PHOENIX — There is so much at stake for the New England Patriots tonight in Super Bowl XLII.

Not only is the Super Bowl title on the line against the New York Giants, but so is the Patriots place in history. Already the NFL’s team of the decade, the Patriots will be looking to cement their dynasty with their fourth Super Bowl title in the last seven years.

A victory over the Giants will make the Patriots the first team in the NFL’s 88-year history to finish the season with a perfect 19-0 record. They will also become the first team to finish the season undefeated since the 1972 Dolphins did it, if they beat the Giants.

In addition, a victory over the Giants would strengthen their claim as one of, if not the best teams in NFL history.

“This game is bigger than any of us,” Patriots linebacker Junior Seau said. “This is about history. It’s something for us to look back on and be very proud of for years to come. … It’s the chance of a lifetime.”

There is so much at stake for the Patriots that the pressure to win is overwhelming, but no matter who you ask, the Patriots will tell you that they are looking forward to playing in the biggest game of their lives.

“I think it’s the biggest game of all of our lives — my life, the entire team, our coaches,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “We’re going to be remembering this game for as long as we live, win or lose. We’re going to have great memories of this experience or we’re going to look at it truly as a missed opportunity. There are not too many teams in the history of the NFL — none, in fact — that have been 18-0 going into this game.”

“I’ve always dreamed of playing in this game,” running back Laurence Maroney said.

Even the normally reserved coach Bill Belichick couldn’t help but to comment on the importance of winning tonight’s Super Bowl.

“I think this is the biggest game of all for our football team because it’s the next game,” Belichick said. “It is the next game and it is the Super Bowl. It is for the championship so I can’t think of a bigger game than that. We are here and that is what we are here for. We have worked all year for this game.”

While everyone on the Patriots roster has a common thread — they all want to win the Super Bowl — playing in the Super Bowl tonight means different things to different players.

Seau has been in the league for 18 years and he was selected to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls, from 1991-2002. But he has never won a Super Bowl. “I’m embracing this,” Seau said. “It’s like embracing something when you know it’s going to leave and you’ll just do anything for. That’s what I’m doing every day.”

Patriots receiver Randy Moss has been in the NFL for 10 seasons. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times, was named All-Pro five times, and he holds the NFL record for the most touchdown catches in a season (23), but he has never played in a Super Bowl.

“Before I retired, I wanted a chance to play on this big stage — not for all of the publicity or anything — but this whole Super Bowl, you hear a lot of the greats making their name as Super Bowl MVPs and being able to win the big game. I wanted to be on this stage to play in the big game, the last game of the season,” Moss said.

Defensive lineman Richard Seymour didn’t even know if he was going to play this year after having off-season knee surgery, so it means a lot to him to be able to play in tonight’s game.

“I wasn’t even playing the beginning of the season, and not knowing if I would play and to have the blessing that I’ve had so far to display my talents in the world’s biggest game, for me it couldn’t get any bigger.”

There is so much on the line for the Patriots, but they aren’t thinking about the big picture.

“We’ve got one single sole purpose and that’s to play our best against the New York Giants on Sunday,” Belichick said. “Everything else is basically irrelevant to that task.”

“We just try to focus on playing the game,” Patriots linebacker and special-teams ace Larry Izzo said. “Where that brings us after that as far as history is concerned is for other people to discuss. We’re just focused on going out on Sunday and playing the best possible game that we can.”

Win or lose, the Patriots, Brady said, are living their dream and that’s what matters most to them.

“We are blessed to have the opportunity to live out, truly, childhood dreams,” Brady said. “People say living a dream, but we truly are living a dream. All of us grew up and wanted to be a professional athlete. All of us wanted to play in a Super Bowl, and to have this spectacle and to enjoy this and to have the experience — we are going to remember this for the rest of our lives.”

roblee@projo.com