J.K. Rolling

Author: Jeff Klein

Wow. I'm still catching my breath from this exhilarating day of football.

After winning their respective games Sunday, the New England Patriots and New York Giants will meet in Super Bowl XLII in what should be an epic game filled with all sorts of drama and storylines.

In the afternoon affair, the Patriots fought off the Chargers 21-12 to continue their pursuit of a perfect season. It wasn't the prettiest of games for the Pats. Tom Brady threw a season-high three interceptions, and for the second straight game Randy Moss was a non-factor, catching only one ball for 18 yards. His biggest impact came on a 14-yard end-around late in the first quarter. But, as has been the case all season, the Pats came through in the clutch and earned the victory. They are 18-0 on the season and will try to complete their historic season undefeated when they host the Giants in two weeks.

Speaking of the Giants, they again proved the naysayers wrong with a stunning overtime victory, outlasting the Green Bay Packers 23-20 at frigid Lambeau Field (temperature at kickoff was -1 with a wind-chill of -23). Quarterback Eli Manning still has his large share of critics - many people thought he wouldn't be able to handle the cold - but nonetheless he turned in an excellent, turnover-free playoff performance for the third consecutive week. He has yet to throw an interception in the 2008 playoffs, a remarkable turnaround from the regular season, in which he threw almost as many picks as touchdowns. Plaxico Burress played the game of his life, catching 11 passes for 154 yards, which established a Giants postseason record. The Giants as a team showed incredible resiliency, overcoming five fumbles and two crucial missed field goals by Lawrence Tynes, the second of which would have won the game with four seconds remaining in regulation. But Tynes was able to atone for his blunders with the game-winning, 47-yard field goal in overtime.

The game will be a rematch of the regular season finale, which the Patriots won 38-35. But in that game, the Giants proved that they could compete with the Patriots, to say the least. The G-Men led 28-16 early in the second half, which accounted for the Pats' largest deficit of the season. They were able to get consistent pressure on Brady using an array of blitzes and were able to expose New England's suspect run defense. While the Patriots pulled it out in the end, the Giants showed that they could match up with the league's best and have been rolling ever since.

Expect the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl sequel to be no different. Eli Manning has grown up infinitely in this year's playoffs, Ahmad Bradshaw has developed into a legit and explosive running back and the defense has shown that it can harass opposing quarterbacks into submission. Yes, even Tom Brady.

While the Patriots may be the better team, as a die-hard Giants fan I feel compelled to take them in the rematch. The Patriots are being labeled as a "team of destiny" and one more win would produce a storybook ending. But in the biggest game of his career, Eli Manning will come up huge and propel the Giants to victory, avenging their regular season defeat and ruining the Pats' perfect season.

Now that's what I call a storybook ending.