Its not how you start, it is how you finish.

My New England Patriots started the season on a tear. They ripped through opponents who seemed to be better suited for Division 1-A college ball than the NFL. They were in a class by themselves.

As the season wore on they began to look beatable. A close finish against Philly, a near miss in Baltimore. They were even grounded by the Jets. Then came the Giants and a chance at history.

The December match-up was like watching a street brawl. The Patriots took it on the chin and the mouth and the gut and managed to get just enough of their own punches in to clinch the first ever 16-0 season. But the damage was done. While the Patriots flower began to fade and wilt, the Giants seeds of success were planted right there on the field turf of the Meadowlands.

The Giants took their growing confidence on the road and beat 3 opponents using the same techniques that worked against the Patriots. That is, punch them over and over until they succumb in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots, meanwhile, stayed home. They took a week off to revel in their success. They then scored a couple more records against the Jags, though the holes in the armor were still evident. While their victory against the Chargers was never truly in doubt, they didn't seem to be the awesome powerhouse of a couple months before.

They obviously saved their worst for last. The Giants picked up right where they left off and punched and kicked the Patriots into submission. The Patriots did not help their cause by implementing possibly the worst offensive game plan I've witnessed. In fact, it seemed to be the same game plan they barely made work the last time they faced the Giants.

The game was really decided in the first 10 minutes. The Giants drove down the field and kicked a field goal, eating up about 9 minutes in the process. That kept the Patriots 'explosive' offense off the field for nearly 30 minutes after kick-off. Then, on the Patriots first offensive snap, Brady takes a sack. The tone of the game was set and despite the Patriots going down and scoring a TD on that drive, that was all they had.

Hats off to the Giants. They played exactly how they wanted to and needed to and did what many thought was impossible. They proved the lesson that it doesn't matter if you win the first 18 games, the only one that really matters is the last one.