No more talk about the best team ever

The Patriots’ stunning loss should end all talk that they’re the best NFL team ever. A Super Bowl victory was a requirement to begin that discussion in earnest. For whatever reason, the Pats seemed to peak long before the postseason, and they weren’t able to regain that early-season magic.

Where has David Tyree been hiding?

The guy made all of four receptions during the regular season, and he comes into the Super Bowl and makes three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown. Tyree made arguably two of the three biggest plays of the game — a five-yard TD catch that gave the Giants a 10-7 lead in the fourth quarter, and a leaping 32-yard reception over Rodney Harrison on a 3rd-and-5 play on which Eli Manning miraculously escaped the grasp of two Patriots. The latter reception kept alive the drive that resulted in Manning’s game-winning 13-yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress.

Forsaking the FG

Why didn’t Bill Belichick choose to kick a field goal on 4th-and-13 at the Giants’ 31 midway through the third quarter?

It’s true that Stephen Gostkowski’s longest field goal this season was from 45 yards, but he was 3-of-5 from 40-49 yards, and last season he made a 52-yarder. Belichick had a tendency to go for the first down in similar fourth-down situations this season, and his high-powered offense frequently delivered. Still, with 13 yards needed for a first down and his offense clearly not hitting on all cylinders in the biggest game of the season, I have to wonder whether it was a wise decision, 20-20 hindsight or not.

What happened to the Patriots’ pass protection?

Before Sunday, the Pats occasionally had problems keeping rushers off Tom Brady, yet they still ranked fifth in the league in percentage of sacks allowed. Nevertheless, the Giants’ determined defense, spurred by coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s blitzing game plan, kept Brady off balance throughout the game. Brady certainly wasn’t at his best Sunday, and perhaps his ankle hampered his ability to sidestep the Giants’ pass rushers.

Pats' offense losing steam

As the highest-scoring team in NFL history, the Patriots averaged 36.8 points during the regular season. In the first two playoff games, they averaged 26. Sunday, they scored 14. Do you notice a trend?