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Indianapolis. In their four previous trips to the Super Bowl with Bill Belichick as coach and Tom Brady at quarterback, the New England Patriots threatened to go into overtime.

They eked out wins in 2002, 2004 and 2005 and lost by three points to the New York Giants in a 2008 classic.

When New England and New York face off again on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Patriots will be favored by three points.

And there’s a high chance that margin will be decided in an unprecedented overtime.

Each team is on a roll, with the Patriots winning all 10 games since a home loss to the Giants in November. New York went into a funk after that victory, losing four straight and five of six before turning it around with closing victories against the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East division.

The Giants have won five in a row, including over Atlanta, defending champion Green Bay and San Francisco in the playoffs.

In 2008, the Patriots were unbeaten and seeking the NFL’s first perfect season in 35 years until the Giants stunned them. Again, New England has the better record and the Giants took the long route to the big game.

“It’s the same teams, but in our mind-set, a lot of new players,” said Giants quarterback Eli Manning, one of the heroes of the 17-14 win four years ago. “We had 16 guys and New England only has seven guys who were on that team.

“We have the mind-set that this is a new game. What happened in the last Super Bowl doesn’t matter. It’s about what we do on Sunday and what we do in this game.”

What the Giants must do is get a pass rush on Brady. They had five sacks and at least nine hits on him in the 2008 game, and they pressured him throughout the regular-season win in November. If they can make Brady uncomfortable and rush his throws, it ruins the tempo of New England’s no-huddle offense.

“It wouldn’t be the Super Bowl if they weren’t talking about coming to knock me down and trying to knock me out. That’s what I expect,” Brady said. “And you know what? Our offensive line gets paid to keep those guys out of there.”

With Brady virtually no threat to run, the Giants will try to condense the passing pocket so much that Brady can’t step into his throws. If that doesn’t happen, receiver Wes Welker and dynamic tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez could be tough to cover; New York’s secondary isn’t strong enough to prosper without the big pass rush.

Gronkowski’s high left ankle sprain is problematic for New England, although everyone expects him to play. But if he’s limited in gaining yards after the catch, a particular strength, it also could hurt the Patriots.

Where New England has stepped up recently is on defense, and the Giants will test that improvement. Manning’s three wideouts, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham, can’t all be double-teamed and each is capable of game-breaking plays. Belichick must come up with something creative to slow them.

“For every team you play, I think tat our coaches do a great job as far as scouting them, breaking them down, and then we get our game plan,” Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington said.

“We’re going to go out there and fly around. I can’t say enough about how talented they are, how much of a challenge it’s going to be.”

Associated Press