The game was always close to boiling over, and Lukas Podolski went down after an off-the-ball clash with Rene Aufhauser, then went eyeball to eyeball with Emanuel Pogatetz.
That allowed them to take into account the way the eyeball, which is actually more pear-shaped than spherical, drags the eye's lids and brows slightly when the gaze swivels.
The Patriots were chasing a place as the Supreme Team of All-Ever Awesomeness, and that 17-14 Giants upset was a slingshot rock right into whatever weepy eyeball cliche you want to employ.