This year’s Super Bowl is the classic lopsided matchup. It’s David vs. Goliath. It’s Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago. The New York Giants are the underdog story of our time. There is no pressure because nobody is expecting the Giants to pull off a victory. But how did the Giants even manage to put themselves in this situation?

The Giants had two turning points this season. Everyone knows about the last game of the season against the Patriots, which saw the Giants fall ‘ barely ‘ 38-35. But people forget the first turning point, much earlier, that equally contributed to the Giants’ Super Bowl run.

Steve Spagnuolo ‘ taking the place of the inept former defensive coordinator, Tim Lewis ‘ implemented a defensive scheme that threw the Giants into mass confusion during the first two games of the season against Dallas and Green Bay. It was ugly: blitzes were untimely, the pressure was ineffective, big plays for the opposition were common and tackles were missed left and right. Nobody believed the Giants had a shot to return to contention. And with the way things were going, that was justified.

For the first 59 minutes and two seconds of the Giants’ third game of the season, against Washington, the Big Blue’s defense was not making any case for rebuttal, and the situation was as critical as it had ever been. The future of the Giants’ season was on the line. If they blew that game on defense, the season was likely as good as lost. However, if somebody stepped up, took charge and made a play to keep the Redskins out of the end zone, perhaps the team could still retain hope of a turnaround. With 58 seconds remaining and the Giants up 24-17, the Redskins had a 1st and goal from the 1-yard line.

‘If I put you in that huddle, your ears might bleed,’ defensive tackle Barry Cofield told reporters. ‘At that point, it’s not about technique, it’s not about the call, it’s all about getting fired up and realizing what’s at stake. We just came off the ball and did what we had to do.’

Four plays later, the Giants ran off the field celebrating what they didn’t know at the time was their first turning point of the season and the start of a six-game win streak.

Now, thanks largely to that moment, the Giants stand between the Patriots and perfection again, just as they did in Week 17. Except this time, much more is at stake. This time, it actually matters who wins and who loses. Can the Giants pull off the upset? The odds are against them. But they would not even be here if it hadn’t been for Week 3 and Week 17.