Despite speculation that he was coaching for his job just a month ago, Tom Coughlin has his team headed for Indianapolis for lots of reasons, but one stands out: The Giants twice avenged regular-season losses with playoff victories.
It’s a formula Patriots fans are all too familiar with: The Giants followed the same path in 2007, beating the undefeated Patriots, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII, a few weeks after ending the regular season with a 38-35 loss to New England.
This season, the Giants lost to the Packers at home on Dec. 4 (also 38-35) before dominating Green Bay at Lambeau Field in the divisional round, 37-20.
The Giants also made two trips to San Francisco this season. The first, on Nov. 13, was a 27-20 win by the 49ers. Given another shot, the Giants clipped San Francisco in the NFC Championship game, 20-17, in overtime.
“They’ve played some of their best football when they’ve had to, when it’s counted the most,’’ Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “That’s what you have to do this time of year. If you don’t, you’re on the outside looking in. They’ve done that.
“We know this is the best team we’ve played. This is going to take our best game, and that’s the way it should be.’’
The Patriots certainly know the Giants. This will be the third time the teams have met in 2011-12, counting preseason. The Giants won the first two: 18-17 on Sept. 1 in the fourth and final preseason game, and 24-20 on Nov. 6. Both games were at Gillette Stadium.
“We have a familiarity with them,’’ Belichick said. “I think this is a team that we have some background with relative to most of the other NFC teams that we’ve played through the years.’’
While they’ve beaten the Packers and 49ers in revenge games this season, getting a second shot at an opponent hasn’t always meant an automatic victory for these Giants. They were swept by the Redskins this season.
Theoretical injuries
