Before kick-off in Sunday night’s Super Bowl, many people expected history to be made. The New England Patriots, fresh off an undefeated regular season and two relatively easy playoff-wins, looked prime to be the first team in NFL history to finish the year 19-0.

Perfection seemed only hours away. The chance to make history was at their fingertips.

All they had to do was beat the fifth-seeded New York Giants, and they would go down in history as undefeated. All they had to do was beat a team that lost six of its 16 games during the regular season, and they would be considered the best team to have ever played. The team with the best quarterback in the NFL, and arguably ever, had to simply outscore a team whose quarterback was only the third best in his own family, and they would make history.

It was a lock. The Patriots had already invited some Giants’ players to their “celebration” parties after the game, according to Giants wide-out Amani.

But, once the game started, the only history that was in the making was of one of the most colossal defeats in NFL history.

With an undefeated season and the fourth Super Bowl championship in the past seven years at stake, and the fact that there was a 12-point spread given to the Patriots, this game will be remembered as the most significant loss in the history of pro football.

Other remembered upsets in past Super Bowls, could be put up there with this one, but all of those games are more remembered for a “win” by the underdog rather than the collapse of the juggernaut.

The only game that comes close is Super Bowl III, where Joe Namath propelled the New York Jets to a 17-7 upset win over the powerhouse Baltimore Colts and Johnny Unitas. Despite the 14-point spread and the fact that hardly anyone gave the Jets a chance, Namath guaranteed the win to the media before the game.

This game was as big of an upset as any, but didn’t have the stakes that the Patriots-Giants game had. Super Bowl III is remembered by most to be an amazing win by the Jets, not a loss by the Colts.

The Patriots blowing a chance at becoming the first-ever 19-0 season in the NFL will not only be remembered for them losing, but it will also be remembered for the way that they lost.

From the team that set nearly every offensive record during the regular season, 14 points in their biggest game of the year was unacceptable.

The Patriots, known for their gun-slinging, wide-open offense didn’t take any shots down the field until the final 20 seconds.

Where was that killer instinct that led to blowouts in the regular season?

The Patriots looked sluggish, uninspired even-apart from Tom Brady screaming at his offensive line and wide receivers who ran the wrong routes. The Giants, on the other hand, looked like they were on a mission. They looked like the team of “destiny” that the Patriots were supposed to be.

Brady did lead a fourth-quarter drive that gave the Patriots a lead with just under three minutes left, but it was Eli Manning that was the hero when he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 29 seconds remaining. Really, the game should have never been close enough to where the Giants even had an opportunity to win in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots had every chance to put the game out of the reach of the Giants, but continually came up short. Brady spent more time on his back than he did celebrating touchdowns. Head Coach Bill Belichick’s usually genius play calling seemed suspect at times.

The Patriots played like a team that was afraid to lose, and a team that deserved to be 18-1.

Now instead of being remembered as the NFL’s No. 1 team, the Patriots will be remembered for loss No. 1.