33rd Team: Giants have two of top 10 Super Bowl victories

Which Big Blue Super Bowl victory was your favorite?

Ahead of Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, Barry Wilner of The 33rd Team has completed the arduous task of ranking the previous 56 installments of the Big Game. With four Super Bowl wins, the Giants’ greatest triumphs were well-represented, with three of their victories being included in Wilner’s top 20. Let’s break down each of Big Blue’s wins and where Wilner ranked them:

Super Bowl XLII, 17-14 vs. New England Patriots (No. 7)

It should come as no surprise that Big Blue’s improbable win over the 18-0 Patriots clocks in as the highest-ranking Giants game on Wilner’s list. Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive unit virtually neutralized New England’s record-setting offense, sacking quarterback Tom Brady five times (including one from Michael Strahan in the final game of his career). Of course, it was quarterback Eli Manning who made the biggest play of the night — and arguably NFL history — breaking out of a sack and hitting wide receiver David Tyree for his iconic helmet catch on 3rd and 5 with 1:15 to go in the fourth. Four plays later, Manning would win the game with a 13-yard score to Plaxico Burress, giving the Giants a 17-14 win in arguably the most iconic upset in sports history.

Super Bowl XXV: 20-19 vs. Buffalo Bills (No. 8)

Wide right. The Giants dealt the Buffalo Bills the first of their four consecutive Super Bowl losses when Bills kicker Scott Norwood hooked a 47-yard field goal as time expired. Buffalo’s explosive K-Gun offense was completely neutralized thanks to a stellar defensive gameplan from Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick (I wonder what he’s up to now?), and backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler and running back Ottis Anderson gave New York just enough on the offensive side of the football to come out on top.

Super Bowl XLVI: 21-17 vs. New England Patriots (No. 16)

An upset so nice they had to do it twice. Four years after defeating Goliath, David came into Lucas Oil Stadium ready for a rematch with a lot more tools than a slingshot this time around. Fresh off throwing a career-high 4,933 yards, Eli Manning boasted arguably the best WR corps of his career with Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham. Cruz would score the game’s first TD, Nicks would tie a then-record for catches in a Super Bowl game with 10, and Manningham etched his name into Giants and NFL immortality with this iconic sideline catch off of arguably the best throw of Manning’s career (yes, maybe even better than his one to Tyree). RB Ahmad Bradshaw would put the Giants up for good with 57 seconds left on a short touchdown run, and Perry Fewell’s defense was able to stifle a last-minute Patriots Hail Mary and give the franchise its fourth Super Bowl title.

Super Bowl XXI: 39-20 vs. Denver Broncos (No. 23)

It’s hard to be perfect on the biggest stage in football, but Phil Simms was. Facing off against future Hall of Famer John Elway, the Giants signal caller set the all-time record for the highest completion percentage in the Big Game (88 percent on 22 for 25 passing) and three scores. Denver held a razor-thin 10-9 edge heading into the locker room, but Simms and the Giants proceeded to blow the doors off, scoring a Super Bowl record 30 points in the second half and riding Simms’ white-hot arm and the “Big Blue Wrecking Crew” defense to the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

What’s your favorite Giants Super Bowl win? Let us know in the comments below!