How it unfolded
New England arrived 18–0 after a 16–0 regular season — 589 points, Brady's 50 TD passes, and Randy Moss's 23 receiving TDs were all records. The Giants were 12-point underdogs who won three road playoff games as a wildcard. New York's opening drive lasted 9:59, a Super Bowl record, ending in a field goal. Through three quarters the teams combined for only 10 points; the Giants' pass rush knocked Brady down five times. Eli Manning's five-yard TD to David Tyree put New York up 10–7, but Brady answered with a six-yard strike to Moss for 14–10 with 2:42 left. On the final drive, from his 44 on third-and-5 with 1:15 remaining, Manning escaped two tacklers and Tyree pinned a 32-yard pass against his helmet. Four plays later Manning hit Plaxico Burress for a 13-yard TD with 35 seconds left.
Why it still matters
Perfection died in the last game — 17–0 stayed unique since Miami 1972. The game showed even the most polished offence can break under a four-man rush, raising the price of pass-rush talent. Eli repeated the upset over the same opponent in Super Bowl XLVI four years later.