The New York Giants stunned most NFL viewers with their surprising regular season win-out, which escorted them into play-offs, where they dominated and now encounter the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday.

It all started with 32 teams and now we are down to final top two teams who will go head-to-head Feb. 5 for the NFL’s biggest title. I didn’t expect the Giants who ended the season under 10 wins at 9-7 to make it to the Super Bowl, but then again I didn’t expect the 49ers to go 13-3 this season.

The Giants and Patriots have a lot of history. These two teams only play each other every four years. The last time they played each other prior to this season was in the 2007 season when the Giants lost to the Patriots during their perfect season but the Giants re-met the Pat’s that year in the Super Bowl. This season in week eight, the Giants defeated the Patriots in New England 24-20 but the Pat’s (5-3) counteracted with a ten game win streak after their loss to New York at home, ensuring a spot in the Super Bowl and again these two teams will play twice in four years, not just once.

This will be the Patriot’s fifth Super Bowl appearance in the last decade, winning three of those four championships. The Giants have been to the big game twice in the last decade, but both those times were in the last 4 years. Not to mention the last time the Giants were in the Super Bowl, it was in 2008 when they were victorious over the undefeated Patriots, winning the game 17-14.

For the Patriots, that was an enormous history-preventing loss; they could have been the first team in a 16 regular-game season to go undefeated but the Giants prohibited that perfect title from them leaving the Pat’s with an 18-1 record in their Super Bowl loss. The only other undefeated team is the 1972 Miami Dolphins who went 17-0 but that was in the times when regular season only consisted of 14 games.

Back in the early 2000’s is when the Patriots were truly unstoppable and were always foreseen as play-off and Super Bowl contenders, where the bulk of their S.B. appearances were from 2002-2008 but for the last four years the Pat’s have struggled to make it to the big game.

Although, this season, the Patriots have dominated on the scoreboard ending every game except for four with 30+ points, where the Giants have only had four 30+ games in regular season.

A large part of how the Giants pulled out the win in the 2008 Super Bowl was by putting enormous pressure on Tom Brady, never allowing him to find his grove. Brady was sacked five times in that Super Bowl while Justin Tuck dominated on defense with a forced fumble, six tackles, and two sacks.

According to Jeff Amtoft, a local NYG statistic-dropping fan, “In 2007 the Giants lost twice to Cowboys, to Green Bay, and to New England during the regular season, but then got their revenge beating the Cowboys, GB, and NE in the playoffs during there road warrior year… this year GB and SF beat Giants during the regular season only to have the Giants get their revenge in the playoffs… Giants beat NE in the regular season, will NE get their revenge?”

Both quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl’s MVP, Manning once (in 2008 in his triumph over NE) and Brady twice (2002, 2004), both capable of earning the title again this year. Personally, I love to see when wide receivers or other star performers other than quarterbacks win the MVP award, because to me QB’s are expected to be each team’s most valuable player.

Amtoft and I agree that every 49er fan should not want the Patriots or at least Tom Brady to win on Sunday because he could tie one of greatest quarterbacks of all-time, Joe Montana, with four Super Bowl wins. Although, local 49ers fan, Carlos Heredia, said he is rooting for Tom Brady to win because in his eyes Brady cannot compare to Montana’s Super Bowl performances. Tom Brady has already lost a Super Bowl and will never be able do out-do Montana’s impeccable 4-0 Super Bowl record, not to mention Montana has never thrown an interception in an S.B. unlike Brady.

I predict the Giants will succeed in the Super Bowl with a 38-31 victory but not after a though rally. I think the Giants will put a ton of pressure on Brady, but Brady competes well under pressure and in the red zone. I initially thought this would be a low scoring game, much like the 2008 Super Bowl, but back then both the Giants and Patriots had better defenses that were suppressing the offense. This year, both QB’s have been playing great and I expect to see their skills raging during Sunday’s game. But to be honest, the game will most likely come down to which ever team has the ball last, the game ending by a seven or three point margin.

Personally, I am sick of the Patriots, I want Sunday to be their last trip to the Super Bowl for another four years or more. The Patriots are old news and are boring to watch now and I look forward to the Giants pressuring Brady while dominating the score board.