Super Bowl XLVI Preview and Prediction

Super Bowl XLVI is finally here. The New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants. The game gets underway at 6:29pm on NBC.

This is the re-match that Tom Brady has wanted. The Giants ruined their magical 2007-08 season by beating the Pats in Super Bowl XLII. The same teams have made it this far again. The team names may be the same, but the rosters are very different for both organizations. Will the new Giants take home the hardware again? Let’s find out.

The major different between that Patriots team back in 2008 to the Patriots team of 2012, is their defense. Back in ’08, the Pats prided themselves on their defense. They had shut down corners in Asante Samuel and Rodney Harrison and a great run stuffing defensive line powered by Ty Warren and Richard Seymour. Now, they are statistically the second worst defense in the league. The Patriots now win by outscoring their opponents in shootouts, not by playing smash mouth football.

The main man remains the same as Tom Brady is still under center. Except now Brady has a whole different regime of weapons. Back in ’08 he had Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Laurence Maroney. Now he relies on Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski and Benjarvus Green-Ellis. This high flying offense needs to be able to put up a lot of points if they want to win this re-match.

The Giants’ roster is different from the one back in ’08 too. Eli Manning is still around, but he now throws to the likes of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Not Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Buress like he used to. Their defensive line is very different too. The team brought Antonio Pierce and Michael Strahan to Super Bowl XLII. Today they will be bringing Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora. The G-Men will need to figure out how to contain the Pats’ two spectacular tight ends.

Focusing on present day, the Patriots’ Gronkowski is very spectacular. He is hampered by a high ankle sprain, but I think that won’t be a big factor at all. Wes Welker is a good option in the slot for Brady; it will be interesting to see if he is going to be open as the Giants’ defensive backs will be pre-occupied with the Patriots tight ends. The Giants have come in to this game very cocky. They believe they can win. Their website last night “accidentally” posted an image congratulating the Giants on their Super Bowl victory. Having a positive attitude going in to a sporting contest is a good thing, but you don’t want to discount your opponent. Manning will need to provide his usual magic and also construct some excellent plays throughout the game. If Brandon Jacobs can’t get in going on the ground the Giants might be in trouble.

Section 215’s Predictions

-Tyler Trumbauer:

Bottom Line: The Giants will come out confident and it will show on the field. The Patriots will counter with some offensive fire power of their own. Manning will show his excellence on the field and will throw multiple touchdowns. Gronkowski will have a typical Gronk day, but that will be the only guy that has a great day for the Pats. The Giants defense will contain Green-Ellis and force Brady to throw more than he will like. Brady won’t have much success in the passing game and it will show on the scoreboard. The Giants defense will hold the slim lead for the rest of the game that Manning and co. got for them. The New York Giants website will be able to put up that image again while Tom Coughlin and his troops celebrate under the confetti at Lucas Oil Stadium.

MVP: Eli Manning

Giants: 27

Patriots: 21
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-Frank Higgins:

Bottom Line: This one goes a lot like this year’s regular season game, but with a different result. The Giants seem a little overconfident after winning the last two meetings and have tossed their underdog persona aside. New England will get the job done “the Patriot way”: calm, cool, collected. Expect the Patriots to go to the ground early and work in short intermediate routes to Gronk, Hernandez, and Welker. Tom Brady will come out and play like Tom Brady, quieting his doubters in the media. Belichick will pull out all the stops on defense to limit Manning’s effectiveness, keeping him from getting in a rhythm. In a high-flying affair, the better fourth quarter field general will get it done. I’m taking Tom Brady and the Patriots in an emotional fourth quarter thriller.

MVP: Tom Brady

Patriots: 24

Giants: 23