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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady clutches the ball while being sacked by Giants defensive end Michael Strahan during Super Bowl XLII on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz. The Giants harassed Brady continually and finished with five sacks.

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Tom Brady takes off his helmet as he walks off the field following the final incomplete pass that sealed the Patriots’ 17-14 loss to the New York Giants, ending New England’s bid to become the second unbeaten Super Bowl winner.

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Junior Seau says it all without saying a word. The Patriots were on the verge of making history by competing a 19-0 season with a Super Bowl title before Plaxico Burress beat Ellis Hobbs and gathered in a TD pass from Eli Manning with 35 seconds left that enabled the Giants to snatch away the victory – and end Seau’s dreams of finally getting his elusive Super Bowl ring.

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Now, when there’s agony on one side, there’s joy on the other, and there’s no question which side Eli Manning is on after winning an NFL championship in his first appearance in the Super Bowl.

PATRIOTS IN THE SUPER BOWL
2008: Lost to New York Giants 17-14 at Glendale, Ariz.
2005: Beat Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 at Jacksonville, Fla.
2004: Beat Carolina Panthers 32-29 at Houston
2002: Beat St. Louis Rams 20-17 at New Orleans
1997: Lost to Green Bay Packers 35-21 at New Orleans
1986: Lost to Chicago Bears 46-10 at New Orleans

BIGGEST SUPER BOWL UPSETS
JETS 16, COLTS 7: The Jets were 18-point underdogs in 1969, but quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed a Jets win and his team delivered.
PATRIOTS 20, RAMS 17: As 14-point underdogs in 2002, the Patriots won their first Super Bowl title.
CHIEFS 23, VIKINGS 7: Kansas City, which made the AFL playoffs as a wild card, was a 12-point underdog in 1970.
GIANTS 17, PATRIOTS 14: Though it was a 12- point underdog facing a team 18-0, New York pulled a shocker in 2008.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Well, they'll remember this one for a long time.

And the New England Patriots will never forget the hurt.

Eli Manning's 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds remaining lifted the New York Giants to a historic 17-14 upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Patriots, the first team to enter a Super Bowl 18-0, were trying to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins (17-0) as the only unbeaten champions in history.

"We won 18 games," said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. "It's the important one we ended up losing."

Now, they will face an offseason of questions.

The Patriots lost this one like they have won so many others: on a last-second drive fueled by a quarterback who made big plays and by other players who made spectacular plays.

"They wouldn't go away," said defensive end Richard Seymour. "That's the sign of a champion. That's what we're used to doing."

What could have been the most historic season in NFL history ended with one of its most historic upsets. The Giants (14-6) were 12-point underdogs, and this victory compares with the New York Jets' upset of Baltimore in Super Bowl III and the Patriots' upset of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

"This is the greatest feeling in professional sports," said Burress, who predicted a Giants win. "Nobody gave us a shot."

It took a tremendous effort by the Giants' defense, which sacked Brady five times, and a Brady-like drive by Manning in the final minutes to give the Giants their first championship since 1990.

Brady, who led the Patriots to winning drives in the final two minutes of Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII, seemed to do it again Sunday.

With New England trailing by 10-7 following a 5-yard touchdown pass from Manning to David Tyree, Brady drove New England 80 yards in 12 plays to regain the lead at 14-10.

He was 8 of 11 on the drive, which ended when he found a wide-open Randy Moss in the end zone with 2:42 left. Corey Webster, the Giants' defender, fell as Moss made his move, and all Brady had to do was deliver the ball.

But Manning, voted the game's MVP after completing 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, calmly drove the Giants for the winning score.

"The heart of a champion," said Burress.

The 12-play, 83-yard drive was not without its tense moments. New York faced a fourth-and-1 at its 37 when Brandon Jacobs picked up 2 yards. Then on third-and-5 from the New York 44, Manning and Tyree combined on a miraculous play.

First, Manning somehow escaped a sack, spinning out of a scrum and stumbling to his right. Once set, he heaved the ball downfield, where Tyree leaped to catch it, the ball settling on his helmet, and holding on as Rodney Harrison hit him. The play went for 32 yards.

"I honestly don't know how (Manning) got out of it," said Tyree. "And when the ball is in the air, you have to go get it. That's my job."

Still, the Patriots forced a third-and-11 from the 25. This time, Manning found Steve Smith open on the right sideline for 12 yards.

On the next play, Burress put a move on cornerback Ellis Hobbs and broke free in the left corner. Manning lobbed the pass to him for a touchdown with 35 seconds left. Lawrence Tynes' PAT kick made it 17-14.

It was only Burress' second catch of the game, but certainly the biggest of his career.

"Man, it was a big-time relief," he said. "I was making sure my feet were in and everything."

"I just got beat," Hobbs said. "I have to protect the inside. It would take a perfect pass to the outside."

The Patriots got the ball on the 26. On second-and-10, Brady was sacked by Jay Alford for a 10-yard loss. His next two passes were incomplete and Brady walked off the field, helmet in his hands, as the Giants' celebration...