There's one Patriots postseason loss that likely will always be viewed as the most painful in the history of the franchise.
We're talking, of course, about Super Bowl XLII. New England ripped off 18 consecutive wins in 2007 but couldn't put the finishing touch on a perfect season. The Patriots fell on the championship stage to the New York Giants, who entered those playoffs as a Wild Card team.
New England fans to this day wonder how Tom Brady and Co. didn't improve to 19-0. The stunning loss probably can't be tabbed to a single factor, but former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich on Friday suggested one of the potential reasons why the '07 squad fell to the underdog Giants.
"That 2007 Patriot team, I feel, if they would have lost maybe one game in the regular season and didn’t have that pressure of being perfect going into the playoffs, I think they would have won the Super Bowl," Ninkovich said on ESPN's "Get Up," as transcribed by Patriots Wire."
Considering how the 2007 Patriots' heartbreak unfolded, perhaps fans of the Steelers, who currently sit at 11-0, are hoping Pittsburgh suffers a loss over its final five regular-season games before the playoffs commence.
