Tom Coughlin talks new book on 'Good Morning America' with Michael Strahan
When talking about some of the greatest NFL upsets of all time, one game in particular comes to mind.
The Giants etched their name in history when they traveled to Glendale, Arizona and defeated the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
This week, legendary head coach Tom Coughlin joined Hall of Famer Michael Strahan on 'Good Morning America' to talk about his new book, 'A Giant Win', which discusses the franchise's amazing upset over Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriots.
"In my opinion, it's the greatest Super Bowl victory of all-time, certainly the greatest upset of all-time," said the two-time Super Bowl champion coach. "When you stop and think about the New England Patriots under Belichick and Brady, the number one scoring team in the history of the National Football League, and in Week 17, they beat us 38-35. Of course, the Super Bowl a few weeks later was nothing like that game because for our defense to do what we did on that particular day, to hold that team to 14 points, it's incredible."
The performance from the Big Blue defense that day is truly one for the record books.
The 2007 Patriots boasted one of the greatest offenses in the history of the NFL with averages of 36.8 points and 411.3 total yards per game. Additionally, Brady was sacked just 21 times over the course of the entire season.
In Super Bowl XLII, that unit was held to just 14 points and 274 total net yards, while Brady was sacked five times.
Coincidentally, Super Bowl LVII will take place this February in Glendale, Arizona, almost 15 years to the day from the Giants' upset over the Patriots in the same stadium.
Check out Tom Coughlin's full interview with Michael Strahan on 'Good Morning America' in the video below.
View iconic photos from the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory over the undefeated Patriots.
Inside the Numbers: Giants' history with ties
When the MetLife Stadium game clocks turned to zeroes to signify the end of the Giants-Washington Commanders game Sunday, players and coaches on both sides seemed uncertain about what they should do. They lingered at their respective bench areas before gradually heading to the middle of the field for the customary postgame greetings.
The teams had just played a 20-20 tie, an outcome that satisfies no one in the NFL. Yes, it's better than loss. But it's also worse than winning the game. And no one can say for certain what the long-term implications are of a deadlocked game.
But, to turn a phrase, ties happen. Since the NFL instituted regular-season overtime in 1974 – including shortening the maximum length of the extra period from 15 to 10 minutes in 2017 - 29 games have ended in a tie.
The Giants played in three of them. The first was the 20-20 Monday night stalemate in St. Louis on Oct. 24, 1983, a game best remembered for Cardinals kicker Neil O'Donoghue missing three field goal attempts in overtime – two of them in the final 1:06, including, inexplicably, a 19-yarder.
On Nov. 23, 1997, the Giants and Washington played for 75 minutes and managed just one score apiece in a 7-7 game. The, um, highlight was Washington quarterback Gus Frerotte celebrating his one-yard touchdown run by head-butting the wall at what was then called Jack Kent Cooke Stadium and forcing himself out of the game with a sprained neck.
Nothing that bizarre occurred Sunday, when each team punted twice in overtime before Graham Gano's 58-yard field goal attempt fell short on the game's final play.
The Green Bay Packers have played in an NFL-high six overtime games since 1974. Eight teams have played none.
Since that season, 20 teams with at least one tie have made the playoffs. That group includes the 1997 Giants, who won the NFC East title with a 10-5-1 record in Jim Fassel's first year as head coach. The 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, who finished 10-3-1, are the only team to win the Super Bowl with a tie in their record since the advent of regular-season overtime.