New England 49 New York 10

Last night in Phoenix 50 Cent made Paris Hilton cry, and it had nothing to do with the mutual exchange of sexually transmitted disease. Apparently Paris wanted to get up on the stage and dance as Fiddy performed, but the multi-platinum recording artist humiliated the not-so heiress by yelling her off the stage, and that is when the water works began.

There is a big game in Phoenix Sunday and, unlike Paris, I suspect the surprising New York Giants are just happy to be in the desert. And even happier to be there without Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey, irritating black holes of attention they both would be.

The Patriots have to be happy too -- they are now one game away from making real history, and avoiding the dreaded footnote. But recent history shows that, for the Pats, that kind of pleasant relief lends itself to the kind of a focus that results in victory.

The Patriots haven't been blowing teams out like they did at the beginning of the season, and barely beat the Giants about a month ago. This sounds like a challenge. And, if you were the collective psyche of a football team, would you want to play Bill Belichick and Tom Brady a month after almost beating them, and when they've had a bye week to work with?

Also, the Patriots are a whole lot better than the Giants. When I was kid Super Bowls regularly had ridiculous final scores like 55-10 and 46-10 and 45-10. The Patriots of 2007 will turn back the clock on their way to history. They shake their habit of winning Super Bowls by a field goal in a big way: Patriots 49 Giants 10.

Update: This didn't happen.