Steve Smith hauls in one of two fourth-quarter catches to put the Giants in potential game-winning field goal range. (David J. Phillip/ The Associated Press)

It’s as unlikely for the rookie as it is for the team.

Anybody that now claims from early on they really thought the New York Giants would make it to the Super Bowl is either a fan, a member of Giants franchise or a liar. The Giants started 0-2, and seemed to lose to every good team they played against during the regular season: The Cowboys (2 losses), the Packers, the Vikings, the Redskins (1w-1L) and the Patriots. The sports media proclaimed Eli Manning to be only a shadow of Super Bowl winning big brother, Peyton. In the same breath there was Steve Smith. Injured in week 2 with a broken shoulder, only to come back and pull a hamstring. It looked like Smith was headed for a dismal rookie season.

Flash forward to the end of the season and you’ll notice two things right away: Eli Manning’s in the Super Bowl while his brother’s making self-pity commercials, and Steve Smith has been integral factor in keeping the Giants playoff bid rolling. This is despite the Giants having one of the toughest playoff schedules, facing and beating the Bucs, the Cowboys and lastly Greenbay in Sunday’s NFC Championship game – and all on the road to boot.

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Now they’re off to the Super Bowl in a rematch against the unbeaten New England Patriots. A tall order, but not one without promise. The Giants’ previous game against the Patriots in their regular season closer, a 38-35 loss by a mere field goal, was largely credited with giving them their momentum into the playoffs.

There’s a lot of Giants’ Keys to Winning the Super Bowl floating on the internet out there, with a lot of pointers from stuffing Randy Moss to bringing on the blitz. But one point seems to be consistent: Steve Smith. He’s getting a strong reputation as a clutch receiver, and a valuable third option for Manning behind Toomer and Burress. He opens up the spread formations, giving Manning another set of hands to deliver his strikes.

Can they win the Super Bowl? At the beginning of the season I would of laughed. Now there’s only a lot of real speculation. If they do, it will be big, if not the biggest upset in Super Bowl history.