Patriots vs. Giants: 8 reasons why you should be excited

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

4. Rarity of interconference matchup

The NFL’s scheduling procedure matches an AFC team with a specific NFC team once every four years. So unless the Pats and Giants encounter each other in the Super Bowl one of these years, this could very well be the last time that Brady gets a crack at the team that weakened his legacy a bit. Who knows, maybe Brady will still be playing as a 42-year-old, but it’s more likely that 2015 will be the last time he faces NFC East teams.

This is actually the first meaningful game between the two teams since Super Bowl XLVI, as the 2011 regular season loss obviously occurred before the 2008 calendar year began.

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Just like major league baseball’s interleague play, Interconference games carry a sense of specialty. The Pats played the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins earlier in the season, meaning that the Giants and Philadelphia Eagles are the only remaining NFC teams on their schedule (unless they reach February).

When kickoff rolls around, sit back and enjoy the rare event of the Patriots fighting with an NFC East team.

Next: 3. OBJ vs. Butler