One of the greatest events in sports, The Super Bowl, happens this weekend in Indianapolis. The New York Football Giants play against the New England Patriots in what is essentially a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. There are 10 players remaining from that squad on the Patriots, and 19 players on the Giants squad. Last time around, Eli barely out-dueled Tom Brady. Eli was helped by an unbelievable catch by David Tyree off of his helmet, and allowed the Giants to score with only a few seconds left, leaving Brady with no time to mount a comeback. The Giants were able to win by a field goal, but this game shouldn’t be as close.
This game features two squads very different from the last time they played. The Patriots’ defense has given up more passing yards than any team in NFL history except one, but they have a decent run defense. The Giants defense is also ranked in the bottom half of pass defense, but they have come on strong in the playoffs. They held Aaron Rodgers to around 300 yards, and sacked him several times. The Giant’s ability to get pressure on the quarterback might be the key to this game. Last time these two teams faced each other, both had very good defenses which led to that low-scoring game.
The offenses have also changed. In 2007, Tom Brady led the best offense in football onto the field while the Giants featured an amazing ground game with a young and inexperienced Eli Manning at quarterback. This time, Tom Brady leads an average Patriots offense with no running game and an injured Rob Gronkowski against a Giants team with a budding superstar in Eli Manning. This year, Eli has thrown for almost five thousand yards to a very talented receiving core and although they rank last in rushing, they still have two very capable backs in Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.
So, although this is a rematch of the Super Bowl XLII, the teams are very different. I think that the Giants offense is too good for New England’s defense. New England has not been able to pressure any of the opposing quarterbacks, and even if Eli is pressured, he showed against the 49ers that he can handle it and make the perfect throws. On the other side of the ball, the Giants defensive line will be too much for New England’s offensive line, and it could be a long day for Tom Brady. With the possible loss of Rob Gronkowski, their best playmaker, it changes their entire offense. They use him in 99% of their plays this season, and losing him in the most important game really impacts their offense. They’ll probably end up using Julian Edelman as a third receiver, which makes their offense more predictable, and less likely to run the ball. Overall, with the Giants ability to force turnovers on defense and special teams, and the Patriots loss of Gronkowski, I like the Giants on both offense and defense. Tom Brady or not, I see this game being within 1 score most of the game, until midway through the 4th quarter when Eli can take control. I see the Giants winning 35-24 to win their fourth in franchise history.
