The New England Patriots arrived in Scottsdale, Ariz., yesterday with twin but intertwined tasks ahead.

A victory in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants would achieve the primary goal of winning a championship. It would also allow the Patriots to finish 19-0, unprecedented in NFL annals.

In defying the odds against perfection — the only NFL team to finish unbeaten was the 17-0 Miami Dolphins in 1972 — they must perform another feat that's perhaps more difficult than it seems. They have to win as the AFC's No. 1 seed.

Only twice since 1990, when the NFL adopted the 12-team playoff format, has that conference's top seed won the Super Bowl — the 1998 Denver Broncos and 2003 Patriots. Seven of 18 top seeds in the AFC didn't make it through the divisional round when they supposedly were rested and ready after a bye.

"A lot of times teams hit on all their cylinders at the wrong point and then have a lull at the wrong time of the year," says Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas. "In the playoffs, you can't have that."

A season ago, Thomas was a member of the 13-3 Baltimore Ravens, the AFC's No. 2 seed. They failed to survive the postseason's divisional round, losing at home to the third-seeded Indianapolis Colts.

The NFC's No. 1 seed reached the Super Bowl (and lost it) the last three seasons but the New York Giants ended that streak. Wild-card playoff qualifiers, they've won 10 consecutive road games, an NFL single-season record that includes playoff victories at Tampa, No. 1 seed Dallas and second-seeded Green Bay.

"One of the things that stood out for me this year was that home-field advantage was not an advantage," says Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw, who played in four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers. "That was something I wanted to have as a player. You're comfortable at home."

The Patriots are the designated home team in Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, the Giants the visitors. New England was 10-0 at home; the Giants' only road defeat came on opening day against the Cowboys. Their last loss: at home in the regular-season finale to the Patriots.

OBITUARY

HOLOVAK COACHED PATS TO FIRST TITLE GAME

Mike Holovak, a longtime NFL executive who coached the Patriots to their first championship game, died yesterday, a few hours before the team left for the Super Bowl. He was 88.

Holovak died in Ruskin, Fla., of complications from pneumonia, Boston College spokesman Reid Oslin said after speaking with Holovak's wife, Pauline Scudder Holovak. Holovak was a former football star and coach at Boston College.

The Patriots' second winningest coach, Holovak led the Boston Patriots to the American Football League title game after the 1963 season. They lost to San Diego, 51-10. He later was vice president of player personnel and general manager of the Houston Oilers and stayed on when they moved to Tennessee and became the Titans.

He began his NFL career playing for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams before he became freshman football coach at Boston College in 1949 and varsity coach in 1951.

REDSKINS

CAMPBELL NOW DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL

Washington, still without a head coach, promoted Scott Campbell to director of player personnel yesterday.

Campbell, who has spent the past seven seasons with the Redskins, will oversee scouting at both the college and professional levels. He had previously led both college and professional recruiting.

Campbell spent the 2000 season as director of pro personnel for the Chicago Bears, where he worked with Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache. Before that, Campbell spent time in Atlanta and Kansas City.

The move comes after the Redskins dismissed assistant coaches Gregg Williams and Al Saunders on Saturday. The Redskins also promoted Blache to lead the team's defense and said a head coach would not be in place before the Super Bowl.

In other news, owner Dan Snyder is scheduled to have another interview with Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks this week, a person familiar with the selection process told The Associated Press yesterday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Redskins have not publicly stated the names of any candidates.