There have been many, many excellent SB's over the last decade or so but all pale in comparison to the Giants /Bills one for me. I know we each hold things special in our memories but I still remember but much of that game vividly. We were in the middle of the war in the Middle East or whatever we called it and there therefore was much precaution taken to ensure there was no terrorist activity. The Americana/tension vibe in the building was palpable. Then, Whitney came in, partly lipsung or not, and crushed the National Anthem pushing the patriotism/SB feel to an almost off the charts level. Then, the game started. It was the unstoppable juggernaut of a Bills team (who I believe scored 49 in the first half the previous week vs. Oakland in the AFC Championship game) vs NY, the tough, grind it out, full of heart Parcells coached team. They were the antithesis of one another. And the game was always close throughout and full of memorable plays that kept this sort of David vs. Goliath going. My favorite two were Ottis (OJ) Anderson's run (off tackle left I picture it) in which about ten yards down the field, he gave a wind-up forearm shiver to a Bills tackler. Later on, on a drive that I believe was a must score mid-way or late through the 4th for the Giants, NY converted on a 3rd and 15 or something like that in which Hoss completed about a 9 yard pass which the receiver then took, juking defender after defender, fighting for every little inch, to get the first down. Just some of the most gutty plays you could imagine. Buffalo got the ball last, and I recall a run (or maybe screen pass) which Thurman Thomas took for a big gain, maybe 35 yards or so, I believe between the right guard and RT, down the right side. Back and forth. Back and forth. A great team vs. a great team. And one that came down to the last play.
Some of these other ones were great but did not have the background drama and also weren't great throughout. The Rams/Titans one was boring as hell in the first half. The Pats/Carolina one was also a snoozer in the first half. The Rams/Pats was sort of meh before the ending. The Giants/Pats was great because of the undefeated season but I never remember feeling that intangible, that something so special is in the air feeling, like I did with NY/Buffalo. But that's just me.
