Head 2 Head: Super Bowl XLII: New England Patriots or New York Giants?
Nick Thompson vs. Mike Hudson
Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: Sports
NT
There really is no doubt who will win the 42nd Super Bowl. The New York Giants are a good team, who seem to have gotten hot at just the right time, but the New England Patriots are a historically great team. The numbers say that the Patriots are on the verge of becoming one of the two best teams in the past 42 years; the Giants are just not on this level.
Comparing the two offenses, the Patriots get the edge across the board. At quarterback, anyone in their right mind would take Tom Brady over Eli Manning. At wide receiver, Randy Moss should break out of his playoff slump and be a better player than Plaxico Burress. On the other side, Wes Welker definitely gets the edge over Amani Toomer and Donté Stallworth is a much better player than rookie Steve Smith. Tight end is another push-over for the Patriots as rookie Kevin Boss is not in the same category as Benjamin Watson. Running back is a much closer comparison. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw have been a devastating one-two punch, but Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk are right there with them. Maroney has been great throughout the playoffs and Kevin Faulk has shown what he can do as a third down back.
The defensive side of the ball is much tougher to compare position for position because of the different schemes the two teams run. The Giants are strictly a 4-3 team, while the Patriots mostly align in a 3-4. The Giants feature star defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. In the defensive backfield the Giants are solid, but probably not good enough to match up with the Patriots' receivers one-on-one. The Pats' defense features stars like Richard Seymour, Adalius Thomas, and Asante Samuel. The other role players such as Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel, and Rodney Harrison are proven star veterans.
The Patriots will outscore the Giants, using Tom Brady and his plethora of weapons to exploit the Giants' youthful secondary. Randy Moss is due for a breakout game, while Tom Brady should perform much better in the warm Arizona climate. The Giants are so over-matched that the X-factor of the game will be whether or not Tom Coughlin's face has thawed out and returned to its normal color.
Patriots 38, Giants 21
MH
As the Super Bowl approaches, the New York Giants aren't getting the respect they deserve. Everyone is overlooking the underdogs for the powerhouse that New England has time and again proven to be. Not so fast. Let's give the Giants credit - they've made it to the Super Bowl. You can be as critical as you want about the NFC, but the Giants' road to Arizona has not been easy. From defeating Tampa Bay and Dallas, to upsetting Brett Favre and the Packers in freezing temperatures-the Giants continued a streak of ten straight road wins.
Analysts love to talk about momentum, and while the Patriots have won 18 games in a row, I would argue the Giants are the hotter team. The Patriots have become complacent, they know they are good and can make mistakes and still win the game; however, if they give the Giants four chances in the end zone like they did to the Chargers, it will be the other Manning brother hoisting the trophy this year.
The Giants are playing well and the Patriots are limping their way through the playoffs, beating a decent Jacksonville team and edging by a severely injured Chargers squad. Forget Randy Moss's legal issues, Brady's boot, or even that lackluster special on Sportscenter claiming Tom was part of the Brady Bunch (the most pathetic reach to fill 20 minutes of Sportscenter since "Who's Now?").
The Giants do not need a bad Brady to win this game. Going back to Week 17, Brady played well against New York. He threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns and the Giants were still threatening to upset perfection until late in the fourth quarter. If Brady plays anywhere close to as poorly as he did in the AFC Championship game, the game will be a rout; just not in the manner the bookkeepers want you to believe.
In their path to the Super Bowl, the Patriots have also revealed their weaknesses. Double cover Moss, and he's barely a blip on the radar. With him out of the picture, New England becomes very beatable; however, in the end, it comes down to Eli Manning. If he plays a clean, solid game, which he's proven himself capable of throughout the playoffs, the New York Giants stand a strong chance to bring the Vince Lombardi trophy home.
Giants 23, Patriots 14
There really is no doubt who will win the 42nd Super Bowl. The New York Giants are a good team, who seem to have gotten hot at just the right time, but the New England Patriots are a historically great team. The numbers say that the Patriots are on the verge of becoming one of the two best teams in the past 42 years; the Giants are just not on this level.
Comparing the two offenses, the Patriots get the edge across the board. At quarterback, anyone in their right mind would take Tom Brady over Eli Manning. At wide receiver, Randy Moss should break out of his playoff slump and be a better player than Plaxico Burress. On the other side, Wes Welker definitely gets the edge over Amani Toomer and Donté Stallworth is a much better player than rookie Steve Smith. Tight end is another push-over for the Patriots as rookie Kevin Boss is not in the same category as Benjamin Watson. Running back is a much closer comparison. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw have been a devastating one-two punch, but Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk are right there with them. Maroney has been great throughout the playoffs and Kevin Faulk has shown what he can do as a third down back.
The defensive side of the ball is much tougher to compare position for position because of the different schemes the two teams run. The Giants are strictly a 4-3 team, while the Patriots mostly align in a 3-4. The Giants feature star defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. In the defensive backfield the Giants are solid, but probably not good enough to match up with the Patriots' receivers one-on-one. The Pats' defense features stars like Richard Seymour, Adalius Thomas, and Asante Samuel. The other role players such as Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel, and Rodney Harrison are proven star veterans.
The Patriots will outscore the Giants, using Tom Brady and his plethora of weapons to exploit the Giants' youthful secondary. Randy Moss is due for a breakout game, while Tom Brady should perform much better in the warm Arizona climate. The Giants are so over-matched that the X-factor of the game will be whether or not Tom Coughlin's face has thawed out and returned to its normal color.
Patriots 38, Giants 21
MH
As the Super Bowl approaches, the New York Giants aren't getting the respect they deserve. Everyone is overlooking the underdogs for the powerhouse that New England has time and again proven to be. Not so fast. Let's give the Giants credit - they've made it to the Super Bowl. You can be as critical as you want about the NFC, but the Giants' road to Arizona has not been easy. From defeating Tampa Bay and Dallas, to upsetting Brett Favre and the Packers in freezing temperatures-the Giants continued a streak of ten straight road wins.
Analysts love to talk about momentum, and while the Patriots have won 18 games in a row, I would argue the Giants are the hotter team. The Patriots have become complacent, they know they are good and can make mistakes and still win the game; however, if they give the Giants four chances in the end zone like they did to the Chargers, it will be the other Manning brother hoisting the trophy this year.
The Giants are playing well and the Patriots are limping their way through the playoffs, beating a decent Jacksonville team and edging by a severely injured Chargers squad. Forget Randy Moss's legal issues, Brady's boot, or even that lackluster special on Sportscenter claiming Tom was part of the Brady Bunch (the most pathetic reach to fill 20 minutes of Sportscenter since "Who's Now?").
The Giants do not need a bad Brady to win this game. Going back to Week 17, Brady played well against New York. He threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns and the Giants were still threatening to upset perfection until late in the fourth quarter. If Brady plays anywhere close to as poorly as he did in the AFC Championship game, the game will be a rout; just not in the manner the bookkeepers want you to believe.
In their path to the Super Bowl, the Patriots have also revealed their weaknesses. Double cover Moss, and he's barely a blip on the radar. With him out of the picture, New England becomes very beatable; however, in the end, it comes down to Eli Manning. If he plays a clean, solid game, which he's proven himself capable of throughout the playoffs, the New York Giants stand a strong chance to bring the Vince Lombardi trophy home.
Giants 23, Patriots 14
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