Undefeated New England advanced to the brink of a historic championship run but a difficult rematch and a Giant obstacle to a perfect season await the Patriots in Super Bowl 42.New England downed the visiting San Diego Chargers 21-12 while the New York Giants edged host Green Bay 23-20 in over-time to reach the National Football League title spectacular on February 3 at Glendale, Arizona.

New England has an 18-0 record, including a 38-35 win over the Giants to end the regular season, and outscored its opponents by an average of 18.6 points. The Giants are 13-6 and won their three playoff games on the road as underdogs.

And the New England Patriots are favored by two touchdowns over the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, the fourth-highest opening point spread in the 42-year history of the National Football League’s championship game.

The Patriots could win their fourth title in seven seasons and become only the second team in NFL history to make a perfect run to the crown after the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

The final will be a rematch of each team’s final regular-season game. New England edged the Giants 38-35 to complete a perfect 16-0 season but a valiant effort in defeat sparked New York to three playoff victories on the road.

The biggest point spread for the Super Bowl was 18 points in 1969, when New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed a victory and then led his underdog team to a 16-7 upset over the Baltimore Colts in Miami.

The Giants, who last reached a Super Bowl in 2001 and last won one in 1991, have won an NFL-record 10 games on the road, including playoff triumphs at Tampa Bay and Dallas before ousting the Packers.

In 1995, the San Francisco 49ers opened as 17 1/2-point favorites over the San Diego Chargers, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants. The line moved to 18 points and the 49ers covered the spread with a 49-26 rout.

When the Patriots won the first of their three Super Bowl titles in 2002, they opened as 15 1/2-point underdogs against the St. Louis Rams. The Patriots won 20-17 and then captured the NFL title again in 2004 and 2005.

And earlier in the year, the Patriots felt the sting of criticism — from the “Spygate” scandal. Coach Bill Belichick and the franchise were heavily fined by commissioner Roger Goodell for illegally filming sideline signals of opposing teams.

They responded by doing what they do best — playing American football at a high level, and winning games.

They’ll do it again in the Super Bowl — and write their place in history, or so most people say. The Giant, however, will look to pull off one of the biggest upsets in years.

Either way, Super Bowl XLII will be great.

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