King Kaufman's Sports Daily

Giants vs. Patriots in the Super Bowl. In a playoff season that's turned upset-happy, New York gets to try for the biggest of them all.

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Jan. 22, 2008 | Yes, the New York Giants have a chance.

They have a chance to pull off the greatest Super Bowl upset since the Jets beat the Baltimore Colts 39 years ago.

The Giants, who upset the Green Bay Packers 23-20 in overtime for the NFC championship Sunday, opened as two-touchdown dogs in the Super Bowl, where they'll try again to spoil the undefeated season of the New England Patriots. They gave the Pats a hell of a game on the last day of the season in New Jersey, finally falling 38-35. Though nothing tangible was on the line that night, it may have been the most exciting game of the year.

The Pats made it 18 straight wins with a tense 21-12 home win over the San Diego Chargers -- two-touchdown dogs -- in the AFC Championship Game Sunday.

Both conference championship games were played in blistering cold, the NFC game the third coldest championship game in league history. The two coldest have names: the Ice Bowl and the Freezer Bowl. If Sunday's game at Lambeau Field acquires a nickname, it won't be invented here. My suggestion: The Here, You Take It Bowl. Both teams did everything they could to hand the win over.

There were bad penalties, blown kick coverages, missed field goals and, in the end, two interceptions and more bad passes by Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre.

But that name doesn't really swing, and anyway it would be a terrible way to remember what also may have been the most exciting game of the year. The weather, the temperature hanging around just below zero Fahrenheit and the wind chill 20 or so degrees below that, had no obvious effect. Nothing happened that might not happen in the climate-controlled calm of University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., in two weeks. There were no weather plays.

But it must have had an effect. Who knows which throws would have been more accurate, which snaps would have been better, which tackles would have been surer. As the game wore on, neither team was able to cover kickoffs with anything like NFL efficiency. Might that most pain-inducing of duties have been handled with more aplomb with the thermometer resting comfortably at 72?

What got the Giants to Arizona will give them a chance there: The defensive front. That's another thing that may have been hindered by the chill. Speedy pass rushers give up more on a frozen field than solid blockers. But it did enough.

Next page: How we'll all convince ourselves the Giants have a good chance against the Patriots