2. Too much firepower. New England led the NFL in scoring (38.6 points a game), an average that was second only to the 1950 Los Angeles Rams.

3. Tom Brady. He's 3-0 in Super Bowl games and twice rallied the Patriots to win in the final minute. His sore ankle won't matter.

4. The offensive line keeps Brady on his feet. The Patriots surrendered only 21 sacks, the fewest in a non-strike year since 1977.

5. Randy Moss. No passing combination in NFL history dominated a regular season like Brady and Moss, who teamed up for a record 23 touchdowns passes in 2007.

6. The Patriots force more mistakes than they make. They were plus-16 in turnover margin during the season, and they're plus-1 in the postseason.

7. They keep the ball from you. In two playoff games, New England's possession average is 33:01.

8. Laurence Maroney. New England's running back has been at his best at the end of the season, rushing for 100 yards in four of his past five games.

9. Asante Samuel. New England's top cover cornerback (formerly of UCF) always seems to be in the middle of a big play when the Patriots' defense makes one.

10. Their defense is better than people think. Although it's loaded with post-prime veterans, New England's defense did allow fewer yards a game (288.3) than any Patriot team in the past 25 years.

11. The Patriots have much more Super Bowl experience, more than 10 times that of the Giants. That means they not only weren't wowed by media day but by nothing else in the run-up to today.

12. The return factor. Only four coaches in NFL history — Tom Landry, Don Shula, Mike Holmgren and Bill Parcells — won a Super Bowl then got back to the game and lost one. Bill Belichick is 3-0 in Super Bowls.

13. No one is better in the red zone. New Orleans had a higher touchdown percentage inside the 20-yard line but no team posted a higher scoring percentage in the red zone than the Patriots (94.4 percent).

14. They play with the lead. The Patriots scored an NFL-high 71 points on their first offensive series this year.

15. Jabar Gaffney. There has to be a Gator on every winning team, right?

16. Bob Kraft is a great owner and businessman. Before Kraft took over the Patriots, the franchise had a winning percentage of .421 (244-337-9). Since, the team has won at a .656 clip (162-85).

17. Numerology. New England can win its 19th game today. Transpose the numbers and you get 91 — the number on the decal on the Patriots' helmet in memory of former teammate Marquise Hill, who drowned in the offseason.

18. No way Bill Belichick lets his team blow the chance of a lifetime. Regardless of pressure — and there's tons of it — his teams always seem to have a way of turning pressure into something positive.