PATRIOTS (13-3) vs. GIANTS (9-7)
Sunday, February 5, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. *
*Lucas Oil Stadium (63,000)*
*Regular season capacity
The New England Patriots will seek their fourth Super Bowl title when they face off against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5.
PATRIOTS ADVANCE TO SEVENTH SUPER BOWL OVERALL; SIXTH OF THE KRAFT ERA
New England has advanced to its seventh Super Bowl in franchise history, a total that ranks third in NFL history behind only Dallas and Pittsburgh (8 berths each). The Patriots' appearance in Super Bowl XLVI will be its sixth Super Bowl appearance since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, a total that is the most in the league over that span (Pittsburgh, 4). Kraft is the first owner in NFL history to have his team in six Super Bowls.
ALL-TIME SUPER BOWL BERTHS
8 Dallas
8 Pittsburgh
7 New England
6 Denver
SUPER BOWL REMATCH
Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis will be the fifth Super Bowl rematch in NFL history. The New England Patriots and the New York Giants faced each other in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008 in Arizona with the Giants prevailing 17-14.
SUPER BOWL REMATCHES
Miami vs. Washington - Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl XVII Pittsburgh vs. Dallas - Super Bowl X, Super Bowl XIII, Super Bowl XXX San Francisco vs. Cincinnati - Super Bowl XVI, Super Bowl XXIII Dallas-Buffalo vs. Super Bowl XXVII, Super Bowl XXVIII
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: The game will be broadcast by NBC and can be seen in Boston on WHDH-TV Channel 7. Al Michaels will handle play-by-play duties with Cris Collinsworth providing color. Michele Tafoya will serve as the sideline reporter.
NATIONAL RADIO: This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by Westwood One Radio Sports. Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason will call the game. James Lofton and Mark Malone will provide sideline analysis.
RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 35th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Scott Zolak will provide sideline analysis.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Giants will meet in their second Super Bowl on Feb. 5, 2012 in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be a rematch of Super Bowl XLII played on Feb. 13, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz. The Giants 17-14 win in that game snapped the Patriots' perfect season.
The Super Bowl will be the third time in 2011 that the Patriots and Giants will square off. They met in the 2011 preseason-finale at Gillette Stadium with the Giants taking an 18-17 win. They met in the regular season when the Giants ended a 20-game home winning streak for the Patriots with a 24-20 win on Nov. 6 at Gillette Stadium.
The two teams have met nine times in the regular season since their series was inaugurated in 1970. The Patriots claim a 5-4 edge in regular season play The series dates back to 1970, the year of the AFL-NFL merger and includes some memorable games despite the relative infrequency of the matchups. In 1996, the Patriots stole a 23-22 win to clinch a playoff berth after trailing 22-3 in the fourth quarter. In the 2007 regular season, the Patriots captured a 38-35 win to finish a perfect 16-0.
The first preseason game between the teams was the first NFL game played in Foxborough, as the Patriots opened Schaefer Stadium with a 20-14 win. The clubs have been frequent preseason opponents recently, squaring off in the preseason openers for three straight years from 2001-03 and in preseason finales for seven straight seasons from 2005- 11.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
In the decades leading up to the founding of the American Football League in 1960, many football fans in New England followed the Giants, a franchise founded in 1925. New Englandbased NFL outfits such as the Providence Steam Roller (1925- 31), the Boston Redskins (1932-36) and the Boston Yanks (1944-48) folded or moved away, leaving the Giants as the closest NFL team to New England until the Patriots franchise inaugurated play in the 1960 season.
MEMORABLE PATRIOTS-GIANTS MATCHUPS
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Aug. 15, 1971**- The Patriots defeated the Giants 20-14 in the opening preseason game at Schaefer Stadium.
Dec. 21, 1996- The Patriots rallied from a 22-3 fourth-quarter deficit to clinch a first-round playoff bye with a 23-22 win at Giants Stadium.
Aug. 10, 2001- New England began its first Super Bowl championship season with a 14-0 preseason shutout of the defending NFC champion Giants.
Dec. 29, 2007- The Patriots defeat the Giants in a thrilling 38- 35 game to cap off the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history.
February 3, 2008- The Patriots faced the Giants in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz. The Giants 17-14 win snapped the Patriots' perfect season.
CONNECTIONS
New England Ties
- Giants President and Chief Executive Officer John Mara is an alumnus of Boston College, where he received a B.S. in marketing in 1976.
- Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin was an assistant coach at Boston College from 1981-83. Coughlin was the wide receivers coach on the Giants' coaching staff while Bill Belichick was defensive coordinator on New York's staff (1988-90).
- Chris Mara, Vice President of Player Evaluation went to Springfield College to play football before transferring to Boston College.
- Giants WR Victor Cruz went to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. Cruz played in 31 games with 22 starts for the Minutemen from 2007-2010. His best game occurred at James Madison (9/13/08) where he had 13 receptions for a school-record 262 yards.
- Giants Assistant Offensive Line Coach Jack Bicknell, Jr. played at Boston College from 1981-85. Bicknell's father, Jack was head coach at Boston College from 1981-1990.
- Giants Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn was the defensive coordinator at Boston University in 1995.
- Giants running backs coach Jerald Ingram held the same position at Boston College (1991-93).
- Giants Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride is a native of New Haven, Conn., and holds a degree in physical education from Southern Connecticut State, where he also played quarterback and tight end and later served as head coach (1980-84). His second coaching appointment was as the linebackers coach at Tufts University from 1976-77.
- Giants Secondary Coach/Corners Peter Giunta is a native of Salem, Mass., and played four years at Northeastern. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Swampscott High School (1978-80), then returned to New England to coach tight ends/wide receivers at Brown from 1984-85. From 1986-87, Giunta served as Brown's offensive coordinator.
- Giants LB Mathias Kiwanuka went to Boston College and was drafted in the 1st round (32nd overall) in the 2006 draft.
- G Chris Snee was drafted out of Boston College in the 2nd round (34 overall) in the 2004 draft and has spent his whole career with the Giants.
- Giants LB Zak DeOssie is a native of North Andover, Mass., and attended Phillips Academy in Andover before continuing on to Brown University.
- Zak is the son of Steve DeOssie, who finished his NFL playing career as a linebacker and long snapper with the Patriots in 1994 and 1995.
- Giants LB Jonathan Goff is a native of Peabody, Mass. Goff attended St. John's Prep in Danvers, Mass, before attending Vanderbilt.
- Giants rookie LB Mark Herzlich attended Boston College and was signed as an undrafted free agent in July 2011.
New York Ties
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent 12 seasons on the Giants' coaching staff, and was the team's defensive coordinator for their victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. Belichick joined the Giants as the special teams coach on Ray Perkins' staff in 1979, and during his tenure coached special teams (1979-82), linebackers (1980-84) and the secondary (1989-90), while also holding defensive coordinator responsibilities (1985-90).
- Patriots Defensive Line Coach Pepper Johnson was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He won two Super Bowls and twice earned Pro Bowl honors during his career with New York, which spanned from 1986-92.
Former Patriots
- Giants Tight Ends Coach Michael Pope coached running backs and tight ends for the Patriots from 1994-96. Pope was an assistant coach for the Giants from 1983-1991, including eight years while Bill Belichick was on the staff (1983-90).
Former NFL Teammates
- Patriots WR Deion Branch and Giants S Deon Grant played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2007-09. Patriots LB Niko Koutouvides was also teammates with Grant and Branch in Seattle for the 2007 season. Patriots OL Dan Connolly and Grant played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006. Patriots LB Tracy White and Grant were teammates in Jacksonville in 2005.
- White was teammates in Seattle with Giants DT Rocky Bernard from 2003-04. Koutouvides was teammates in Seattle with Bernard from 2004-07. Branch was also teammates with Bernard in Seattle from 2006-08.
PASSING PERFORMANCES
Tom Brady is 2-1 against the Giants in the regular season and 0-1 against the Giants in the postseason.
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POSTSEASON NOTES**
KRAFT ERA
- The Patriots won their 18th and 19th playoff games since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 with a 45-10 win vs. Denver and a 23-20 win vs. Baltimore New England's 19 playoff victories over that span are the most in the NFL (Pittsburgh, 17).
- Kraft is the first NFL owner to lead his team to six Super Bowl appearances.
TEAM NOTES
- The Patriots scored 45 points and gained 509 net yards against Denver in the Divisional round, with both numbers standing as single-game franchise playoff records. The Patriots previous bests were 41 points in an AFC Championship Game win at Pittsburgh (01/23/05) and 481 net yards in the Super Bowl XXXVIII win vs. Carolina (02/01/04).
- Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the first head coach-QB duo to qualify for five Super Bowls.
BILL BELICHICK
- Belichick improved his career playoff record to 17-6 (.739). Belichick's 17 career playoff wins tie Joe Gibbs for the third highest total by any head coach in NFL history, trailing Tom Landry (20) and Don Shula (19).
TOM BRADY
- Brady has 16 career postseason wins with an overall record of 16-5. His .762 winning percentage is the best postseason winning percentage by a starting quarterback (minimum of 15 starts). Terry Bradshaw (14-5, .737) is second. Brady's 16 wins match Joe Montana (16) for the most postseason wins by a starting quarterback.
- Brady has 36 postseason touchdowns, third in NFL postseason history to Joe Montana (45) and Brett Favre (44).
- Brady threw for 363 yards against Denver in the Divisional round to set a new single-game Patriots playoff record, besting the 354 yards he had in Super Bowl XXXVIII vs. Carolina.
- Brady tied an NFL single-game playoff record with six touchdown passes against Denver in the Divisional round.
- Daryle Lamonica of Oakland (1969 vs. Houston) and Steve Young of San Francisco (Super Bowl XXIX vs. San Diego) also had six touchdown passes in a playoff game
- Brady moved past Dan Marino (4,510) and John Elway (4,964) into fourth place on the all-time postseason passing list with 5,009 yards, behind Brett Favre (5,855), Joe Montana (5,772) and Peyton Manning (5,389).
ROB GRONKOWSKI
- Gronkowski tied an NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a postseason game with three vs. Denver. It is the 17th time in NFL history a player has had three touchdown receptions in a postseason game. Gronkowski and Dave Casper of Oakland (1977 vs. Baltimore) are the only tight ends of that group.
- Against Denver, Gronkowski (10 rec. for 145 yards) registered the 15th postseason 100-yard receiving game by a Patriot. His 145 yards are the second-highest single-game total in Patriots history and his 10 receptions are tied for the third most in a single-game in team playoff annals.
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AARON HERNANDEZ**
- Aaron Hernandez finished with five rushing attempts for 61 yards against Denver. It is the highest rushing output by a tight end in Patriots history, besting the 26 yards that Hernandez had rushing vs. Buffalo in the 2011 regular-season finale (01/01/12). It is tied for the ninth highest rushing total by a tight end in NFL history and the highest ever in a postseason game.
- Hernandez had a 43-yard run in the first quarter. It is the third longest run in Patriots postseason history, trailing a 78-yard touchdown run by Curtis Martin and a 45-yard run by Robert Weathers. It is the longest run of Herandez's career. He had a 19-yard run in the 2011 finale vs. Buffalo.
PATRIOTS IN THE PLAYOFFS
New England has qualified for the playoffs 19 times in its 52- year history. Thirteen of those playoff berths have come in the 18 seasons since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, a dramatic contrast to the six total playoff berths that the team earned in its first 34 years of existence. New England has won 14 division crowns, including nine in the last 11 seasons, and has qualified as a Wild Card team on four occasions (1976, 1985, 1994, and 1998). The Patriots also qualified for the playoffs in 1982 as part of a 16-team tournament following a players' strike.
ALL-TIME PLAYOFF RESULTS
The Patriots have compiled a 23-15 record in their 37 playoff games and their .605 playoff winning percentage is the third best in NFL history among teams that have played at least 10 playoff games. New England has qualified for seven Super Bowls (XX, XXXI, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII and XLVI) and one AFL Championship Game in 1963.
PATRIOTS PLAYOFF TRENDS
(since the 1970 merger)
All Time (22-14) vs. AFC ................................. 19-11
vs. NFC ......................................................... 3-3
Home ............................................................ 13-3
Away ............................................................. 6-8
Leading at Halftime ........................................ 17-2
Trailing at Halftime ........................................ 3-10
Tied at Halftime ............................................. 2-2
Leading After 3 Quarters ................................ 17-3
Tied After 3 Quarters ..................................... 2-0
Trailing After 3 Quarters ................................. 3-11
Decided by 7 Points or Less ............................ 8-7
Decided By 3 Points or Less ............................ 7-3
When Scoring First ......................................... 17-6
When Not Scoring First ................................... 5-8
Positive Turnover Ratio .................................. 16-1
Even Turnover Ratio ...................................... 2-4
Negative Turnover Ratio ................................. 3-10
Winning or Even Penalty Ratio ........................ 17-1
Losing Penalty Ratio ....................................... 5-13
With a 100-Yard Rusher ................................. 7-0
Without a 100-Yard Rusher............................. 15-14
With a 100-Yard Receiver ............................... 9-4
Without a 100-Yard Receiver .......................... 13-10
When Allowing a 100-Yard Rusher .................. 2-5
When Not Allowing a 100-Yard Rusher ............ 20-9
When Allowing a 100-Yard Receiver ................ 5-6
When Not Allowing a 100-Yard Receiver .......... 17-8
With a 300-Yard Passer .................................. 3-1
Without a 300-Yard Passer ............................. 19-13
Allowing a 300-Yard (net) Passer .................... 4-1
Not Allowing a 300-Yard (net) Passer .............. 18-13
PATRIOTS PLAYOFF RECORD BY ROUND
First Round* ............................... 0-1
Wild Card Round ......................... 4-3
Divisional Round.......................... 9-6
AFC Championship....................... 7-1
AFL Championship ....................... 0-1
Super Bowl ................................. 3-3
Total .................................. 23-15
PATRIOTS DEDICATE 2011 SEASON TO MYRA KRAFT
The Patriots dedicated the 2011 season to the loving memory of Myra Kraft, who passed away on July 20 after a courageous battle with cancer. Every Patriots player and coach are honoring Myra's memory by wearing a patch with her initials on it in recognition of her lifelong contributions to the local and global philanthropic community and her influence on the charitable mission of the entire Patriots organization. The patch has been worn on the left chest of every player throughout the season.
