TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Perfect Ending For Patriots

AP photo

Randy Moss (81) runs into the end zone after catching a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady during the fourth quarter. Brady broke the single-season record with his 50th touchdown pass and Moss broke the single season-record with his 23rd touchdown reception on the play.

ADVERTISEMENT

By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 30, 2007

Updated: 12/30/2007 12:34 am

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Saturday night's unprecedented triple-simulcast didn't do justice to the Patriots-Giants matchup.

This one belonged on The History Channel.

Just when members of the 1972 Dolphins were ready to pop the champagne 1,300 miles away, Tom Brady and the rest of his relentless Patriots remained perfectly bubbly by rallying for a 38-35 victory.

New England's comeback from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter finished off the first 16-0 regular season in the league's 88-year history, but New York fans stood and cheered their NFC wild-card entrants for playing with precision and passion on the brink of an opening-round playoff game at Tampa.

The game attracted so much national interest, the league invited CBS and NBC to share the NFL Network's feed.

Thousands of New England fans scooped up tickets on eBay for an opportunity to witness a historic occasion, and the visiting Patriots didn't disappoint. They reeled off 22 consecutive points after falling behind 28-16.

"I'm proud of the way this team responded," Brady said. "We're losing there in the second half and came out and played some of our better football. We're down 10 or 11 actually 12 in the third quarter, the crowd was into it, and we found a way to win. That's the way it's going to be down the stretch ... just hope we can continue to play this kind of football."

Instead of resting their regulars, the Giants pulled well ahead on Eli Manning's third touchdown pass of the evening. Manning added a 3-yard scoring toss to Plaxico Burress with 64 seconds remaining for the final margin.

New England linebacker Mike Vrabel then sealed the decision by covering New York's onside kick.

Although center Shaun O'Hara (knee), cornerback Sam Madison (abdominal strain) and former University South Florida standout linebacker Kawika Mitchell (knee) all hobbled off, New York coach Tom Coughlin backed up his pregame stance by playing to win against a juggernaut.

Still, the most prolific scoring offense in NFL annals, with 589 points this season, kept coming.

A 6-yard scoring run by Laurence Maroney sliced New England's deficit to 28-23 late in the third quarter before Randy Moss provided the game's signature play - helping the Pats break the record of two NFL icons in the process. One snap after Moss dropped a potential 50-yard bomb, the prized offseason addition hauled in a 65-yard scoring pass from Brady, running past safety James Butler for the go-ahead touchdown with 11:06 left.

When Brady found Moss in stride for his 50th touchdown pass of the season, he topped the single-season mark set by the Colts' Peyton Manning in 2004. And with his 23rd scoring reception, Moss moved past Jerry Rice, who caught 22 touchdown passes for the 49ers during the strike-shortened 1987 season.

Maroney barely crossed the goal line on a draw play for a 2-point conversion that put New England ahead 31-28.

An Ellis Hobbs interception at midfield led to Maroney's 5-yard scoring run with 4:36 left as the Patriots capitalized on the game's only turnover.

The Patriots, who rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit at Indianapolis in Week 9, are now 44-0 since 2003 when winning the turnover battle.

New England's 19th consecutive regular-season win kept the Pats unbeaten before a refreshing bye week to gear up for a run at their fourth championship in seven years.

If they finish 19-0, the Patriots would surpass the 17-0 mark of the '72 Dolphins, the only perfect club in NFL history. That team went 14-0 in the regular season.

The Giants went 60 yards on seven plays following the second-half kickoff to extend their advantage to 12 points, the largest deficit faced by New England all season.

Burress finished off the drive by grabbing Manning's 19-yard strike in the right corner before the stunned Patriots trudged off the field.

The Giants executed sharply in the opening half, scoring three touchdowns on their four possessions while New England kept settling for Steve Gostkowski field goals.

Manning had ample time to throw for 155 yards before intermission, including short scoring flips to running back Brandon Jacobs and tight end Kevin Boss, who is making Giants fans forget about injured Jeremy Shockey.

When Brady and Moss connected for a 4-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter, Moss was penalized for excessive celebration. That touchdown pushed New England past the 1998 Vikings, who featured an electric rookie receiver named Randy Moss and owned the NFL's previous single-season scoring record with 556 points.

That unsportsmanlike-conduct flag proved costly as Domenik Hixon fielded the ensuing kickoff at his 26 and dashed into the end zone untouched to put the Giants back ahead 14-10.

Two field goals restored New England's lead with 1:59 remaining in the half, but Manning wasn't finished exploiting the Patriots' secondary as he directed an eight-play march that covered 85 yards, capped by a 3-yard toss to Boss that left the Patriots trailing 21-16 at intermission.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT