Yea, here we go with the woulda, shoulda, coulda stuff.
But that's not my point. Anyone from the Pats fanbase whining about "cupcake" opponents in the SB should take a second to remember last year's debacle. Very similar to this year's matchup. No one was giving the Giants a chance THROUGHOUT the playoffs. They were dogs in every post-season game, but they got hot at the right time and were able to sneak into the Super Bowl, where AGAIN, no one thought they had a chance of beating the mighty Pats. The Giants played a great game, and although I know NO ONE here was happy about the outcome, that game will go down as one of the best SBs ever!
The same scenario for the Cards. Nice cinderella story, but no one gave them a chance of beating the Panthers, Eagles, or the Steelers. And they came oh so close to pulling off another upset, much like the NYG last year.