Super Bowl power rankings: Who’s the best loser?
By John Buhler
1. 2007 New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLII
Was there any doubt who would be No. 1 on this list? Of course not. Not since the 1972 Miami Dolphins had an NFL team been able to orchestrate an undefeated regular season and play for a Super Bowl. The 2007 New England Patriots were the best team to never win a Super Bowl. Period.
New England went 16-0 that year and won both AFC Playoff game by two scores over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round and the San Diego Chargers in the 2007 AFC Championship. 2007 was the year that quarterback Tom Brady finally had an elite offensive weapon to throw the football to in one of the most physically gifted wide receivers of all-time, Randy Moss.
The Patriots were juggernauts in 2007. The only team that seemed to not cower beneath them was the eventual NFC Champion New York Giants. These two teams would meet in Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season with Patriots holding on by three points to defeat the Giants, 38-35, in Giants Stadium.
Super Bowl XLII was played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, with the Patriots being a 12-point favorite over the Giants. Somehow, someway Giants quarterback Eli Manning helped lead New York to an improbable, 17-14, victory in Super Bowl XLII to upend the undefeated Patriots.
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Manning’s fourth down completion to never-used wide receiver David Tyree, who had to use his helmet to bring in the catch, will go down as one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Manning successfully evaded the vaunted New England pass rush to pull off the 32-yard completion.
Admittedly, the Giants were a venerable matchup for the Patriots in their two Super Bowl matchups, given their dominant pass rush at the time. That seemed to have an effect on Brady’s ability to move the ball, and really stifled New England’s top-flight offense.
Manning’s performance in this game trumps anything his father Archie or older brother Peyton did at the quarterback position. This was the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, plain and simple.