The Cowboys have been to nine Super Bowls, outscoring their foes 221-132. The 49ers are undefeated in five trips, by a total score of 188- 89, an average score of roughly 38-18.
The Patriots franchise, in five Super Bowls, has been outscored 148-107. Most of that margin was rolled up in Super Bowl XX, by the Chicago Bears, when Tom Brady was a small boy. That 46-10 pounding still stands, for my money, as the most thrilling Super Bowl ever played. There was no question about the outcome. It had been obvious all season that the Bears were the greatest defensive team ever and were going to win the title. They got better in the playoffs, reaching the Super Bowl with back-to-back shutouts. The game itself was the victory party, with the Patriots' backfield as the piñata. The Bears had transcended the whole idea of competition.
On Sunday, the Patriots get another shot at those Bears—and the 49ers and the Cowboys. The question is whether they'll take it. Any win at all would put them in the record books with a perfect 19-0 season. They can play it safe, fend off the Giants, and say they were better than the unblemished but plodding '72 Dolphins. Or they can cut loose, aim for 55 points, and maybe say they're the best team the NFL ever saw.
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