Super Bowl XLII: Patriots vs. ... Giants?
The Patriots did what they were supposed to do.
The Packers did not.
And now we have a Super Bowl we didn't really want, a Super Bowl matching the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.
Ack.
New England defeated the San Diego Chargers 21-12, yes. But then the Packers and Giants played a weird game in the sub-zero temperatures of Green Bay, and Brett Favre and the Packers never really got it going, and the Giants won 23-20 in overtime.
Again. Ack.
Favre was awful, especially in the second half and overtime, when he appeared to have no idea where he was throwing the ball. It left me wondering if deep cold takes more of a toll the older you are. (I think it does). Which might explain why Favre, who is 38, looked as if he were barely conscious after halftime.
The Packers were on their heels the whole second half. They got a touchdown thanks to a silly unnecessary roughness penalty that led to a short touchdown pass ... and a field goal after the Giants' R. W. McWhorters fumbled away an interception of Favre.
The Giants had a pair of touchdowns in the second half, and a pair of missed field goals, including one to end regulation.
The Packers won the flip for overtime, and on the second play Favre threw a horrendous pass, way short, way late, and intercepted by Corey Webster of the Giants, and a minute or two later the Giants got the winning field goal. And there went our dream Super Bowl, the Packers (the real America's Team) and the unbeaten Patriots.
(I'm writing more about this topic for the Monday newspapers.)
Said Favre: "It felt like everything had fallen into place. All that was left was to play the game ... I was disappointed that the last pass I threw in this game was intercepted and gave them a chance to win.
"We didn't play as well in the second half as we did in the first half, and once again give them credit."
He conceded the Packers felt as if they were blowing their chances to put away the game and get on to Glendale, Ariz., where they might thaw out in time for the game.
"For me, i was thinking how many opportunities are we going to let slip away? And we couldn't give them as many opportunities as we gave them, and that's what happened. We had chances to move the ball and get at least a field goal ... we never could get our running game untracked, which played a big part of it. too."
Said Super Bowl QB Eli Manning. (Yes, Eli Manning.) "You never know when you're going to get your opportunity, you never know when you're going to click and get hot ...
"We're going to Arizona and we're fired up."