It's a rematch. New England and New York both took care of business on Sunday afternoon, setting up a rematch of epic proportions, the Patriots and Giants, who will do battle in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Of course, the two teams met in Super Bowl XLII, where the Giants shocked the world and ended the Patriots' pursuit of perfection with a 17-14 victory that send the G-men to immortality while New England finished with a huge stain on its otherwise impressive 18-1 record. Eli Manning (255 yards, 2 TDs) found Plaxico Burress in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds left.
The game-winning score was set up by the infamous David Tyree helmet catch, giving the Giants new life in the most improbable fashion. The loss was a blemish on Tom Brady's record, as the legendary quarterback lost his perfect record in Super Bowls. However, Brady will have the perfect change to avenge that loss as he appears in his fifth Super Bowl.
Brady and the Pats held on against the Baltimore Ravens, 23-20, on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game. Brady threw for 239 yards and was picked off twice, but the Pats received a little help from above as Billy Cundiff missed the potential game-tying field goal with 15 seconds left, sending New England to the Super Bowl.
More: Patriots reactions to emotional 23-20 victory against the Ravens
Across the country, it took an extra quarter for the Giants to settles things with the San Francisco 49ers, but a Lawrence Tynes 31-yard field goal in overtime sent New York back to the Super Bowl in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. Manning threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns while Victor Cruz had 142 receiving yards in the victory for New York.
New England and New York met once in the regular season, with Manning's bunch topping Brady's bunch by a score of 24-20. Manning threw for 250 yards, two scores and an interception and Cruz had 91 yards on six catches. Meanwhile, Brady had a big game, racking up 342 passing yards with two touchdown and two picks in the loss for New England.
While the Super Bowl isn't for two weeks, the build up has already begun. This will be fun.
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