SUPER BOWL PREVIEW: Giants, Patriots Have Plenty of History

When the New England Patriots and New York Giants meet in Sunday’s Super Bowl it will not only be a rematch of Super Bowl XLII in 2008 but will renew a very balanced rivalry between the two storied franchises.

While the Patriots and Giants have only met one other time in the playoffs, this is the 11th meeting between the teams with the squads splitting the previous 10 meetings.

The most memorable of those matchups include:

Aug. 15, 1971— The Patriots defeated the Giants 20-14 in the opening preseason game at Schaefer Stadium. Dec. 21, 1996— The Patriots rallied from a 22-3 fourth-quarter deficit to clinch a first-round playoff bye with a 23-22 win at Giants Stadium. Aug. 10, 2001— New England began its first Super Bowl championship season with a 14-0 preseason shutout of the defending NFC champion Giants. Dec. 29, 2007— The Patriots defeat the Giants in a thrilling 38-35 game to cap off the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history. February 3, 2008— The Patriots faced the Giants in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz. The Giants 17-14 win snapped the Patriots’ perfect season. This will actually be the third time the Giants and Patriots have met this season. Along with playing in the 2011 preseason finale at Gillette Stadium, where the Giants won 18-17 win, the Giants also won the regular season meeting Nov. 6 at Gillette Stadium 24-20 to snap the Patriots’ 20-game home winning streak.

Yet, somehow the Giants are not favored heading into Sunday’s Super Bowl.

A look at the complete series history between the Giants and Patriots:

Regular Season – New England 5, New York 4

10/18/70 Giants win 16-0 at Harvard Stadium 09/22/74 Patriots win 28-20 at Yale Bowl 11/08/87 Giants win 17-10 at Giants Stadium 12/30/90 Giants win 13-10 at Foxboro Stadium 12/21/96 Patriots win 23-22 at Giants Stadium 09/26/99 Patriots win 16-14 at Foxboro Stadium 10/12/03 Patriots win 17-6 at Gillette Stadium 12/29/07 Patriots win 38-35 at Giants Stadium 11/06/11 Giants win 24-20 at Gillette Stadium Playoffs – New York 1, New England 0

02/03/08 Giants win 14-17 at U. of Phoenix Stadium