For New England, It's the Perfect Ending

Patriots Finish Regular Season 16-0; Brady, Moss Set Touchdown Marks: Patriots 38, Giants 35

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Dec. 29 -- The New York Giants played to win. They got four touchdown passes by quarterback Eli Manning. They played hard and they played well, and they crafted a 12-point lead in the second half to put the New England Patriots' bid for an unbeaten season in the greatest jeopardy yet.

But it didn't matter because the Patriots once more summoned what was needed. They rallied to beat the Giants, 38-35, on Saturday night at Giants Stadium to complete the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history, and they rewrote the record book for offensive prowess in the process.

The Patriots showed their championship mettle, just as they had this season in fourth-quarter comebacks against the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens. They trailed 28-16 in the third quarter of this one after Eli Manning threw his third touchdown pass of the night. They still were behind, 28-23, entering the fourth quarter.

But quarterback Tom Brady threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Randy Moss, one play after Moss had dropped a deep pass when a Giants defender fell down and left him open. The Patriots never looked back, adding a two-point conversion and then following an interception by cornerback Ellis Hobbs with tailback Laurence Maroney's second touchdown run of the evening.

Manning threw his second touchdown pass of the game to wide receiver Plaxico Burress with just over a minute to play, but the Patriots recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

The Patriots remained in pursuit of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history. They also surpassed the 1998 Minnesota Vikings as the highest-scoring club in league history. Brady and Moss teamed for two touchdowns, enabling Brady to reach 50 touchdown passes for the season and Moss to reach 23 touchdown catches. Brady broke Peyton Manning's NFL record of 49 touchdown passes, and Moss surpassed Jerry Rice's mark of 22 touchdown catches.

Brady completed 32 of 42 passes for 356 yards. Moss had 100 receiving yards, and fellow wideout Wes Welker had 11 catches for 122 yards.

The Giants saw four players, including starting center Shaun O'Hara, get hurt. But they didn't back off, even with nothing to be gained in the playoff seedings. Eli Manning had first-half touchdown passes to tailback Brandon Jacobs and tight end Kevin Boss, and found Burress for a third-quarter touchdown. The Giants (10-6) also scored on a first-half kickoff return by Domenik Hixon.

The question all week had been whether the Giants would give an all-out effort to win this game. They were facing a first-round NFC playoff game in Tampa against the Buccaneers next weekend, whether they beat the Patriots or not. They didn't have the luxury, as the Patriots do, of using a first-round bye in the playoffs for any players who might be injured in this game to heal. And what did they care, many observers wondered, if the Patriots went 16-0 or 15-1?

But they did seem to care. Several Giants players spent the week lobbying to play. Burress was an obvious candidate to be rested by Coach Tom Coughlin. He'd barely practiced all season because of a bad ankle. But he practiced this week. The Giants had a chance not only to prevent the Patriots from making history. They also were being given an opportunity to perform on the biggest of stages, with the NFL having arranged at midweek to have the telecast by the league-owned NFL Network also carried by CBS and NBC in the league's first simulcast since Super Bowl I.

There never had been any question that the Patriots would keep their foot on the accelerator, even with home field throughout the AFC playoffs secured long ago. That is simply the way of Coach Bill Belichick and his players. The Patriots were making their return to Giants Stadium, where they played the New York Jets in the opening game of the season that ended up getting Belichick and the team punished by Commissioner Roger Goodell for using videotaping equipment to steal the play signals of the Jets coaches. Goodell was on hand Saturday night to watch the Patriots' bid to make history.

The Giants had no healthy regulars on their inactive list, and sent a signal on their second offensive play that they intended to test the Patriots. Manning lobbed a high throw in the middle of the field and Burress, matched against Hobbs in one-on-one coverage, made a superb leaping catch for a 52-yard gain. Manning zipped another pass to Burress for a 10-yard pickup to the Patriots 8-yard line on third and 10, and Jacobs grabbed a short throw from Manning and bounced off a tackle attempt by linebacker Tedy Bruschi before diving into the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown on second down.

By the end of the first quarter, however, the Giants had lost rookie safety Craig Dahl and veteran linebacker Kawika Mitchell to knee injuries, and the Patriots were on their way to taking the lead. They converted a fourth-and-two gamble by Belichick in Giants territory on their opening drive but had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. The Patriots got the ball back at midfield on a punt by the Giants and drove to a touchdown on a four-yard lob from Brady to Moss on the first play of the second quarter.

Moss received a 15-yard excessive celebration penalty for a dance-and-spike routine in the end zone, and he and Belichick were still discussing that development on the sideline when Hixon fielded the kickoff, weaved through would-be Patriots tacklers, cut to his left and sprinted to the end zone for a 74-yard touchdown. The Patriots responded with field goals of 45 and 37 yards by Gostkowski to reclaim the lead. The Giants lost O'Hara to a knee sprain on their final drive of the first half but Manning led them down the field and flipped a three-yard touchdown pass to Boss, a rookie playing in place of the injured Jeremy Shockey, 13 seconds before the break.

The Giants began the third quarter by forcing a Patriots punt, then extended the lead. Jacobs barreled his way to runs of 16 and 15 yards to set up the Manning-to-Burress touchdown, an 18-yarder in which Burress just managed to keep his feet in bounds and Belichick didn't issue a replay challenge. A six-yard touchdown run by Maroney got the Patriots back to within 28-23.