Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

Once again, the New York Giants seem to be an unlikely Super Bowl participator. Most of the story lines following the game are focused on a “re-match” of the 2008 game in Arizona. Some of the big names are the same. Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Brandon Jacobs and others are still in New York, while the consistency of the Tom Brady and Wes Welker connection continues to flourish in New England. The New England Patriots were chasing history in 2008 and the Giants were a heavy underdog, as Las Vegas had the line at -12. Fast forward to 2012 and the game doesn’t seem to be quite as cut-and-dry as the 2008 affair, when the Giants stunned the NFL by handing the Patriots their only loss of the season. This year’s Super Bowl has the Giants enter the game as a three point underdog. Fortunately, the game isn’t going to be played based on Vegas odds, as both teams have demonstrated the ability to survive close games and adapt to changing circumstances on the field.

The Patriots come into the Super Bowl having won 10 in a row. Who was the last team to defeat the Patriots? Glad you asked. It was the New York Giants, 24-20, in New England, way back on the 6th of November. It was one of the few times this season that a defense was able to pressure Brady into making mistakes. The Giants turned the ball over only twice, while the Patriots coughed the ball up four times, with three of them coming on Brady miscues. The Patriots held a slim three point lead going into the final New York possession and they couldn’t hold it as Manning marched the Giants 80 yards in a minute and 21 seconds to secure a win on a touchdown pass to Jake Ballard. The two teams went in different directions from there as the Patriots have won out to this point and the Giants lost five of six and had to win their last game of the season over the Dallas Cowboys to secure a spot in the playoffs.

With the way New York has turned their entire season around in the playoffs, it would be pretty safe to say that this game could be very much like the battle we saw between the two champions back in November. The Giants are riding a five game winning streak and it’s obvious that a big part of that streak is Eli Manning. Previous to the Giants winning streak, Manning had thrown at least one pick in seven consecutive games and fumbled four times. In the past five games, Manning has thrown 183 passes, 12 of which went for touchdowns and only two were intercepted. He has made key decisions and been patient enough to find secondary receivers like Mario Manningham and Bear Pasco when his stars, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, were covered. Tom Coughlin put the team on Manning’s shoulders and he has responded. The Giants’ defense also deserves quite a bit of credit. During the regular season, New York was near the bottom of the league, giving up 25 points-per-game. In the past five games, including two games in the regular season against rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets, the Giants have given up only 13.4 points a game. That’s a huge turn around and one that cannot be ignored. The faces may be the same on the defensive side of the ball for New York, but the results have not been.

The Patriots, on the other hand, have continued to do what they do; run an efficient, yardage and time gobbling offense that utilizes every component available. You won’t find a deeper or more talented group of offensive players in the NFL as the ones that reside in New England. Tom Brady operates the Bill Bilichick system perfectly. There is no one player that opposing defenses can key on. Defenses always have to fall back on stopping Tom Brady. And when Brady has four receivers that have caught 50 or more passes, defenses simply cannot game plan for stopping them all, especially when one is just as good as another. Deion Branch, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and the incredible Rob Grankowski find ways to make themselves available. The key to slowing down the Patriots lies in getting pressure up front to make Brady decide where to go with the ball quicker and to having a secondary that can cover one on one, not allowing a receiver to get past the defense. The Baltimore Ravens worked a great game plan against Brady as they limited him to completing short yardage passes, while not allowing him to settle in and look down field for big plays. Baltimore was the only team to hold Brady without a touchdown pass this season, and if not for their own offensive deficiencies, would be playing the Giants instead. The Giants would do well to study that game and the loss the Patriots suffered to Pittsburgh back in October. Both defenses pressured Brady into making a lot of short throws. Both kept the damage that Brady could do to a minimum. Defensively, New England was not nearly as bad as many commentators and detractors made out during the regular season. The Patriots were ranked in the middle of the league, giving up 21 points-per-game and cut that down to 15 points a game in two post season matches. Yes, the Patriots are vulnerable through the air and that is the strength of the Giants’ offense. The bottom line, however, is keeping the opposition from getting into the end zone and the Patriots have been at the least, average at doing so.

The winner of this game will be the team that is able to disrupt the other’s quarterback. It is obvious that Manning and Brady are the keys to their team’s success, and they will be the focal point for both the media and fans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The running game for both clubs is just a change-up from what they do best. Both teams want to move the ball and control the clock with the passing game. Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick are both Super Bowl champion coaches and this game is likely to be very well played. Again, the line on the game favors New England by 3 points and it is hard to argue with that. A blowout just doesn’t seem to be in the cards and I believe fans can expect the type of game that will have them hanging on the edge of their seats to the last possession. My prediction is a slow start for both offenses and a game where the secondaries play a big role. I think the Giants are a bit tougher defensively and I’ll take them to win 24-23.

The Super Bowl is one of sport’s biggest events. It has become a real treasure to all Americans, whether they are just passive watchers or hard core NFL fans. The game is shown all around the world, with the potential to be seen by over one billion viewers. Tickets can be difficult to come by the closer we get to game time, but the average fan does have the ability to find a ticket. You can contact the NFL or a reliable third-party agency for prices on Super Bowl tickets and ticket packages. Whether you attend the game in person or not, know that you are one of millions of people who will enjoy NFL football being played at its highest level.