The New England Patriots’ path to perfection has one last hurdle: a New York team of road warriors hoping for a Giant upset.
“We’ll try to elevate our game for one last performance,” said Tom Brady, the Patriots’ dimple-chinned, record-setting quarterback with the model girlfriend.
Brady and the Patriots (18-0) will try to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to complete an undefeated season when they face Eli Manning and the Giants on Feb. 3 in the Super Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.
“I think you enter the season and you’re hoping to put together a bunch of great wins and you realize there’s challenges every step of the way,” Brady said after beating San Diego 21-12 in the AFC championship game Sunday. “To not have a letdown like most teams have — we had a few letdowns or times where we didn’t play our best, but we overcame them.”
Standing in the Patriots’ way are the Giants (13-6) and Manning — Peyton’s little brother, whose moxie and leadership abilities no longer can be questioned.
“We haven’t been given a shot, but we’re here,” Manning said. “I think we’re deserving of it.”
Las Vegas oddsmakers might think differently. They installed New England as a 131/2-point favorite in the big game, in which New York will get another shot at destroying the Patriots’ path to perfection.
New England won 38-35 in its final game of the regular season, rallying from a 12-point second-half deficit against the Giants. The teams also played in the preseason finale, when New England won — with Brady sitting that one out.
