PAT FIRST: Jim Plunkett (right) directed the Patriots past the Giants in an early meeting at the Yale Bowl in 1974.

The Giants and Patriots have played against each other 10 times including the playoffs. The teams have split the series, 5-5, with the Giants winning the biggest game of all — Super Bowl XLII.

Oct. 18, 1970, at Harvard Stadium

Giants 16, Patriots 0

The then-Boston Patriots, en route to a 2-12 record in their first NFL season, gained just 155 yards of total offense. Giants kicker Pete Gogolak hit three field goals, and future Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton threw the game’s only touchdown, a 28-yarder to Clifton McNeil.

Sept. 22, 1974, at Yale Bowl

Patriots 28, Giants 20

The Giants, embarking on a miserable 2-12 campaign under Bill Arnsparger, played home games in New Haven. Ron Johnson opened the scoring for the Giants with a 21-yard pass from Norm Snead. Jim Plunkett responded for the Patriots with two touchdown throws to force a 14-14 tie at halftime, and the Pats pulled away late.

Nov. 8, 1987, at Giants Stadium

Giants 17, Patriots 10

On a mild 55-degree day, Jeff Rutledge threw second-quarter touchdown passes to Mark Bavaro and George Adams to put the Giants up 14-0, and the Bill Belichick-led defense held the Patriots mostly under wraps from there. Bill Parcells’ Giants stumbled to a 6-9 finish in their Super Bowl encore.

Dec. 30, 1990, at Foxboro Stadium

Giants 13, Patriots 10

For the playoff-bound 12-3 Giants, this was a meaningless game against the 1-14 Patriots. Jeff Hostetler, playing quarterback since Phil Simms suffered a season-ending foot injury two weeks before, threw a touchdown to Dave Meggett in the first quarter. The Patriots, with the help of a 40-yard Irving Fryar touchdown catch, scored 10 points in the second quarter to tie it. Matt Bahr’s 27-yard field goal was the game-winner for the Giants. The win helped propel Parcells’ Giants to their second Super Bowl victory, a 20-19 thriller over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV.

Dec. 21, 1996, at Giants Stadium

Patriots 23, Giants 22

The Giants raced out to a 22-0 halftime lead highlighted by a Jason Sehorn 23-yard interception return. But in the second half, the Bill Parcells-led Patriots showed why they were on their way to the Super Bowl — and why the Giants would finish 6-10 under Dan Reeves. Drew Bledsoe threw fourth-quarter touchdown strikes to Terry Glenn and Ben Coates, and ex-Giant Dave Meggett added a 60-yard punt return as New England scored 23 unanswered points to stun Big Blue.

Sept. 26, 1999, at Foxboro Stadium

Patriots 16, Giants 14

LeShon Johnson got the Giants on the board early with a 6-yard touchdown catch from the immortal Kent Graham, but the Patriots scored the game’s next 16 points. A late Tiki Barber touchdown catch made it close for the Giants, who wound up 7-9 the year before their Super Bowl run under Jim Fassel. After an 8-8 finish, the Patriots replaced Pete Carroll with Bill Belichick.

Oct. 12, 2003, at Gillette Stadium

Patriots 17, Giants 6

The Giants outgained the Patriots by over 150 yards as Kerry Collins threw for 314 yards — with four interceptions. Tom Brady was 8-for-21 for just 112 yards, but a Matt Chatham 38-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown was the difference. The Patriots won their second in a row on what would become a 15-game streak that carried them to their second Super Bowl crown. After a 4-12 finish, the Giants hired Tom Coughlin.

Dec. 29, 2007, at Giants Stadium

Patriots 38, Giants 35

With the Patriots trying to complete a perfect regular season, the Giants opted to play their starters under the Saturday night lights. Eli Manning threw his third touchdown of the day to Plaxico Burress in the third quarter, putting the Patriots in a 28-16 hole — their largest of the season. But New England came storming back, scoring the next 21 points on two Laurence Maroney rushes and a 65-yard Randy Moss touchdown catch. Manning’s 3-yard toss to Burress with just over a minute remaining was too little, too late. The loss filled the Giants with confidence heading into the playoffs — and a rematch with the Patriots five weeks later in the Super Bowl.

Feb. 3, 2008, Super Bowl XLII, at Glendale, Ariz.

Giants 17, Patriots 14

The Giants, 12-point underdogs, relied on their ferocious defense to bottle up the 18-0 Patriots’ record-setting offense. After slugfest first half and scoreless third quarter, Eli Manning found David Tyree for a 5-yard score to put the up 10-7. Tom Brady responded with a 6-yard strike to Randy Moss with 2:42 left, putting the Patriots on the brink of perfection. But Eli Manning earned his MVP on the ensuing 12-play, 80-yard Giants drive highlighted by the legendary Helmet Catch by David Tyree and a 13-yard touchdown to Plaxico Burress. The Giants held on to complete their remarkable run from the wild card to their third Super Bowl title.

Nov. 6, 2011, at Gillette Stadium

Giants 24, Patriots 20

After a game between two of the league’s best offenses was scoreless through halftime, Eli Manning and the Giants again stunned the Patriots in the frantic final minutes. After a Brandon Jacobs 10-yard rushing touchdown gave the Giants a 10-0 lead in the third quarter, the Patriots scored the next 13 points. Manning hit Mario Manningham with 3:03 remaining, but Tom Brady found Rob Gronkowski with 1:36 left to reclaim the lead. Manning then drove the Giants 80 yards in under two minutes, firing a 1-yard pass to tight end Jake Ballard with 15 seconds remaining that snapped the Patriots’ 20-game regular-season home winning streak.