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It's all over but the mugging. Or so it seems, as Tom Brady and the Patriots sit for a team photo Saturday in advance of tonight's Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Perfection?

Or dejection?

That's what the New England Patriots face tonight when they take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Either they complete the most significant season in NFL history, or they'll forever be remembered as the team that almost went 19-0.

"If we don't win this game, we're just one of 31 teams that didn't (win the Super Bowl), that's the honest to God truth," said offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. "Who cares about all the rest of that stuff?

"Anything we've done before this game is for naught if we don't win this game. That's the truth. ... That's how I feel about it and I hope that's how our players feel too."

They do.

Quarterback Tom Brady was asked earlier in the week if this was the biggest game of his life, considering it's not only for the title, but for the perfect season.

His response: "I think it's the biggest game of all our lives -- my life, the entire team, our coaches. 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 back at it truly as a missed opportunity."

All season long, the Patriots -- playing in their fourth Super Bowl in seven years -- have avoided talking about perfection. Their well-documented philosophy of taking the season one practice at a time, one game at a time, has served them well.

Even as the victories rolled on, the Patriots kept silent.

Now they can talk.

"Yes we can talk about this game," said linebacker Adalius Thomas, in his first year with New England. "We want that (loss) column to stay the same. We want the 19 and 0. That's what we came here for, we came here for the ultimate challenge. And we're there now. We've earned the right to talk about it."

All that stands in the Patriots' way is the Giants, a team that is bristling at the notion that this game is all about the Patriots and their quest for perfection.

"This ain't about the Patriots' history," said linebacker Antonio Pierce. "We're here about the New York Giants' history. I'm not really concerned about all their records and individual records.

"We're here to make our own history this weekend and hopefully by the end of the week we can make it."

That the Giants are the Patriots' opponent is both surprising and perhaps fitting. Surprising in that the Giants got into the playoffs as a wild-card team and had to win three road games to advance (OK, maybe that isn't so surprising considering the Giants entered the playoffs having won seven consecutive road games). Fitting because the Giants were also the last obstacle in New England's quest for an undefeated regular season.

That was a game the Giants feel they let slip away. They had a 28-16 lead early in the third quarter but failed to hold on. Brady threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Laurence Maroney scored two touchdowns.

The Giants, who led the NFL in sacks with 53 in the regular season, pressured Brady throughout but only sacked him once. They were credited with eight quarterback hits, but he stood his ground and often completed passes as he was going down.

That, said defensive end Osi Umenyiora, was the killer.

"Once people start doing things like that, it makes you sick to your stomach," said Umenyiora, who led the Giants with 13 sacks this season. "You start to think, 'What else can I do?' We actually had good coverage but he still happened to find (his receivers).

"I don't know how he does it."

If New York is going to have a chance at ending New England's perfect season, the Giants know they have to keep going after Brady. He doesn't run out of the pocket much, but what Brady does best is feel pressure and slide in the pocket until he has just enough room to pass.

Pierce, New York's...