Patriots' face Giants in final run for record books

By Steve Ginsburg

PHOENIX (Reuters) - The New England Patriots' pursuit of a perfect season reaches a climax on Sunday when they face the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

After reeling off 18 straight victories, New England hopes to secure their fourth championship in the last seven years by beating the two-touchdown underdog Giants at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Either the Patriots become arguably the greatest team in NFL history or they become a benchmark for squandered opportunities. No team has gone 19-0 in a season.

"I think it's the biggest game of all of our lives -- my life, the entire team, our coaches," double Super Bowl MVP quarterback Tom Brady told reporters. "We're going to be remembering this game for as long as we live, win or lose.

"We're going to have great memories of this experience or we're going to look at it truly as a missed opportunity.

"There's not too many teams in the history of the NFL -- none, in fact -- that have been 18-0 going into this game."

New England is the highest scoring team in NFL history and Brady's 50 touchdown passes also is a record. Toss in wide receiver Randy Moss's record 23 TD catches and you have what could be the NFL's all-time best offense.

But the Giants (13-6) and their up-and-down quarterback Eli Manning have played in the postseason like a team determined to prove it belongs among the NFL's elite.