Live From AREA 49

Super Bowl Sunday is here! In just under six hours, the New England Patriots will take on the New York Giants in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. It’s Brady vs. Manning, Boston vs. New York (Sorry Philly), Belichick vs Coughlin, or any other angle you wish to take. As a 49ers fan, I will admit that I am still slightly sore about losing the NFC Championship, but it has still been a great season. Nevertheless, I must choose a winner so here we go.

As I stated in my Patriots playoff preview article on Bleacher Report, this postseason could play out as the perfect storm of revenge for the Patriots, given their potential opponents. The Super Bowl is here and here they are. The Patriots offense has been stellar all season. Their defense has been mediocre at best. Ranked 31st against the pass, the Pats have adopted a “bend, don’t break” style which has allowed them to get defensive stops when needed. Tight End Rob Gronkowski is a BEAST! He’s too fast for linebackers and too big for cornerbacks. Wes Welker has been great as usual.

The Giants are the hot team. After finishing the season ranked 32nd in rushing and 29th against the pass, they have stepped up on defense and Ahmad Bradshaw is healthy and getting the run game back on track. Eli Manning leads the Giants’ fifth ranked passing attack and looks to exploit the Patriots’ weak secondary. On paper, they look to be the clear favorite.

This game will be won by the quarterbacks. Will Eli pick apart the Pats and leave his brother’s shadow? Will Brady win and now be considered the best ever, surpassing Joe Montana? While Tom Coughlin is one of the most respected and knowledgeable coaches in football, Bill Belichick is one of the greatest game planners ever. Since Tom Brady took over as QB in 2001, Belichick & Brady have never been swept by a division opponent and have only loss to a team twice in the same season 3 times. I see this game as a fairly high scoring affair with the Patriots defense stepping up and making plays when needed. Look for Vince Wilfork in Eli’s face ALL GAME!

My prediction: Patriots 34 Giants 24

.

 Loading ...