Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

We have all waited 2 weeks for SuperBowl Sunday & it’s finally here!

There are so many storylines to discuss about this game which should make it a great matchup.

First off there are the New England Patriots, who are 13 1/2 point favorites to win & needs 1 more victory to cap off the best season ever in league history.

Then there’s the New York Giants, who many of us did not expect to be in this role today as they have an opportunity to play for the Vince Lombardi trophy.

I am going to offer my thoughts on both teams, but i’ll start with the New York Giants since they are the visitors.

At the beginning of the season, New York’s defense was absolutely TERRIBLE. They were getting lit up by Tony Romo & Brett Favre over the first couple of games & gave up a combined 80 points.

Then something happened during their Week 3 game against Washington. After trailing 17-3 at halftime, New York staged a great 2nd half comeback & won 24-17. That was the start of their 1st of 10 straight road wins, which will be put to the line in Super Bowl XLII tonight. Without that win over Washington, New York would’ve most likely needed to beat New England in Week 17 just to clinch a playoff spot. (Patriots won 38-35.)

The Giants have put on a very impressive postseason run, which started with a 24-14 road win over Tampa Bay & their top-ranked pass defense.

Next up, they went into Texas Stadium & came away with a thrilling 21-17 road win over top-seeded Dallas in a game that was not decided until Tony Romo’s end zone interception with 9 seconds remaining in regulation. Keep in mind that the last team to knock off a top seed in the Divisional Playoffs (’05 Pittsburgh Steelers) went on to win the Super Bowl.

In the NFC Championship Game against the Packers, we witnessed a brilliant chess match & a see-saw affair that featured FIVE different lead changes before Lawrence Tynes’ 47 yard field goal sent the Giants to the Super Bowl.

I was very impressed with the Giants’ ability to shut down the run (Packers managed just 28 rushing yards), their ability to stop the Packers on 3rd down (1-10) and the dominating edge in time of possession (Giants had the ball for 40:01, compared to the Packers’ 22:34.). This kind of play shows a lot of adversity & that the Giants can matchup with anybody, even those mighty Patriots.

Now let’s move on to the home team, which would be those unbeaten New England Patriots.

When the season started, i definitely thought that New England would be one of the best teams in the league, but i never pictured a season like this!! Over the first 8 games of the season, they were pretty much flawless with no weaknesses whatsoever. Tom Brady’s 1st half numbers tell it all: 74.2% completion percentage, 30 touchdowns & only 2 interceptions!!! Now that is just freaking unreal. I don’t even think i could do that in a video game!!!!

When the second half of the season started, New England did face some big challenges from unlikely threats such as Philadelphia & Baltimore, but found a way to win & keep their perfect season alive. In Week 15 against the Jets, they were able to fend out heavy wind conditions for a 20-10 win.

Then in the classic Week 17 game against the Giants, the Pats were able to erase a 12 point third quarter deficit & rally for a 38-35 win in a game that included Tom Brady’s record-setting 50th touchdown pass & Randy Moss’ record-setting 23rd touchdown reception. New England also set a league record in that game for most points scored in a season with 589 points, which topped the old mark of 556 points by the ‘98 Minnesota Vikings. (Moss was a member on that Vikings team during his rookie season)

New England survived some close contests in the playoffs with both Jacksonville & San Diego (The Patriots faced single-digit leads during the 4th quarter in both teams) before eventually pulling away. Now a win away from completing the perfect season, can New England solidfy themselves as the greatest team ever?

Mattie T’s Thoughts for Super Bowl XLII:

I know that the Patriots are favored to win this game by 13 1/2 points & seem like they cannot be stopped. But something in me senses that the Giants will be up for the challenge, just like they were back in Week 17.

The huge difference though this time around is the way that New York got through the playoffs. In each of their last 2 games against Dallas & Green Bay, their season was on the line several times & each time, their defense rose to the occasion & made big stops time and time again. This Giants team (first #5 seed to ever reach the Super Bowl) is reminding me a lot of the ‘05 Steelers, who went on the road as a #6 seed and won 3 straight times before eventually winning the Super Bowl over a top-seeded Seahawks team that featured the top-ranked offense & the League MVP, which was Shaun Alexander.

New York will face the exact same situation on Sunday against top-seeded New England, which has the top-ranked offense & League MVP Tom Brady.

Of course, having the top-ranked offense doesn’t automatically equate to a win in the Super Bowl. If you don’t believe me, just ask the ‘01 Rams & the ‘05 Seahawks.

I’m ready to make my Super Bowl pick & i do believe that we will witness a giant-sized upset today. I think you get what i’m trying to say.

Mattie T’s Pick for Super Bowl XLII:

30

27

Until then,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.BMSRadio.com

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