Now About That Other Super Bowl Team…
Prior to the AFC Championship Game, football fans around the country were stunned when the Chargers knocked off the Colts, denying the New England vs Indianapolis rematch they were all pining to see.
But everyone quickly recovered once the Patriots knocked-off the spirited Chargers. For then the Cloverfield monster-like drooling over a Brett Favre vs Tom Brady uber QB face-off in Super Bowl XLII began in full. What a perfect match-up! What a phenomenal story line we can all bludgeon into the ground over the next two weeks!
Oops. Nevermind. Care for some Eli?
Having said that, the Giants not only proved to be the better team on Sunday, but the younger Manning brother proved to be the better QB on the field as well. While he didn’t do anything spectacular, he didn’t kill his team with a crucial INT like his Green Bay counterpart did either.
And let’s not forget about that New York run game. Just like Eli, it has also been very consistent, with the two headed attack of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combining for 324 rushing yards in the playoffs.
But perhaps most noteworthy has been the excellent game schemes put together by Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in the postseason. He had multiple blitzes against the Cowboys during the Divisional Round. Yet against the Packers, New York kept the QB pressure to the base 4-man front, letting linebackers like Antonio Pierce drop into coverage to limit Favre’s multiple receiving options.
As for this revised Super Bowl match-up, what’s not to like about a New England vs New York storyline? Sure, Patriots fans were all looking for a little revenge against those Cheeseheads for Super Bowl XXXI, but hey, beating another NY team en route to another title sounds pretty good to me as well…
Not that a Patriots victory is a given, either. This Giants team is responsible for the largest come from behind victory Belichick’s crew had to muster this year in Week 17 (that being 12 points). This makes the early Vegas line of 13 to 14 points in favor of New England that much more surprising. With their strong pass rush and efficient offense, the Giants match-up very well with the undefeated Patriots.
How well? Oh hey, we’ve got nearly 2 weeks to analyze this match-up! (Ugh…)
New York Giants, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLII
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