In 2008, the New York Giants were the defending Super Bowl champions and were off to a smoking 10-1 start. They were headed for the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a full head of steam.
Then, something bizarre happened. Star wide receiver Plaxixo Burress shot himself in the leg accidentally in a New York City nightclub and the fallout was insurmountable.
The Giants managed to improve to 11-1 that Sunday, defeating Washington without Burress, who was arrested, hospitalized and suspended after the incident.
December would not be kind to the Giants. They posted a 1-3 record to finish 12-4. They clinched the top seed in the NFC, but it was clear they had no juice or momentum heading into the postseason.
They would host the rival Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round and were a one-and-done team after getting clobbered, 23-11, sending them home for the winter.
The Arizona Cardinals, behind former Giant quarterback Kurt Warner, would win the NFC Championship and face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.
Former Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, reflecting on that season with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on the All Things Covered podcast, believes the Giants would have beaten both Super Bowl teams that season.
“Yup. We would’ve beat y’all in the Super Bowl. We were the No. 1 seed.” Jacobs said. “There’s no way the Arizona Cardinals coming from Arizona, playing in 30-degree, 20-degree weather to win an NFC Championship Game. That wasn’t going to happen.
“We whooped them earlier in that season in Arizona and it was a convincing win for us. I think y’all were the closest game we had throughout that season, I think we would’ve played y’all again in the Super Bowl and beat y’all.”
Jacobs obviously remembers events differently than most Giant fans. The truth is, the Giants peaked way too early and the Burress incident was too great for them to overcome. They were listless down the stretch and their performance against the Eagles in the playoffs was nothing short of pitiful.
Had the Burress incident not happened, however… Things might have may have gone the way Jacobs suggests.
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