The New England Patriots and New York Giants are showing that their regular season weaknesses have been eliminated as they both reached Super Bowl XLVI last Sunday.
New England’s weakness during the regular season was its 31st-ranked defense, giving up an average of 411 yards per game. In beating Denver and Baltimore to reach the Super Bowl, the Pats brought this down to an average of 325 yards per game, which would have ranked ninth best defensive unit in the NFL during the regular season.
The Giants, who got off to a 6–2 start, lost four games in a row, and shortly thereafter suffered an embarrassing 23–10 loss at home to the then 4–9 Washington Redskins; personified inconsistency in the regular season.
But they entered the playoffs from two convincing wins over the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys before demolishing Atlanta and Green Bay, and edging the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday to reach the Super Bowl.
So forget about a weak Pats defense or an inconsistent Giants team when analyzing Super Bowl XLVI. The truth is, there is very little to pick and choose between these two teams. All things considered, both teams are showing good balance and are playing very well.
This is a very compelling matchup without even thinking of the peripheral stories including the memorable Super Bowl in 2008 when the Giants short-circuited the Pats perfect season.
In such a matchup, it could likely be the case that one or two key plays determine the outcome. Certainly, the conference championship games were extremely close, coming down to one key play that sealed the deal.
We are all now very well aware of Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff’s field goal miss from 32 yards with 11 seconds remaining in the game. Had Cundiff made the field goal, the game would have gone into overtime. Instead, the Pats hung on for a three-point win.
The San Francisco 49ers built a reputation this season on playing error-free ball. But two Kyle Williams fumbles (one which needed instant replay to show the ball grazed his knee as he fielded a punt) enabled the Giants to take a late fourth-quarter lead and win the game in overtime.
This is to say that we could very well be seeing the two Harbaugh brothers battling over the Super Bowl instead of the Giants and the Patriots. However, to win a Super Bowl, you have to be good, but sometimes you need some good fortune as well.
All About the Aerial Attack
The Patriots and the Giants are both very complete teams. They are both led by outstanding quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Eli Manning, respectively.
Nothing much more needs to be said about Tom Brady. He’s won three Super Bowls. But Eli Manning is an elite NFL quarterback with one Super Bowl ring and a reputation for delivering under pressure.
The strength of the Giants defense is their defensive line, which can create havoc in the backfield and make Brady’s life miserable. But New York’s secondary is vulnerable as San Francisco’s Vernon Davis showed, with two touchdown receptions last Sunday. So this will be a key matchup—how well they hold up against Brady’s passing attack.
The same matchup is equally important going the other way. The Giants are a passing team and no longer the running team of days gone by. Their run game was the worst in the NFL during the regular season and with Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork at his massive best, don’t expect much yardage to be gained on the ground by the Big Blue.
And it always goes without saying that the turnover battle will be key as it is typically decisive. That being said, the Patriots lost the turnover battle (3–1) against the Ravens, but a big mistake or a big play or two can be even more important than the turnover battle.
Expect another great Super Bowl in Indianapolis on Feb. 5.
Follow Rahul on Twitter @RV_ETSports
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