This is the first time in the history of the Cowboys that Dallas swept the eventual Super Bowl champions. And as painful as it may be to say, champions the Giants are (my version of Yoda talk). Just a few thoughts:
* If this wasn’t destiny, I don’t know what would be. The Giants beat the 13-3 Cowboys to end the finest season for Dallas in more than a decade. New York followed this by taking care of Green Bay at Lambeau Field, in the cold, and against Brett Favre, who was having a fairy tale season where he broke several of the most important career passing records that exist. The Giants then topped it off by ruining the Patriots’ bid for a perfect season.
* In other words, we shouldn’t feel quite so bad about the Dallas loss . . . but I do anyway.
* If the Cowboys were playing the Patriots tonight, however, I objectively and honestly think that Dallas would have had more trouble than the Giants had. The Cowboys struggled to generate pressure part of this season, and New York had success getting to Brady tonight with their front four. Jacques Reeves simply could not cover Wes Welker, and who knows how Roy Williams might screw something up.
* The Giant win may have helped the Cowboys’ franchise in terms of how the Dallas dynasty ranks to other squads. In a Fox poll, Dallas was second to the 1970s Steelers in terms of the greatest dynasties during the Super Bowl era. I wouldn’t take anything away from what the Patriots have done this decade, but of the dynasty teams, the Patriots are the only one to have lost a Super Bowl during their dynasty decade.
* I strongly disagree that tonight’s Super Bowl was the greatest upset in sports history. That has to go to Buster Douglas in his knockout win over Mike Tyson. Villanova’s win over Georgetown in 1985 is pretty close.
* As far as NFL upsets, the big one predates me: the Jets over the Colts. I think that the Patriots’ win over the Rams in 2001 was at least as shocking as the Giants’ win this year.
Not the greatest upset in all of sports. The NFL is fairly equal across the board. But easily the biggest upset in NFL recent memory. The Pats taking out the Rams in ‘01 has been dampened some by what the Pats have done afterwards as well as the Rams. The Pats have gone on to 3 more Super Bowls while the Rams have been put out to pasture. It makes that game seem less like an upset and more like the changing of the guard.
As a Cowboy fan, the only consulation I can take from this game is pride in the NFC East. Easily the best conference in NFL History (Super Bowl ERA). 11 Super Bowls and counting for the NFC east. By far the most by any division in the NFL(just guessing on this fact because I have not confirmed it).
I think there is a good argument that this was the greatest Super Bowl upset since the merger. I was just as certain that the Patriots would win yesterday as I was that the Rams would win in 2001, which is why I made the comparison. Then again, the Rams weren’t unbeaten, so you may very well be correct.
I’m admittedly a sore loser, so I have trouble giving credit to the other NFC East teams. I actually watched last night’s game much more closely than I did Super Bowl XXV (Giants) or XXVI (Redskins). Maybe I’m improving.