Giants' Victor Cruz: Patriots 'don't want to see us' in the Super Bowl

The Giants are 3-1 in their last four meetings with the Patriots, including two Super Bowl wins

The Patriots are the best team in the AFC, as evidenced, in part by their conference-best 13-2 record. The Giants, meanwhile, are the fifth-seed in the NFC, and as has been the case during previous playoff runs, their success has been largely a function of a very good defense compensating for a mediocre offense.

We mention these two teams because they have a shared history. Specifically, it was the upstart Giants (10-6) who handed the Patriots (16-0) their only loss of the season in Super Bowl XLII. And four years later, it was the Giants (9-7) who again outlasted the Patriots (12-4) in Super Bowl XLVI.

And now, with a week left in the regular season and the Giants assured a spot in the postseason, one of their players is already relishing the idea of facing the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

"They don't want to see us," wide receiver Victor Cruz told the New York Daily News. "I'm sure if you ask them (they'd say) they'd play anybody, they don't care. I'm sure they don't want to see us. That's for sure."

And for the reasons mentioned above, Cruz may be onto something. That said, we're guessing Bill Belichick and the Pats will take their chances.

The Super Bowl is more than a month off and Cruz says he's focused on the Giants' next opponent ... but he also acknowledges that Giants-Pats, Part Trois would be fantastic.

"Oh man, you can't even put it into words almost," he said. "For it to be round three, us and them in another epic Super Bowl showdown. It'd be for all the marbles. The third time is when, I mean they'll have a lot riding on it, we will have a lot riding on it. It'll just be one of those moments you (couldn't) forget."

Cruz continued: "I think just because of our history, no matter when or how we play them, no matter if it's regular season, preseason, postseason, there's an energy there. There's a rivalry-style energy there. When you play a team twice in the Super Bowl, once when they were undefeated, the second when they were pretty darn good, we beat them both times and that's going to live forever. But it's definitely a rivalry."

The Patriots are just 1-3 against the Giants since the Super Bowl XLII, though they won the last meeting, 27-26, when the two teams met in Week 10 of the 2015 season.