I'd like to extend my sincerest thanks to the NFL for allowing me to watch last night's football game. In fact, If Greg Bryant Gumbel hadn't been calling the action; I might have even considered it one of the most entertaining games I'd ever watched. (Seriously, he blows.) Did I jump off my couch when Brady went right back to Moss after the dropped long ball? Yes. And I have no legs! But hey, enough of about me — let's see what the Internets are saying about the Patriots historic 38-35 win over the Giants...
• Eli Manning Plays for 30 Minutes, Tom Brady Plays for 60. Credit to Manning for playing a near flawless first half, but unfortunately for the Giants, football games are 60 minutes. And, obviously, congrats to the Patriots for going 16-0. Now there are only three things left to be decided in 2007: Will Bill Belichick win Coach of the Year (Peter King says yes!) Can New England win it all? And how will Mercury Morris cope? [The Fanhouse]
• Undeniable Patriots Best Giants, Reach Perfection. [Brady going for two after his record-setting TD] about sums it up. Sums up Brady, sums up the Patriots, sums up the game. Some players might be satisfied to have put their team ahead to preserve the undefeated season while breaking the all-time single-season passing record. Tom Brady wanted two more points. Immediately. This isn't to say the Patriots were total stuffed shirts about the whole thing. Later, they took a team-celebration timeout as the final seconds ticked off the clock, probably the first such timeout I've ever witnessed. Bill Belichick cracked an untold number of smiles postgame. Brady was bounding about among his exhausted teammates after the game like a hyperactive kid fed Pixie Stix. [The Patriot Act]
• Was It Worth It? Now that it is over, and the Giants played well and lost — and lost, perhaps, up to three starters to injury — was it worth playing all the starters the entire game in an attempt to beat the Patriots and gather momentum for the playoffs? [The Fifth Down]
• The Hash Post Postgame Report. At least a couple of Giants thought they were hosed by the officials last night. I agree that the personal foul on Amani Toomer in the fourth quarter was ridiculous, but I don't think Mike Carey's crew set any records for poor calls. Of course, receiver Plaxico Burress would disagree with me. "That was the worst officiating I've been a part of in eight years," he said. But on a night they pushed the best team in football to the brink, the Giants shouldn't be whining about the officiating. I've seen much worse. [Hashmarks]
• New England Patriots Finish Greatest Regular Season = 16-0. Congratulations to the UNDEFEATED New England Patriots. Savor it, Patriots fans. I will. We have 2 weeks to talk about it all, so enjoy it for now, and Pats Pulpit will have much, much more in the next few days. Go PATRIOTS! [Pats Pulpit]
• Patriots vs. Giants Halftime Report. Get ready to celebrate guys, because these New York Giants just may do the impossible. Hell, even if they don't, they beat the Patriots in one half of football. Who would have thought they could have done that? Well, I guess me and my colleague Michael Warren did, but... [Giants 101]