Randy Moss grabs a Tom Brady pass just before it hits the ground in the first quarter of last night’s game against the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J. The Patriots were bidding for an undefeated regular season.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If the New England Patriots beat the New York Giants and complete the first undefeated season since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, they will deservedly receive a great deal of credit for their accomplishment.

But they also deserve credit for continuing their pursuit of a 16-0 regular season considering all of the questions, pressure and scrutiny that came with it.

Months ago, when New England assembled for minicamp, the idea that the Pats could go undefeated was floated, but at the time it was a complete pipedream. There are too many things that could happen, too many unknowns — and regardless of how good the Patriots looked on paper with new additions Adalius Thomas, Wes Welker and Randy Moss sharing the roster with Tom Brady, Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison, the games still had to be played on the field.

Other teams in recent seasons have gotten deep into their schedules without a loss, but when they did lose they seemed relieved that the undefeated monkey was off their back.

When the Indianapolis Colts ran their record to 13-0 in 2005 before losing to San Diego, coach Tony Dungy called it a “fun streak,” but added that his team’s ultimate goal was to win the Super Bowl.

Eli Manning said this week he never spoke to big brother Peyton, the Colts’ quarterback, about the run while it was happening, likening it to a pitcher going after a perfect game or a no-hitter who finds himself all alone in the dugout between innings lest it be jinxed.

But Dungy’s resting many of his starters over the final weeks of the regular season and the coach’s heartbreak after his son’s suicide were a terrible mix for Indianapolis. They were upset in their first postseason game by eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

In 1998, the Broncos also won their first 13 games. Denver was coming off a Super Bowl the previous season, and didn’t have much use for an undefeated season. The Broncos wanted nothing more than to go back to the Super Bowl in what would be John Elway’s final season.

In a media world where newspapers, television networks, radio stations and Web sites have an insatiable need to fill inches and air time, the prospect of an undefeated team quickly becomes a big deal.

That, above all, separates the 2007 Patriots’ quest for an undefeated season from the 1972 Dolphins’. Miami toiled in relative obscurity, likely with little more than a few newspaper beat reporters and maybe a couple of local television talking heads chronicling them.

Now? On numerous occasions this season, there have been no fewer than 70 reporters, photographers and cameramen crowded into the media room to hear one of Bill Belichick’s midweek press conferences and listen to Brady list the virtues of the upcoming opponent’s defense.

National media outlets like ESPN and USA Today, who normally would travel to Foxboro only before a big game, have had reporters with the team for the last several weeks. ESPN’s on-screen crawl, generally broken up by sport categories, has had a separate category for Pats news.

And it’s not just media pressure: friends and family of New England players have been asking them about the prospect of going undefeated, as well. Harrison hangs up on anyone who dares bring up the topic.

But still, the Patriots pressed on. One game at a time, of course, because that is the only approach Belichick knows. His “humble pie” method of emphasizing mistakes and only minimally acknowledging great plays is done in part to keep his players focused on getting better and prevent them from believing pundits who yak about how wonderful the team is.

It is frustrating at times for the players, but they know that the coach’s methods get results.

Under Belichick and with locker-room leaders like Seymour, Brady and Troy Brown, New England is uniquely suited to be able to handle the scrutiny and 24/7 attention.

Besides, the Patriots have already won three Super Bowls this decade, so they had to find something to outdo themselves.

smanza@projo.com