NFL Playoffs Super Bowl XLII

It all comes down to one game.  Media Day is over.  The echoing of Tom Brady possibly being the best quarterback ever is over.  The talks over Eli Manning’s maturation are over.  Plaxico Burress’s prediction is now over.  And the Osi Umenyiora-Matt Light “dirty play” talk is over.  Now, it’s just time to play the game.  “Who wants it more?” has been the slogan for this year’s Super Bowl.  For the Patriots, they went out and destroyed teams in the first half of their schedule and showed in the second half that they can win close games.  For the Giants, they’ve battled adversity since Day One as many experts picked them to be in the basement of the NFC East.  They’ve won 10 consecutive road games to get here and now – It all comes down to one game.  This is it folks – the end of the football season.  Let’s break down Super Bowl XLII.

Patriots offense vs. Giants defense – The last time these two teams faced off the Pats put up 38 points and got to 16-0.  They shut down the Patriots run game but gave up a lot of first downs, which helped the Patriots control the game clock as they held onto the ball for 36 minutes.  The Giants didn’t fair too shabby on third down however, stopping the Pats 7 out of 13 times.  The big problems for the Giants were containing Wes Welker and Randy Moss.  Welker had 11 catches for 122 yards while Moss had 6 grabs for 100 yards and two TDs.  Kevin Faulk had a lot of key receptions too, 8 of them for 64 yards.  Tom Brady played splendid going 32/42 for 356 yards and 2 TDs.  That will be the question for the Giants.  They’ve played great against the run the last few weeks, really bottling up opponents running backs.  But can Tom Brady and the passing game be slowed down?  The Patriots are going to get their fair share of passing yards and points, but can the Giants minimize and limit to a reasonable extent what the Patriots do on offense.  The Giants will be a bit healthier this time around as corner Kevin Dockery will be available as will Sam Madison who was hurt halfway through their Week 17 matchup.

Giants offense vs. Patriots defense – In their Week 17 tilt, Brandon Jacobs made his presence felt early, as on the first Giants drive, he was the recipient of an Eli Manning TD pass.  He ended up running for 67 yards on 15 carries.  Expect him to get the ball a lot more in this game as the Giants will look to expose the Patriots run defense early and often.  Also, Ahmad Bradshaw was not available during the regular season game against the Patriots and should give the New England defense some different looks and possibly fits.  For Eli Manning, this game was his launching pad for his performances the past few weeks.  22/32 for 251 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT.  He played possibly his best game in his young career that night and almost led the Giants to an upset victory.  In this matchup Manning spread the ball around – hitting six different receivers, twice or more.  Instead of trying to force the ball, Manning took what the defense gave him and simply just found the open guy.  That’s what he has done in their three playoff games – playing smart football and making great decisions.  Including that Week 17 game with his playoff games, he has thrown for 8 TDs and just that 1 INT vs. the Patriots (where he was trying to make a play late as the Giants were trailing).  Mistake free football has been the mantra on the Giants side and its worked out well so far.  Burress had a breakout game last week against Green Bay and it seems like him, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss have all found their niche in the Giants passing attack.  If Manning plays another solid game with no turnovers, the Giants put themselves in a good position to win.

X-Factor – Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk.  These two guys killed the Giants in Week 17.  They constantly come up with big and key catches, a lot of them coming in third down situations.  I talked about limiting Brady and the offense before, and that really goes for these two guys.  If the Giants can limit or stop these two players, the Giants really improve their chances.

Prediction – The Giants played the Patriots very tough in Week 17 and almost walked away with the win.  Now, they get a few more key guys healthy in this ball game.  Ahmad Bradshaw is a player to watch tonight.  If he can run wild like he has the past few weeks, the Giants may give the Patriots problems.  Can Tom Brady be stopped on the big stage?  The banged up Giants secondary has been nursed back to health and everyone will be ready to go.  Limiting Tom Brady and the passing attack is vital if the Giants are to call themselves champs.  If the offense plays like it has and the defense can get some key stops, the Giants just might take it late again - Giants 29 Patriots 21.

Thanks for the read and enjoy the game folks.