August 24, 2026
August 24, 2026
Imperfect Giants: Perfect Ending
The talk of the 2007 NFL regular season was not the New York Giants. Instead, because of what occurred after their season opener against the New York Jets, which set off the Spygate scandal, the New England Patriots became the talk of the league, and far more attention was paid to the Patriots as they pursued a perfect, undefeated season.
The Giants, on the other hand, were anything but perfect heading into the season. Before regular season play began, the Giants re-signed key free-agent offensive lineman Shaun O’Hara to keep the offensive line intact, but they lost running back Tiki Barber to retirement on February 12, 2007. On April 28 and 29, the Giants made a series of savvy selections in the 2007 NFL Draft, taking cornerback Aaron Ross out of Texas, wide receiver Steve Smith from the University of Southern California, tight end Kevin Boss from Western Oregon, safety Michael Johnson from Arizona, and running back Ahmed Bradshaw from Marshall.
The Giants had a disappointing start to the regular season, opening 0-2 with a 45-35 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on September 9 and a 35-13 home loss to the Green Bay Packers on September 16. Thankfully for the Giants, they turned things around with a six-game winning streak that ran from September 23 to October 28. Some of their most impressive wins during that streak came in Week 6 on October 15, when they beat the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football 31-10, and in Week 7 on October 21, when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 33-15.
The Giants then took a step back against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12 on November 25, losing 41-14 to drop to 7-4 on the season. The next two weeks proved far more helpful for New York, as the team rallied to secure close victories over the Chicago Bears on December 2 and the Philadelphia Eagles on December 9, winning 21-16 and 16-13, respectively. The New York Giants stood as the last obstacle for the New England Patriots to overcome to secure a perfect 16-0 regular season when the Patriots traveled to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on December 29. Though the Giants put forth a valiant effort, they fell to the Patriots 38-35 in Week 17.
Starting every game for the Giants, quarterback Eli Manning completed 297 of 529 pass attempts for the regular season, a 56.1% completion rate, throwing for 3,336 yards and 23 touchdowns against 20 interceptions. Running back Brandon Jacobs anchored New York’s running game, rushing for 1,009 yards and 4 touchdowns while adding 23 receptions for 174 yards and 2 touchdown catches. Running back Derrick Ward also contributed to the rushing attack, running for 602 yards and 3 touchdowns while catching 26 passes for 179 yards and a score.
Tight end Jeremy Shockey had 57 receptions for 619 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, Shockey was lost for the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured fibula and ankle damage against the Washington Redskins on December 16, and Kevin Boss stepped in as the starting tight end for the rest of the way. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress had 70 receptions for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns, and wide receiver Amani Toomer added 59 receptions for 760 yards and 3 touchdowns. According to official team statistics, the Giants finished the 2007 NFL season with a 10-6 record, placing second in the NFC East and clinching the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs.
As a wild card, the Giants traveled to Raymond James Stadium on January 6 to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, pulling out a 24-14 win. Eli Manning turned in a solid performance, completing 20 of 27 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Giants then traveled to Texas Stadium in Arlington to face the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round on January 13, 2008, pulling out a 21-17 win. Manning completed 12 of 18 passes for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Amani Toomer had a 52-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
In the NFC Championship Game on January 20, the Giants traveled to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers in sub-zero weather. Eli Manning completed 21 of 40 passes for 251 yards, and Plaxico Burress caught 11 passes for 151 yards, but the Giants leaned heavily on their running game to get it done. Brandon Jacobs carried the ball 21 times for 67 yards and a touchdown, while Ahmed Bradshaw added 63 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Kicker Lawrence Tynes made three field goals, including the game-winner in overtime, to send the Giants into the Super Bowl with a 23-20 win.
In Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, the New York Giants got another shot at spoiling the New England Patriots’ pursuit of perfection, and it turned into a classic. The Patriots entered as 12-point favorites, but the Giants opened the game with the longest drive in Super Bowl history, marching 77 yards over 16 plays and 9:59 of game time while converting three third-down plays. The drive stalled, however, and the Giants had to settle for a Lawrence Tynes field goal.
New England running back Laurence Maroney returned the next kickoff 43 yards to start the first Patriots drive from their own 43-yard line, and he punched in a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give New England a 7-3 lead. Maroney finished the game with 4 kickoff returns for 94 yards. The third quarter was a defensive struggle in which neither team scored. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed 29 of 48 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, but he was pressured all day by New York’s defense, particularly its “NASCAR Package,” which sent four defensive ends after him at once. Defensive end Justin Tuck played a key role in keeping Brady off balance, sacking him twice and forcing a fumble.
To open the fourth quarter, Eli Manning completed a 45-yard pass to Kevin Boss, setting up three rushing attempts by Ahmed Bradshaw for 13 yards, a 17-yard Steve Smith reception, and a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver David Tyree with 11:10 remaining to give the Giants a 10-7 lead. The Patriots answered with an impressive drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to wide receiver Randy Moss with 2:42 remaining.
The Giants got the ball back at their own 17-yard line with 2:39 left and all three timeouts in hand. Their final drive featured Eli Manning completing an 11-yard pass to Amani Toomer, then finding Toomer again for a 9-yard gain on third-and-10. Brandon Jacobs ran up the middle for 2 yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive alive, and Manning added a 5-yard scramble of his own. On third-and-5 with 1:15 remaining, the Giants pulled off one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history: Manning spun away from a pair of New England defenders and threw a 32-yard pass to David Tyree, who leapt over Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and pinned the ball against the crown of his helmet as he fell backward, a moment still remembered today as the Helmet Catch. Steve Smith added a 12-yard reception three plays later, and with 0:39 remaining, Plaxico Burress caught a 13-yard touchdown pass, beating Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs on a slant-and-go route to put the Giants up 17-14. The defense held off one last Patriots drive to complete one of the biggest upsets in sports history. The New York Giants had won Super Bowl XLII, a perfect ending to an otherwise imperfect season.
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