Michael Strahan was a vital member of the Giants' Super Bowl XLII-winning team. Jack Gruber, USAT, USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

NY Giants' 2007 and 2011 Defenses Share This Impressive Accomplishment

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 2:00 PM ET

If there was ever proof needed that defenses win championships, look no further than the New York Giants’ last two Super Bowl championships.

The Patriots’ offenses in 2007 and 2011, the years they faced the Giants in the Super Bowl, landed among the top ten offenses since 2000 based on data compiled and analyzed by Pro Football Network.

The 2011 Patriots, whom the Giants held to 17 points in Super Bowl XLVI, ranked ninth in the analysis. During the 2011 regular season, the Patriots finished second in yards (428 yards per game) and third in scoring (32.1 points per game), led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.

During the 2011 regular season, Brady threw for 5,235 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 65.6% of his passes and posting a passer rating of 105.6.

If that’s not impressive enough, consider what the 2007 Giants defense did to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in limiting them to just 14 points.

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During the 2007 regular season, the Patriots offense, which ranked second on PFSN’s list, was a juggernaut.

That year, the Patriots ranked first in scoring (36.8 points per game), and Brady, the league’s MVP that season, led the NFL in passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating.

The Giants, however, got it done when it counted, their defense bottling up Brady and those prolific offenses twice. In 2007, the Giants' defense sacked Brady five times for a loss of 37 yards and hit him nine times. The five sacks were the most that Brady absorbed in both regular and postseason play.

In 2011, the Giants only managed to sack Brady twice, but they hit him eight times and forced one interception.

Moving to the present, the Giants placed a heavy emphasis on building up its defense and, in particular, its pass rush this past offseason, ahead of what is the league’s toughest schedule of opponents.

The hope, of course, is that the Giants defense can be proactive enough against some of the top offenses on this year’s schedule, including the Lions (second), 49ers (fourth), Packers (fifth), Commanders (seventh), and Eagles (eighth) in what is a pivotal season for the franchise’s leadership.