Narrow loss on Dec. 29 gave Giants shot of confidence

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Losing the final game of the regular season may have been the stepping stone for the New York Giants’ improbable ride to the Super Bowl.

Sound odd? It’s not.

In making the New England Patriots work hard for a 38-35 win Dec. 29 that capped a perfect regular season, the Giants proved to themselves that they could compete with anybody.

That should prove extremely valuable a week from Sunday, when New York (13-6) gets another crack at the Patriots (18-0) in the NFL title game in Glendale, Ariz.

“We had played in some tough games and had some bad weather conditions the couple weeks before, and we weren’t playing our best football, and all of a sudden that week we had a great mind-set,” Eli Manning said. “We were going in to try to beat an undefeated team and we played good football. We gave ourselves a shot to win; we fell short, but it got our confidence going.”

In the ensuing three weeks on the road, the Giants beat the Buccaneers 24-14, knocked off the Cowboys in Dallas 21-17, and overcame Brett Favre and frigid temperatures in Green Bay to beat the Packers 23-20 in overtime.

“It got us playing good football, it got us back in a rhythm and from then on we have been on a hot streak,” Manning added. “We have been playing great football and finding ways to win.”

What made the performance in the loss to the Patriots so memorable: New York had nothing at stake in the game at Giants Stadium. Win or lose, the Giants were locked into a wild-card playoff game at Tampa.

There was nothing to gain and everything to lose, especially if players got hurt. That’s exactly what happened to three starters: linebacker Kawika Mitchell (knee), cornerback Sam Madison (stomach) and center Shaun O’Hara (knee).

Mitchell saw limited action the following week. O’Hara missed the Buccaneers game and Madison didn’t play again until last weekend.

Coach Tom Coughlin insists the Giants never thought about relaxing.

“We have a statement in our meeting rooms that we want to prepare, practice, and play as if we lost our last game,” Coughlin said. “It is just a mentality which tells you to keep the pedal to the metal.”

That focus has not wavered in a season in which New York lost its first two games and gave up 80 points in the process.

It also was the key to the season’s two other crucial turning points: a come-from-behind, 24-17 win at Washington, and the following week, when New York tied an NFL record with 12 sacks, including six by Osi Umenyiora in a 16-3 win over the Eagles. The consecutive wins sparked a six-game winning streak that got the Giants in the playoff hunt.