Had the 2007 New England Patriots defeated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, they would be nearly universally regarded as the greatest team in NFL history.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's best squad — bolstered by the additions of wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker — ran the table in the regular season, becoming the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (14-0) to enter the playoffs undefeated.

Along the way, the Pats offense set records across the board. Brady, who won his first MVP award, became the first QB in NFL history to throw 50 touchdown passes in a season while tossing a league-leading 4,806 yards against eight interceptions. A rejuvenated Moss broke Jerry Rice's single-season record for touchdown receptions (23).

The Super Bowl was a different story. Facing historic expectations, the Patriots folded.

The pass rush of Tom Coughlin's underdog Giants team — led by Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck — clearly rattled New England, sacking Brady five times and limiting the offense to its lowest point total of the season.

Additionally, the clutch performance by Eli Manning and heroics by WR David Tyree helped New York pull off the historic upset, 17-14.

Retired linebacker Rob Ninkovich, who played under Belichick from 2009-16, offered his take as to why the '07 Pats finished with an 18-1 rather: pressure.

“That 2007 Patriot team, I feel, if they would have lost maybe one game in the regular season and didn’t have that pressure of being perfect going into the playoffs, I think they would have won the Super Bowl,” Ninkovich said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday.

Entering Week 13, the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-0) remain the NFL's only unbeaten team.