Three reasons the Patriots will win Super Bowl XLII, Three reasons the Giants will win Super Bowl XLII, Super Bowl predictions

3 Reasons the Patriots and Giants will win Super Bowl XVII

By Anthony Stalter (astalter@bullz-eye.com) & John Paulsen (jpaulsen@bullz-eye.com)

01/31/2008

NFL Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home

Who's going to win Super Bowl XLII? Damned if we know. Sure, some are calling the undefeated Patriots the best team in NFL history and, as of this writing, they're favored over the Giants by about 12 points. But as the 2001 Pats taught us, none of that means squat. Heading into Super Bowl XXXVI, the high- powered Rams were two-touchdown favorites to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in New Orleans. As far as many fans were concerned, the Greatest Show on Turf had the game in the bag long before the teams even took the field. But when the teams left the field, the Pats had pulled off a stunning 20-17 win, proving once again that it may be cliché to say "the game is played on the field," but it's also very true.

With that in mind, we're not even going to pretend like we know how this game will unfold by giving a prediction that'll be more guesswork than anything else. Instead, Anthony Stalter outlines three reasons why New England will win Sunday and John Paulsen lists three reasons the Giants will win. It may seem like a copout, sure, but this way, no matter what happens we'll be able to say, "told ya so." Smart, huh?

“The Hoodie” will eat Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning alive. Nobody prepares for a game or is better at in-game adjustments than Bill Belichick. He’s always three steps ahead of his coaching counterpart and seeing as how Tom Coughlin has never coached in a Super Bowl, Belichick might be 10 steps ahead of him on game day. This is Belichick’s fourth Super Bowl and by now he knows how to get his players past the pre-game hype and focused on game execution. He’s also going to force Eli Manning to win the game on his own, which is a tall task for a quarterback making his first Super Bowl appearance. Expect Belichick to throw a lot of pre-snap movement and delayed blitzes at Manning to try and force him to make mistakes. Also, one of the biggest mistakes the Packers made in the NFC Championship Game was not giving Al Harris more help defending Plaxico Burress. Belichick won’t make the same mistake, and expect the Pats to take away Burress and force Manning to use his other weapons.

Maroney has become the X-factor. While he struggled at the start of the season trying to recover from an offseason shoulder injury, Laurence Maroney has again become a difference-maker for the Patriots. It’s no secret that when opponents can get pressure on Tom Brady, New England’s offense looks mortal. However, when opponents don’t show blitz, the Pats love to run draws with Maroney that allow him to get to the outside and work in open space. The Chargers did a nice job of confusing Brady with different coverage looks and blitzes, but they had less success in the second half when the Pats started using delayed runs with Maroney. Expect New England to use Maroney in a variety of ways early on to get the Giants on their heels. Once that happens, Belichick can maximize his beloved three-reciever formations to pick New York’s secondary apart.

The Patriots are on a mission this year. I went into more detail about this in one of my columns during the regular season, but the Patriots are out to prove a point this year. They arguably have the most talent of any of their previous Super Bowl teams and they’ve used the “spygate” scandal as a catalyst to prove their detractors wrong. Don’t think that since they haven’t crushed teams over the past couple weeks that they’re prime for the picking either. They have better talent, better coaches and, other than Brady’s bumps and bruises, they’re completely healthy. They’ve also played with a chip on their shoulder all season and they’re 60 minutes away from making history. Think they’re going to let the Giants stand in the way of greatness? Doubtful. – AS

They play great on the road. The Giants have bucked conventional wisdom by posting a 10-1 record on the road, with the one loss coming against the Cowboys in week 1. New York has allowed just 17.5 points on the road versus 26.1 at home. For whatever reason, it’s clear that this team relishes playing away from home. It might have something to do with getting away from the pressure of playing in New York, with its surly fans and overbearing media. While this is technically not a road game, it’s going to have that kind of feel, and that would seem to favor the G-Men.

Their defense is up to the task. The New England defense is good, but it can be scored on. The key to beating the Pats is to force a few scoreless possessions by its offense. The Giants have a banged up defense, but in the last two games they rose to the occasion against the Cowboys and Packers, two of the best offenses in the league. In order to get a few stops, they must make Tom Brady uncomfortable. That starts up front with the Giants’ best pass rushers: Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora (above), all of whom have the potential to bother Brady enough to force him into a few bad throws. The linebacker corps isn’t awe-inspiring, but they do their job and don’t get out of position. (Antonio Pierce saved a touchdown when he blew up a screen against the Packers.) In the secondary, rookie Aaron Ross is playing like a vet and R.W. McQuarters has the ability to give Wes Welker trouble in the slot.

They have nothing to lose. The Patriots are double-digit favorites and, if you believe the Giants anyway, everyone outside of the five boroughs expects them to make history by completing the perfect season. Few expect the Giants to pull off the upset, which puts New York in the perfect position to do just that. If they can keep things close into the fourth quarter, the pressure on New England will increase exponentially, and some Patriot is bound to make a mistake. Moreover, they should have the crowd in their corner. Super Bowl crowds are generally made up of mostly corporate types, but if there’s an upset brewing, expect those in attendance to support the G-Men. There will be those who want to witness perfection, but America loves an underdog and these Giants certainly fit the bill. – JP