Who is going to win Super Bowl XLVI? Super Bowl 46 pits the New York Giants against the New England Patriots. This is an interesting match up considering these 2 teams played each other in Super Bowl XLII just four years ago. Right now VegasInsider.com has the Patriots favored by 3 points, but that line could change a lot between now and Super Bowl Sunday.
Patriots Defense: The Patriots defense has actually played a lot better this post season. Joe Flacco did throw for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns against a shoddy Patriots secondary in the conference championship game which is not good considering how well Eli Manning has played lately. The Patriots only chance to stop the Giants passing game is to get pressure on Manning. Can the Patriots front 7 do this? They have no choice.
Giants Defense: The Giants defense is designed to get to the quarterback. This is how the Giants beat the Patriots back in 2007. They put a lot of pressure on Brady and it affected his passing. For the Giants to win this game they have to put the same type of pressure on Brady. The Giants defense was designed to stop passing offenses like the Patriots.
Defensive Edge: Giants
Patriots Offense: The Patriots offense is designed around the 2 tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Herndandez. How healthy will Gronkowski be after suffering an ankle sprain against the Ravens? If he isn’t fully healthy this could have a big affect on the Patriots game plan. Look for the Patriots to keep the Giants off balance with a mixture of both the run and the pass. Tom Brady will come out sharp after a disappointing conference championship game.
Giants Offense. Eli Manning has carried the Giants all season and has played his way into elite status. The Giants have 3 legit receivers making it impossible to pick just one guy to shut down. The Giants run game has to play a large role to keep the Patriots defense guessing.
Offensive Edge: Even
Patriots Special Teams: The Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski is very solid kicking from 50 yards in, which could be a factor if this game is close. Return men Julian Edelman and Danny Woodhead are not the most explosive returners in the league, but they aren’t the worst.
Giants Special Teams: Lawrence Tynes showed last week that he is one of the most clutch kickers in the league and can be counted on to kick game winners. Both Aaron Ross and Will Blackmon are both dangerous guys if given space to run.
Special Teams Edge: Giants
This game could come down to whoever has the ball last. Look for the Giants pass rush to play a big factor in the outcome of this game. 3rd down conversions might be a key stat in this game. The Giants are only converting 37% on 3rd down while the Patriots are converting 45% of the time which will help the Patriots offense stay on the field and keep Eli on the sideline.
Look for another classic game, but in the end the Patriots will not be able to stop the Giants passing game and the Giants pass rush will affect Tom Brady’s ability to be accurate down the field.
Super Bowl XLVI Prediction: Giants 24 Patriots 21
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