No. 53 – 2007 New York Giants

“We called ourselves the ‘Road Warriors.'” – Shaun O’Hara

NFL.com: “The 2007 New York Giants stunningly won Super Bowl XLII and denied the New England Patriots a perfect season. The Giants were an unlikely team to defeat the 18-0 Patriots. New York ranked middle of the pack in scoring offense and defense while the Patriots averaged nearly 37 points per game. But while the Giants went 4-4 in the second half of their schedule, a competitive 38-35 Week 17 loss to the Patriots gave the Giants renewed confidence. In the playoffs, the Giants beat Tampa Bay, 24-14 on the road in the NFC Wild Card, then won a pair of nail biters at Dallas (21-17) and at Green Bay (23-20, in OT) to make the Super Bowl. They were big underdogs against the Patriots of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, who were being talked about as perhaps the best team of all-time. In an exhilarating, back-and-forth final quarter highlighted by an unbelievable David Tyree helmet catch, a 13-yard TD pass from QB Eli Manning to WR Plaxico Burress gave the Giants a 17-14 victory and a Super Bowl upset to remember.”

Fennelly: The most pleasant surprise in the history of the franchise. The Giants had been competitive, but floundering under Tom Coughlin for three seasons, frustrating the fans with inconsistent play. In 2007, they weren’t predicted to do a whole lot after their best player -= running back Tiki Barber — retired to pursue a career in media. But they shocked everyone. Dallas was the No. 1 seed in the NFC and owner Jerry Jones was talking Super Bowl before the game, which made the victory more satisfying. Eli out-dueling Favre at Lambeau was a classic and the win in the Super Bowl over the Pats was perhaps the greatest win in Giants history.