All week long we've heard that Eli Manning has turned the corner and how Super Bowl XLII compares to Super Bowls XXV (the Giants upset the high-scoring Bills 20-19), XXXIV (the Greatest Show on Turf Rams barely beat Tennessee 21-14), and XXXVI (the underdog Patriots beat Greatest Show on Turf 20-17).

Meanwhile, others are wondering where the Patriots fit in NFL history as one of the greatest teams of all time. If that's the case, shouldn't we comparing this game to Super Bowls VII (the undefeated Dolphins beat the Redskins 14-7), XX (the Bears and their 46 defense trounce the Patriots 46-10), and XXIV (the 49ers win back-to-back Super Bowls and destroy Denver 55-10)?

Great teams finish their seasons with an exclamation point. Since the Dolphins went undefeated in 1972 (and very nearly pitched the only shutout in Super Bowl history), teams with 1 loss in non-strike shortened seasons are 3-0 with an average score of 39-13. If we include teams with 2 losses and 3 more regular season wins than their opponents, the record is 6-1 by an average score of 37-17.

The lone loss? The 2001 Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, who lost to Bill Belichick's Patriots. And let's not forget who the defensive coordinator was for the Giants when they upset the Bills in Super Bowl XXV-none other than Bill Belichick. People can compare this game to Super Bowls XXV and XXXVI all they want, but Belichick is on the other side of the field, coaching the juggernaut instead of the underdog.

So if this undefeated Patriots squad truly is one of the greatest of all time, how will they cap off this unprecedented season? What will the highest scoring team of all time and the first undefeated team in 35 years do for an encore to their 18-game winning streak? Winning the Super Bowl is a given, right? But for this team to put the proper exclamation point on this season, they need to do something historic in Super Bowl XLII.

If the Patriots that mercilessly pounded teams into submission with surgical precision (see weeks 7, 8, and 11) shows up, there's a good chance some records could fall. I think matching the 1940 Bears' 73-0 wipeout of the Redskins is out of the question. But there are a few Super Bowl-era records that the Patriots could challenge against the Giants:

Most Points Scored
55 - San Francisco vs. Denver (XXIV)

The Patriots scored 56 against Buffalo in Week 11 and 52 against Washington in Week 8. They scored 40 or more four times and 30 or more 13 times (including the playoffs). They dropped 38 on the Giants in Week 17-after scoring only 3 in the 1st quarter.

Largest Margin of Victory
45 - San Francisco vs. Denver, XXIV (55-10)

In the aforementioned Buffalo and Washington games, the Patriots won by 46 and 45 points, respectively. They held opponents to 10 points or fewer in four of their games, which they will more than likely have to do to beak this record.

Most Touchdown Passes
6 - Steve Young, San Francisco vs. San Diego (XXIX)

Tom Brady threw an NFL-record 50 touchdown passes this season, including 6 against the Dolphins in Week 7. He also threw 5 in one game twice. Only once all season did Brady go three straight games without throwing at least 4 touchdowns in one game-his last three games.

Most Touchdown Catches
3 - Jerry Rice, San Francisco. vs. Denver (XXIV) and vs. San Diego (XXIX)

Randy Moss caught an NFL-record 23 touchdown passes this season, including 4 against the Bills in Week 11. He caught 2 touchdowns in another 7 games (once against the Giants in Week 17). In only three games during the regular season did Moss have 0 touchdown receptions. Not only has he caught 0 touchdown passes in the playoffs, he only has two catches. He's knocked Jerry Rice out of the record book once this year. Could he do it again in the Super Bowl?

Most Touchdowns
3 - Roger Craig, San Francisco vs. Miami (XIX); Jerry Rice, San Francisco. vs. Denver (XXIV) and vs. San Diego (XXIX); Ricky Watters, San Francisco vs. San Diego (XXIX); Terrell Davis, Denver vs. Green Bay (XXXII)

See the previous entry.

Highest Completion Percentage
88% - Phil Simms, NY Giants vs. Denver (XXI)

Simms' 22-of-25 performance in Super Bowl XXI is the standard for perfection by a quarterback in a Super Bowl. It was also the playoff record-until three weeks ago when Brady completed 26-of-28 (93%) against the Jaguars. And his two incompletions were two drops.

Most Passing Yards
407, Kurt Warner, St. Louis vs. Tennessee (XXXIV)

Brady's high this season was 399 against the Steelers in Week 14. He threw for more than 350 yards in six different games, including 356 against the Giants in Week 17.

Most Receiving Yards
215 - Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati (XXIII)

Moss had 183 receiving yards in Week 1 against the Jets and had 120 or more five times.

Most Receptions
11 - Dan Ross, Cincinnati vs. San Francisco (XVI); Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati (XXIII); Deion Branch, New England vs. Philadelphia (XXXIX)

Yes, that's Brady's former teammate Branch you see on this list, so we already know that Brady's capable of completing 11 passes to one player. But it's not just Randy Moss that could challenge this record. There's also this season's receptions leader-Wes Welker. Welker caught 13 passes against Philadelphia in Week 12 and twice caught 11 passes-once against the Giants.

Most Points After Touchdown
7 - Mike Cofer, San Francisco vs. Denver (XXIV); Lin Elliott, Dallas vs. Buffalo (XXVII); Doug Brien, San Francisco vs. San Diego (XXIX)

Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was a perfect 74-for-74 on extra points this season and has missed just one PAT in his two-year career.

Most Yards Gained
602 - Washington vs. Denver (XXII)

The Patriots averaged 411 yards per game this season, piling up 510 against the Bills in Week 11. They were held under 300 just once (against the Jets in frigid and windy conditions in Week 15).

There's also Most Points, Each Half (1st: 35 and 2nd: 30) and Most Points, Each Quarter (1st: 14, 2nd: 35, 3rd: 21, and 4th: 21) within reach of these record-setting Patriots.

The more I've read and watched of the Giants this week, the more they remind me of the 1985 Patriots, as opposed to the 2001 Patriots (or the 2005 Steelers). And that's no knock on these Giants or the '85 Patriots (I wrote about them two years ago during the '05 Steelers' run). That team was better than many people remember, and went on a postseason thrill ride against some quality competition.

But then they met a buzz saw in the Super Bowl-one of the greatest teams of all times. On that particular day, no team in the NFL could have kept pace with the Bears. The same fate that befell all the opponents of the "greatest teams of all time." The same fate that awaits the Giants against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

My prediction: Patriots 63, Giants 17. Brady throws 7 touchdowns. Moss catches 4. They attack the Giants and the record book without mercy. And they put the exclamation point on Super Bowl XLII and an undefeated season. Because that's what the great teams do.