The time is almost upon us. The most hyped up sporting event there is draws closer and closer. The day when companies will spend more on advertising then any other single day of the entire year. The Super Bowl. Where tickets are currently reselling at an average price of $4,300 per ticket, hitting as high as $19,446.
Is it the best sporting event in the world? That's a question for another day. Today we will look deeply into Super Bowl XLll (42 if you don't know roman numerals).
The biggest question that remains regarding this match-up is pretty simple: Do the Giants even have a chance at defeating the New England Patriots, who have a record of 18-0 this season coming into the game? The only way to answer that question is to break down some specifics. Here goes:
Comparing Tom Brady to Eli Manning is like comparing a Ferrari to a Toyota Corolla; the Corolla is a good car and all, but I think if given the option, just about everyone would go with the Ferarri. I mean no disrespect towards Eli Manning, but Tom Brady plays football at a level that hasn't been named yet. It's not elite. It's better.
This will be the Patriots 4th Super Bowl in 7 seasons. Tom Brady has been the commanding general for all four and has been superb in finding ways to get his team to win. Any thought that this boot on his foot you've seen lately will have any affect on his game next Sunday should just be dismissed now.
Advantage: Brady of course.
The running backs breakdown is not so cut and dry. Laurence Maroney, after having an abysmal season for about 3/4 of this past year, has started to come into his own on the field. He has been near dominant when the Patriots have given him the ball over the last several weeks. But on the other side of the ball, you have the real "thunder and lightning" in Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. If anyone saw that hit Jacobs put on Charles Woodson in the NFC championship on his first carry, you know that NO cornerback in the entire league wants to ever try to tackle that man again. Bradshaw, on the other hand, brings an entirely different element to the running game. He is the pure lightning. The man can flat out move.
Advantage: Giants
It's very hard to argue with what the Patriots have done through the air this season. Without anyone even coming close, the Patriots have been the best passing team in the league. You cannot do that without great receivers. Randy Moss, in many people's opinions, should have been the MVP. If you watched him play, which I did a lot, you saw him make Tom Brady look amazing. I'm pretty sure he goes into the huddle and says, "Tom, just throw the ball up. I don't care if the entire defense is guarding me. I'll catch it." Tom says "Ok, Randy" and does as he is told. That is clearly evidenced by Moss' record setting 23 touchdown catches. Add that with the great output by slot receiver Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth and you have one hell of a deadly receiving game.
You cannot, however, discount the Giants passing game. Plaxico Burress has been nothing short of amazing this season, all while playing injured the entire time. Amani Toomer is a sure-handed receiver who has been anchoring this squad for years. These two will need to come up huge for the Giants to have ANY chance of winning the game.
Advantage: Patriots
One factor that is often overlooked in football is the offensive line. Anyone who knows a lot about football knows that the game is won in the trenches. Games are won and lost by how their offensive line fares against the opposing defensive line. That's what makes this game a lot more intriguing than people realize. You have in my opinion the best offensive line in years going against one of the best defensive lines in the game now. The Giants led the league in sacks this year, while the Patriots offensive line has been nothing short of the Great Wall of China. I do have to say, however, that this great wall has looked a little less prominent past few weeks in the playoffs. Advantage: Giants
So now that we have looked closely at the match-up itself, the question you should be asking me right now is, "So Justin, who exactly do YOU think is going to win this game?" Well, I'm really glad you asked that. It's a very good, yet complex question. And here is my way of answering it:
I believe this game will be closer than the 12 points Vegas is giving the Giants as underdogs. I will go as far as to say there is a chance the Giants can possibly pull this one off, even with the Patriots on a roll like no other team has been on before in the history of the game. Let's remember a few things here. The Patriots have had some VERY VERY close games towards the end of the season. The Ravens were a dumb timeout away from beating them. The Eagles were a stupid interception away from beating them. The Giants were some better clock management away from beating them. The JETS even had a chance to knock off this team. They are beatable.
All you need to do is get to Tom Brady and knock him around. This is something the Giants defense knows a thing or two about. If they can find a way to sack him, knock him down, get in his head, they can force him to make mistakes. And remember this important stat: Randy Moss the great has exactly two receptions and 32 yards so far this post-season. To put that into perspective, those stats are about equivalent to Giants tight end Kevin Boss. Who? Exactly.
So I haven't really answered the question yet have I? All I can say is this; the Patriots are one game away from cementing themselves as possibly the best team to ever play the game. To go 19-0 in a season is one of the, if not the hardest task to accomplish in all of sports. If the Giants want any shot of winning, they need Eli to continue to not make a single turnover, they need their defense to hit Brady, they need to continue having Burress dominate the game, they need to continue running the ball effectively, they need to stop Brady from tearing up secondaries, they need to...Get my drift?
Final Prediction: As much as I want the Giants to win this game due to an incredible disliking for Bill Belichick, I believe the game will go as follows: close game for most of the time, but the Patriots will prevail by a score of 34-27.
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