It’s Déjà Blue all over again for the New York Giants.
The G-Men are heading back to the Super Bowl in the exact same fashion they did in 2007 — a Lawrence Tynes field goal on the road and Tom Brady waiting in the wings.
Instead of sending Brett Favre out with a loss in his last game in a Packers uniform, Giants coach Tom Coughlin and his resilient squad broke the hearts of Alex Smith and first-year 49er coach Jim Harbaugh.
The Giants are playing the best football of the season at the perfect time.
Since playing for its postseason life in week 17 against the Cowboys, the Giants have taken down Atlanta, Green Bay and now San Francisco — all on the road.
It’s really hard to stop a team like New York when they’ve been playing playoff football before the actual postseason began.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning has once again found that January magic connection through the air. The Giants’ receiving corps of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz have proven to be trustworthy targets, similar to what Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer did in 2007.
The backfield duo of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are still intact from the 2007 team and will be a tough load for New England to handle if both are healthy.
The last time Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin’s teams squared off earlier this season, the Giants got the best of New England in Foxborough, Mass., 24-20.
Giants tight end Jake Ballard caught a touchdown pass from Manning with 15 seconds left to beat the Patriots in an eerily similar fashion to the drive in the 2007 Super Bowl, when Manning connected with Burress for the eventual game-winning touchdown.
While I believe the Giants are a team of destiny just like the team in ’07, there are some distinct differences to this year’s matchup being played in Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 5.
In the last Super Bowl matchup between these teams, New England was a much more complete football team and was trying to become the second team in NFL history to go undefeated.
This season’s version of the Patriots didn’t beat a team with a winning record during the regular season, including a loss to Buffalo on the road in week 3.
Gone from the ’07 New England squad are significant contributors like Randy Moss, Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison.
Most of the Patriots’ defense is made up of younger guys who were still in college back in 2007.
When New York and New England met in their last Super Bowl matchup, Eli Manning was trying to get out of the shadow of his big brother Peyton.
He enters this year’s game with a chance to perhaps surpass Peyton’s accomplishments if he’s able to win a second Super Bowl ring.
Similarities and differences aside, this will be a different football game.
The Giants’ secondary gave Patriots quarterback Brady fits earlier in the season as he threw two interceptions. Brady has been off his game lately, throwing two interceptions to the Ravens in the AFC Championship game Sunday.
New York also boasts one of the best pass-rushing units in the league, with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul leading the way with 16.5 sacks.
If the New York front seven is able to get a consistent pass rush against Brady and his offensive line, it could be a big factor in who wins the game.
The final game of the NFL season might just come down to whoever has the ball last.
If the Giants are that team, something tells me Lawrence Tynes will be more than comfortable making a crucial field goal in yet another huge game.
Micah Bedard is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Houma. Follow him on Twitter @DardDog.
 
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Contact Micah Bedard at [email protected]