Moss: Giants had better plan

Randy Moss (five catches for 62 yards) can't haul in this late fourth-quarter pass, with the Giants' Corey Webster defending. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Randy Moss's final catch of the season gave the Patriots their final lead of the season in a 17-14 loss to the New York Giants last night in Super Bowl XLII.

Moss's 6-yard touchdown reception with 2:42 to play gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead, but the Giants marched downfield and scored with 35 seconds left.

Moss was quarterback Tom Brady's best hope in the fateful final seconds, but Brady missed connecting on two deep passes.

"I think I should have jumped up," Moss said of failing to catch Brady's heave in the final seconds. "But it's hard to jump up when you are running fast. I wish I had gathered myself and made the catch."

On the Patriots' second-to-last play of the game, on third and 20 from their 16-yard line, Moss got a hand on the ball. But so did Corey Webster, the pass falling incomplete. On the final play, Moss did not come close to the pass as he ran into the Giants' coverage.

"The Giants had a better game plan than we did, they came ready to play four quarters," said Moss, who finished with five catches for 62 yards. "I think their intensity from the beginning to the end was higher than ours. It surprised me, because of all the work we put in the last two weeks.

"It's hard to explain. I don't really have words for it."

Brady barely looked Moss's way in the first half, twice throwing incompletions in his direction before completing an 18-yarder with 22 seconds left. Then Brady was sacked and fumbled on the next play.

After the Patriots fell behind early in the final quarter, though, Moss caught a 17-yarder on the first play after the Giants took a 10-7 lead. But Brady failed to connect with Moss two plays later, then threw another incompletion toward Wes Welker on third and 7.

Brady and Moss finally began connecting on the next possession. Brady found Moss three times during the Patriots' final scoring drive, the last of which was the 6-yard TD. Two plays before the touchdown, Brady missed an open Moss in the left side of the end zone.

"It was a crucial situation in the game, it was late in the game, and I really thought that play really gave us the momentum to take us up," Moss said of his TD catch. "But on their side of the ball, offense and defense, they had the intensity for four quarters, so that is really what hurt.

"Our defense played fabulous. I really thought our defense would close it up after that."

But the Giants had the final say.

"Their pass rush was great for four quarters," Moss said. "Their secondary is ordinary, they don't have any All-Pro players, but they play good together.

"I am a part of the game plan every week. We adjusted at halftime but the Giants had our number for four quarters and they deserved to win.

"We didn't execute. We don't point fingers and we win as a team and we lose as a team. We'll bounce back. At the same time, the good thing is we can come back, but it's a long wait."

Moss said he was looking forward to next season, but he was uncertain if he would return to the Patriots.

"I would love to be in a New England Patriot uniform but, if not, the show must go on," Moss said. "A lot of people didn't want us to win the Super Bowl. We were the top dog and there was a lot of hype and people were tired of hearing about us, I could sense that.

"Of course, this can fuel us, but how? We need to come back next year and do it right, finish it. Nothing really matters because we didn't win. We basically didn't do anything this season, because we didn't finish it up. The season was exciting, don't get me wrong, but it's disappointing.

"We'll come back and we're looking forward to minicamp. The bad thing is we don't have a next week."

Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.