leg of Jujhar Khaira, then off the foot of Tyler Ennis and into the back of the net, finally awarding the Oilers a much deserved lead and thereby redeeming Ennis for the tip in own goal earlier on to secure the hard fought victory.

Oilers fans will look at this latest win as nothing short of triumphant. As head coach Dave Tippett has repeated constantly “your team needs to grow.”

That overall team growth has been quite noticeable in the team’s recent performances, as they’re finally trending upwards in a constantly shifting division.

Looking ahead

The Oilers face the Vancouver Canucks again on Thursday night. Hopefully another thrilling comeback won’t be required and the win streak continues. With steady goaltending and coherent defence and offence, the Oilers will be hard to stop.

After the Canucks, the Oilers will have to face the first place leafs three times in a row at Rogers place. While the Oilers have been on a heater, the Leafs won’t be laying down so easily. Both teams pride themselves on high powered offence, so expect some high scoring contests.

Will the Oilers continue to improve in the face of such adversity? Can they keep the winning streak alive against the league best Leafs? We’ll discuss it all here next week.

-Dave

[bountyofbeads]

NOTHING GIVEN 🇺🇸

EVERYTHING EARNED 🏆🏅!!! This game was about more than ⚽ soccer, it was about EQUAL RIGHTS for women and the LGBTQ community and taking on the BULLY Donald J. Trump. THANK YOU #USWNT for all you have done for women around the world.

#OneNationOneTeam

🏆💜 👏 ⚽🏆💜👏⚽🏆💜⚽👏🏆💜⚽👏🏆💜⚽👏🏆💜⚽👏🏆💜⚽👏

U.S. women's soccer team win 2019 World Cup over the Netherlands in 2-0 final

After a scoreless first half, U.S. women's team co-captain Megan Rapinoe earned the first goal of the game with a penalty kick.

July 7, 2019, 12:55 PM EDT / Updated July 7, 2019, 1:00 PM EDT

By Kalhan Rosenblatt

The U.S. women's national soccer team proved their dominance at the 2019 Women's World Cup by defeating the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday in the championship match.

The victory in Lyon, France, marks the fourth world title for the U.S. women after taking home the cup in 1991, 1999 and 2015.

The first half of the game went scoreless, with co-captain Megan Rapinoe earning the first goal of the game with a penalty kick at the 61-minute mark. Just before the 69-minute mark, midfielder Rose Lavelle scored the second goal.

The U.S. women's national team roared onto the field during the group stage of the World Cup, defeating Thailand,  13-0. They continued to trounce their competitors throughout the games in France.

The win comes after a season that was marked by representation, controversy, calls for equal pay, and public battles against President Donald Trump.

In June, Rapinoe said in a recorded interview that she would decline to visit the White House if invited by Trump. In a video clip shared on social media, Rapinoe told a reporter, "I'm not going to the f---ing White House."

She added that Trump doesn't invite teams he knows will decline or "like he did when the Warriors turned him down, he'll claim they hadn't been invited in the first place."

Trump later responded in a series of tweets, saying he would invite the women's team win or lose, but adding a rebuke for Rapinoe.

"I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women's Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!" Trump wrote.

Rapinoe later accepted a Twitter invitation from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to visit the U.S. House of Representatives.

"It may not be the White House, but we’d be happy to welcome @mPinoe & the entire #USWMNT for a tour of the House of Representatives anytime they’d like," Ocasio-Cortez said.

Two hours later, Rapinoe replied to the tweet, accepting the invitation.

The U.S. women's team not only stirred up drama off the field, but also on it. The high-scoring game against Thailand led some to criticize how they ran up the score and celebrated too much.

Then, forward Alex Morgan garnered backlash after she celebrated a game-winning goal against England in the semifinals with a gesture as if she were sipping from a tea cup. Some said the U.S. women had become too arrogant, but others, including British actress Sophie Turner, praised the athlete.

"I'm really f---ing proud of you, Alex Morgan. Congratulations on your win. And that's the motherf---ing tea," Turner said in an Instagram story.

But despite the debate around the U.S. women's team's etiquette, many said they were a beacon of openness and acceptance in sports, with five out and proud LGBTQ players.

Although they've won on the soccer field, the U.S. women are still fighting for a victory over their pay back home. Prior to the World Cup, the U.S. women's soccer team filed a federal lawsuit, accusing theU.S. Soccer Federation of engaging in "institutionalized gender discrimination" reflected in differences in pay, medical care, travel arrangements and overall workload for the men's and women's teams.

The women's fight for equal pay has also been backed by the Democratic Women's Caucus, which penned an open letter to U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro.

The federation has declined to comment on pending litigation, but said that any pay disparity is "based on differences in the aggregate revenue generated by the different teams and/or any other factor other than sex."

[365footballorg-blog]

Stejskal: Stretched and banged-up, Toronto hope they've hit a turning point

USA Today Sports Images

July 24, 201811:40AM EDT

Toronto FC never thought a post-Concacaf Champions League slump was inevitable.

That’s why, just three days after their dramatic run through the tournament ended with a heartbreaking loss to Chivas de Guadalajara in the final, TFC used their first-choice squad for an MLS match against Chicago. Ten of the 11 players who started for the Reds in Guadalajara were in the lineup again for their home match against the Fire on April 28, with the injured Jozy Altidore coming off for Ager Aketxe in the only change to the XI.

The idea was to capitalize on the momentum they felt they’d built in CCL and get back on track in MLS, where they’d gotten off to a 1-4-0 start. Through 93 minutes, everything was going according to plan. TFC took an early 2-0 lead and, though Chicago pulled one back in the 70th, it looked like Toronto would take all three points. Then, seconds before the final whistle, Alan Gordon equalized for the Fire, bringing a dispiriting week to a depressing end for TFC.

Their hangover had officially begun. The draw kicked off a brutal 3-7-4 stretch that left Toronto in last in the East in points per game heading into last weekend’s match at Chicago.  

“It has been strange. Each time we feel like we’re coming out of it, something else happens, whether that’s with an injury or something in a game and that’s just the way the sport goes sometimes,” TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko told MLSsoccer.com. “Everything went our way in 2017 and this year we’re just having to earn it all. That’s OK, but at some point, we need to break out of this and really kind of show our true colors.”

They may have started that process on Saturday. TFC didn’t play their best match, but they gutted out a 2-1 win at Toyota Park, getting goals from Sebastian Giovinco and Jonathan Osorio to nab a measure of revenge on the Fire. Just as importantly, they got a few of their key players back from injury. Altidore started and went 80 minutes in his first appearance since the Champions League final, center back Chris Mavinga played the full 90 in his first match since May 25 and midfielder Victor Vazquez had a cameo off the bench in his first action since June 24.

Toronto has been riddled with injuries throughout their season-long malaise, but the extended absences of Altidore, Mavinga, Vazquez and center back Drew Moor – who have combined to miss 56 league matches this year – have been one of the drivers of the club’s poor form.

Getting them healthy will be huge for Toronto, with Bezbatchenko saying that their returns will effectively serve as TFC’s big acquisitions in the Secondary Transfer Window. That strategy is partially due to TFC’s faith in those players and partially due to a lack of roster flexibility. Toronto tore through a large chunk of Targeted Allocation Money and budget space as they geared up for a run at CCL this winter and spring. The additions of Aketxe and Gregory van der Wiel and new contracts for Vazquez, Mavinga, Moor, Justin Morrow and Eriq Zavaleta and, in June, Alex Bono left them with little room to maneuver this summer.

According to Bezbatchenko, Aketxe’s loan to Spanish club Cadiz freed up a prorated amount of TAM but didn’t give Toronto any budget relief. Last Friday’s trade of Nicolas Hasler to Chicago in exchange for Jon Bakero and $ 50,000 in General Allocation Money opened a little space on the cap. Still, it’s not much for a team that basically maxed themselves out in the early stages of the season. Bezbatchenko hinted that they’ll still look to make moves this summer and said that they could look for a more physical version of a player with Aketxe’s skill in the midfield, but summer additions will likely have to be smaller in nature.

“We have the amount that we need to do the level of changing that we want,” said Bezbatchenko. “For us, the return of our injured players represents the summer signings. I think that’s very clear in terms of how we see our roster. We don’t feel like this team needs an overhaul or any significant changes. I think we need to look internally and look at ourselves and collectively reset our goals about how we’re going to go about our season and how we’re going to improve and get better.”

Regardless of how the rest of this season goes, expect TFC to take a bit of a different approach this winter. Toronto understandably prioritized continuity this winter as they prepared for their shot at the CCL. That resulted in a somewhat older roster, with many of TFC’s key players, including Giovinco, Moor, Morrow, van der Wiel, Vazquez and Michael Bradley all at least 30.

“I think that’ll be the push into next year, focusing on getting younger, for sure,” said Bezbatchenko. “I think there’s certain areas of the roster where we want to get younger and we have a number of players coming up through our academy that we’re excited about, so that’ll be a push, but I think that’s one factor as we’re looking to evolve the roster over the next year or so that we’re looking at closely.”

That’s a long way off, however. For now, TFC – who Bezbatchenko said would have to be blown away to even consider moving Altidore, Bradley or Giovinco this summer, despite recurring rumors – are focused on getting healthy, fighting for the playoffs and, three months after a tough result against Chicago helped put them in a tailspin, turning last weekend’s win at the Fire into a different type of turning point.

Series: 

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Stejskal: Stretched and banged-up, Toronto hope they've hit a turning point was originally published on 365 Football

[junker-town]

Patriots have played in 7 Super Bowls with Tom Brady and they've all be instant classics

Where does Sunday’s classic comeback rank in the annals of Super Bowl history?

The New England Patriots have never been in a boring Super Bowl under head coach Bill Belichick. They’ve made seven trips, they’ve played seven incredible games.

Sunday’s six-point win over the Falcons was the largest margin of victory the team has ever seen in a Super Bowl with Belichick on the sideline; every other game they played was decided by three or four points. Two came down to field goals with fewer than 10 seconds left on the clock. One came down to an end zone interception with 20 seconds to play.

And, most recently, the Pats capped the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history with a two-yard scoring plunge on the game’s final play.

Tom Brady’s inclusion in the Super Bowl has been a boon for advertisers stuck with fourth quarter time slots. Every time the Patriots play for an NFL title, the final 15 minutes of the game becomes appointment viewing. The four-time Super Bowl MVP has been the catalyst behind 77 fourth quarter and overtime points with the franchise.

Sorting the franchise’s biggest games by order of watchability is a tall task, but a valuable exercise in clutch plays on both sides of the ball. Here’s the definitive list of New England Super Bowls, ranging from nap material to late game rallies that induce more sweat and panicky breathing than a bottle of Blair’s Death Sauce.

9. Super Bowl XX: Bears 46, Patriots 10 8. Super Bowl XXXI: Packers 35, Patriots 21

Two boring remnants from the pre-Belichick era sandwich a wasteland of terrible football. We remember No. 9 because a 300-pound defensive lineman scored a touchdown. We remember No. 8 because Desmond Howard ripped out the hearts of Patriots fans with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter. Ultimately, these were bad games, no matter what Chicago and Green Bay fans say.

7. Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots 24, Eagles 21

The fact Terrell Owens isn’t in the Hall of Fame is proof this game remains the most easily forgotten of New England’s Super Bowl wins. The outspoken wide receiver made a stunning recovery from a broken leg to catch nine passes for 126 yards. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to overcome Brady and his own coach’s bizarre clock management.

Philadelphia trailed 24-14 with just under six minutes to play when it got the ball back on its own 21-yard line. Rather than execute a hurry-up offense, Andy Reid took a more relaxed approach. By the time Greg Lewis’ 30-yard touchdown catch made this a one-possession game, the two-minute warning had come and gone. A failed onside kick pretty much sealed this one, though the aborted rally did give us the urban legend of Donovan McNabb puking during the most important game of his life.

6. Super Bowl XLVI: Giants 21, Patriots 17

New York overcame a 17-9 second half deficit thanks in part to Mario Manningham’s over-the-shoulder, tiptoe catch down the sideline. However, this game was slightly boring, featuring only four touchdowns but cementing Eli Manning’s status as the only man who can derail the Patriots’ dynasty.

5. Super Bowl XXXVIII: Patriots 32, Panthers 29

This game went from boring to bananas extremely quickly, and the fact it’s only ranked fifth is a testament to how great the rest of these games are. No one scored for the first 26:55 before the floodgates opened. The two teams combined for 24 points in the final three-plus minutes, took the third quarter off, and then blew up for 37 more in a bonkers fourth.

An 85-yard bomb from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad gave Carolina its first lead of the game with 6:53 left, but a two-yard pass to linebacker/touchdown machine Mike Vrabel put the Pats up by seven with fewer than three minutes to play. Delhomme ran a masterful two-minute drill to knot this game back up and kick off a million “no Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime” talking points.

But like the Rams two years prior, the Panthers gave Brady and Adam Vinatieri too much time to counterpunch. John Kasay’s ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, leaving a short field for Brady, who calmly drove his offense 37 yards to set up Vinatieri’s game-winning 41-yard kick.

Also, we saw Janet Jackson’s nipple, and it was wearing armor like a tiny Spartan soldier, which was neat.

4. Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots 20, Rams 17

The game that made Brady a star and got thousands of New England fans telling John Madden to shut his fat mouth. New England was a two-touchdown underdog thanks to the unheralded second-year quarterback behind center and a roster that weighed heavily both young, unproven players (Brady, Richard Seymour, Kevin Faulk) other team’s castaways (Vrabel, Antowain Smith, Otis Smith). Across the sideline were the Rams, led by a Hall of Fame quarterback and The Greatest Show on Turf.

The Patriots were able to grind their way to a 17-3 fourth-quarter lead, but 2002 Kurt Warner was not a force to be contained for long. He rallied St. Louis to two late touchdown drives that made the Rams’ ascension to mini-dynasty a foregone conclusion. When New England got the ball back on its own 17-yard line with 1:21 to play, Madden implored the team to play for overtime rather than risk losing.

Instead, Brady did what he does best, turning anonymous players into stars en route to a jaw-dropping win. He completed passes to Troy Brown, J.R. Redmond, and Jermaine Wiggins to set up Vinatieri’s 48-yard game winning field goal. The ball dropped through the uprights as time expired, and the Patriots earned their first-ever NFL championship.

3. Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17, Patriots 14

New England’s 19-0 season was chewed up and spit out by a Giants defense that adjusted masterfully after giving up 38 points to Brady and his offense in the final game of the regular season. The Patriots were 12.5-point favorites, but scored the fewest points they had all season in a stunning defeat.

Those 14 points were nearly enough to win, too. The Patriots took a 14-10 lead late in the fourth quarter on a six-yard touchdown toss to Randy Moss, then looked to have the game wrapped up when an Eli Manning pass wound up in the hands of All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel. But Samuel couldn’t corral the ball, and his drop gave New York new life. The opportunity led to this display of all-time wizardry from Manning and David Tyree.

Four plays later, an end zone fade route to Plaxico Burress gave the Giants a dramatic win and erased New England’s bid to be the greatest team of all time.

2. Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24

Malcolm Butler had a bad game against the Falcons on Sunday. He could have stood at midfield singing campfire songs for 60 minutes and it still would have been a net win for New England. The undrafted cornerback’s end zone interception of Russell Wilson preserved the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl win and may be the most clutch play in Super Bowl history.

Butler’s play is the headliner, but Brady’s ability to drive his team back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit was the true difference maker. The veteran quarterback had played poorly early, even taking points off the scoreboard with an ill-advised interception in the end zone. Then, with the game on the line, he completed 14 of his final 16 passes to lead New England to a pair of touchdowns and set up Butler’s heroic pick.

No Super Bowl has ever swung so wildly on a single play.

1. Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT)

Didn’t think anything could top Butler’s dramatic interception? It turns out you’d need a game that tied or set 31 different Super Bowl records to do so. Brady looked like garbage in the first half; his passes came in soft and were strangely inaccurate for the legendary passer. A bullying Falcons pass rush kept him from getting comfortable and doing Brady things, even capitalizing on a misread for an 82-yard Robert Alford pick-six.

That changed in the second half. The Patriots shored up the holes in their offensive line and Brady went to work. A 28-3 deficit shrunk like plastic in the oven, aided by some questionable playcalling from Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. As the clock wound down on an “everything has to go right” situation, every outcome came up New England.

As if the fates weren’t telegraphing the outcome enough, the Patriots even got their own version of Tyree’s helmet catch.

Brady kept completing passes, finding holes in the Atlanta secondary en route to a record 462 passing yards. James White, the unheralded third-down back who spent the season overshadowed by LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis, set his own title game record with 14 receptions. A defense that was gashed for 28 points in a 15:17 span went the final 27 minutes of the game without surrendering a single point.

No team in the NFL has ever done what the Patriots did Sunday night. At this juncture, those record breaking, sweaty-palmed, beer gripping performances are becoming the standard for which New England Super Bowls have become known.