The 2007 Patriots: Boston's Emotional Rollercoaster Of a Season

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Going into the bye week, I felt Boston teams could do no wrong. 

The Red Sox had just won the World Series by sweeping the Colorado Rockies.

Up to this point, I had watched every Patriots game of the season at the bar I worked at with two of my best friends, who both actively supported the New York Giants. 

I remember watching Brady to Moss, Brady to Welker, Brady to Watson, with glee pouring out my mouth, eyes, and ears.  My friend, Brian, could only respond, “This is not fair.  The Patriots are like a [expletive] video game when you’re playing with the worst team against the best team, at the hardest difficulty.”  Every touchdown was almost laughable as you expected the receiver to catch the ball with one hand in triple coverage.

I went home for Thanksgiving break from school at this point, but not before making a bet with one of my other friends. 

My friend, a Bills’ fan, was going to the November 18th Bills–Patriots game in Buffalo.  The Patriots were 17 ½ point favorites on the road.  He said he was unwilling to make this bet. 

At this point in the season, similar to any other Patriots fan, I was confident, and maybe, a little cocky.  I offered to give him 28 points on a $50 bet, which he reluctantly took.  After the game, he refused to speak to me for the next few weeks, leaving the game halfway through the third quarter. 

After barely escaping the Eagles in Week 12, I was almost certain that we could finish the season undefeated.  The perfect season was also the subject for media outlets everywhere. 

Leading up to the last game of the regular season against the Giants, the NFL was trying to televise the game only on their NFL Network, which meant it would not be shown on any major network. 

There was no way that the NFL would be able to get away with this travesty as they heard hell from people all around the country.  Even Massachusetts’ Senator, Ted Kennedy, pleaded with Congress to get this game nationally televised, and it eventually was.

I do not ever remember being more nervous watching a single football game which did not really have any serious implications, or did it? 

For four quarters, the Giants and Patriots battled.  The Giants wanted to win this game so badly that they did not rest their starters, which is a risk few coaches are willing to take, particularly when they had already clinched a playoff berth. 

However, Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin are not like most coaches in the NFL.  They both had their own reasons to play their best players. In the end, although the Giants were on the losing end of this game, Coughlin proved to be the ultimate victor.

Although the Patriots had won the game, I had seen enough to conclude that the Giants were the only team that could stand in our way of hoisting the Lombardi trophy at Super Bowl XLII. 

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