Super Bowl XLVI Prediction
Added on Feb 03, 2012 by Scott in
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The 2011 NFL season officially comes to an end on Sunday night. In a rematch (have you heard?) of Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots and Giants will take the Lucas Oil Stadium field in what will likely be the highest rated Big Game ever. The storylines are numerous: Brady’s vengeance, Eli emerging from Peyton’s shadow, Gronkowski’s ankle, terrible secondary versus awful secondary, to name just a few. Which conference champ will come out on top? Let’s take a look inside the matchup.
New England Patriots (15-3) versus New York Giants (12-7)
Two things have to break right for the Pats to win: 1) Tom Brady must avoid mistakes and deliver precise throws, and 2) the secondary must contain New York’s dangerous trio of wide receivers. Brady was erratic in the November loss to Big Blue, committing three turnovers. He was harassed from the start in Super Bowl XLII, taking five sacks and losing a key fumble. Like many quarterbacks, Brady doesn’t respond well to a relentless pass rush, and the Giants can definitely bring the heat. However, don’t underestimate his desire for redemption; he’s been waiting four years for this chance and will be motivated to play well. The leaky secondary has improved in the playoffs, but that was against Tebow and Flacco. Now they face a red hot Eli Manning, who has thrown for eleven touchdowns and one pick in his last four starts.
The Giants are playing excellent on both sides of the ball. A suspect defense that ranked 25th during the regular season has come alive in the playoffs, shutting down Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith. The unit has recorded nine sacks and forced six turnovers in three wins. Limiting New England’s dynamic tight end duo of Gronkowski and Hernandez will be critical to keeping the offense in check; the twosome caught 12 balls for 136 yards and two scores in the November game, although Gronk’s gimpy ankle could prove problematic on Sunday. Meanwhile, Eli is looking sharper than ever with a plethora of weapons at his disposal. Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham have combined for 43 catches and seven touchdowns in the postseason. The Patriots will have to play lights out on defense to prevent Manning and Co. from posting huge numbers.
This has the makings of a classic back-and-forth battle that could easily come down to the final minute. Betting against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in these situations is bold, but the Giants appear to be the more confident team.
Giants 31, Patriots 27
