Super Bowl history: Giants won two of best Super Bowl games ever played

There have been 48 Super Bowls played, and the New York Giants have played in two of the four best of all time, according to rankings from NFL.com.

The Giants' 17-14 victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in 2008 is the second-best Super Bowl ever played, per NFL.com's Elliot Harrison:

Gil Brandt's take: "So many small plays in a game can change a game. What if they had called in-the-grasp on Eli (Manning)? What if (David) Tyree doesn't trap the ball against his helmet? What if Asante Samuel doesn't worry about getting his feet down and catches the (interception)?"

I would only add that Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo showed us all how a good front four could win against a superior opponent.

The No. 1 Super Bowl on NFL.com's list? That would be Super Bowl XIII, a 35-31 victory by the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Dallas Cowboys.

The New York Jets beating the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III is No. 3, and it's hard to argue with the Joe Namath guarantee game going in that spot.

The Giants' 20-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV is No. 4 on NFL.com's list:

Gil Brandt's take: "The Giants winning on the 'Wide Right' field goal. They basically played a 2-5 (defense) so as to try to stop the Buffalo offense. You know, the Giants played them earlier in the season and stifled Buffalo's offense -- now that was a really good game, too. Jim Kelly got hurt, and (Frank) Reich had to come in."

Re-watching the broadcast of Super Bowl XXV, I can back up what Gil is saying. Here the Giants were, playing two down linemen with five linebackers moving around. Man, Bill Belichick was ahead of the game as a defensive coordinator.

The Giants' 21-17 victory over New England in Super Bowl XLVI is No. 17 on the list, and the 39-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI is No. 23.

The 34-7 Super Bowl XXXV loss to the Baltimore Ravens was a Super dud, checking in at No. 40.

The Giants' 4-1 record in the Super Bowl play, incidentally, is the third-best Super Bowl winning percentage of all time amongst teams with more than one appearance. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers (6), Dallas Cowboys (5) and San Francisco 49ers (5) have won more Super Bowl titles. The Green Bay Packers have also won four.

The Patriots are favored to beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49. That would give the Patriots four Super Bowl titles of their own.