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With football’s biggest game just days away, we’re countin’ down to Super Bowl XLII with a daily break down of the Giants-Patriots Super match ups – from QB to RB, O-Line to D-Line, the secondary to special teams, and more! For an extended look at the coaching match up and SB XLII predictions, click HERE.
Friday, Feb. 1: SPECIAL TEAMS
Giants:
- Kicker - Lawrence Tynes may have saved the day in OT against the Packers with a game-winning 47-yard FG, but Tynes also missed two clutch fourth-quarter FGs that could’ve sealed the deal in regulation. Just sayin’.
- Punter - Jeff Feagles has the ability to nail punts right inside the 10, which could pin the Pats deep in their own territory.
- Kickoff Return - Domenik Hixon has had big-time returns for the Giants in the postseason and regular season, including a 74-yard kickoff return for a score against the Pats in Week 17
- Punt Return - R.W. McQuarters is a liability on special teams. Expect sub-par yardage on the return.
Patriots:
- Kicker: Despite just two attempts in the 2007 postseason, second-year kicker Stephen Gostkowski can handle pressure kicks. In Week 17 against the G-Men, Gostkowski hit a season-high 45-yarder to accompany a perfect 3-for-3 night.
- Punter: Chris Hanson (41.4 punting average) had just 44 kicks in the regular season and only five in the postseason. Hanson can still sky the punt.
- Kickoff Return: Laurence Maroney, Elis Hobbs, and Chad Jackson are explosive in the open field, but look for Hobbs (averaging 26-yards-plus on the return in the regular season) to cause damage on the return.
- Punt Return: The Pats have used both Welker and Faulk on the punt return during the postseason. The dangerous Welker is averaging 10 yards/attempt.
Edge: Giants. To be fair, the Patriots don’t make their headlines with special teams. But the Giants' special teams - especially return man Domenik Hixon - could be a game-changing factor during the Super Bowl. Look for the Giants' special teams to provide the spark the G-Men need to compete with the prolific Pats.
Thursday, Jan. 31: DEFENSE
Giants: Saying it’s tough to defend the Pats is an understatement. If you take away the long passing game, then you know Brady will getcha with the short passes. So what’s a Giant to do? The Giants’ defense – with 53 sacks on the season – will need to run at Brady early and often to knock him off his rhythm. That’s assuming the Giants' D (arguably the best in the league) can penetrate the Patriots’ equally tough front line.
Patriots: The last time these two teams met in Week 17, the Patriot defense surrendered a season-high 35 points, while QB Eli Manning had a breakthrough performance, completing 22 of 32 passes for 251 yards. Come Super Bowl Sunday, don’t expect such a prolific aerial attack from Eli and the G-Men because the Pats will look to shut down the long pass with Pro Bowler Asante Samuel covering the corners against the Giants' biggest downfield threat, WR Plaxico Burress.
Edge: Patriots. While the Giants' power running game will definitely pose a challenge for the Patriot defense, remember that the Patriots held the Jaguars and Chargers to 80 and 104 total yards rushing, respectively. In both wins, the Patriots allowed just two TDs in seven trips to the red zone.
Wednesday, Jan. 30: RECEIVERS
Giants: Expect the Giants to run against the Patriots rather than rely on Eli and the passing game. WR Plaxico Burress remained relatively quiet in the playoffs until the NFC title game when he exploded for 151 yards on 11 catches, while WR Amani Toomer has been Eli’s target of choice in the postseason, connecting for 196 yards receiving and 3 TDs.
Patriots: The Giants will likely try to take Randy Moss out of the offense once again. Double coverage. Something. Anything. Now, what to do about Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk, Donte Stallworth, Jabar Gaffney, Benjamin Watson, et al. Welker has been a big-play threat with 122 yards receiving against the Giants in Week 17 along with a combined 110 yards in the Pats’ past two postseason games.
Edge: Patriots. Brady has a buffet of receivers to choose from, so look for the Pats to exploit mismatches in the passing game. However, the Pats will need to control Burress who scorched the Patriot secondary for 84 yards through the air and 2 TDs in Week 17.
Tuesday, Jan. 29: RUNNING BACKS
Giants: Throughout the Giants’ three playoff victories, rookie Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs have rushed for 163 and 155 yards, respectively, and combined for four TDs. The Giants' game plan? Run the ball. Then run some more. If the Bradshaw-Jacobs tandem can attack the Patriots’ front seven, the Giants can help control the clock and keep the ball out of Brady’s able hands.
Patriots: The Pats are no one-trick pony, balancing a potent passing game with an equally dangerous running game thanks to RB Laurence Maroney. In the postseason alone, the second-year back has rushed for 122 yards (back-to-back) against the Jaguars and the Chargers and tallied two TDs. If the Giants run at Brady – and you know they will – look for Maroney to help carry the offensive load and give the Giants' Big D two entirely different looks and possibly more than they can handle.
Edge: Tough one to call, but a slight edge goes to the Giants. The slashing cuts from Bradshaw and the pounding drives from Jacobs will be the ultimate test for the Patriots' defense - oft labeled as too old and too slow. That's not to say that the Pats (who have ceded an average of only 98.2 yards rushing on the season) can't and won't slow the Giants' run.
Monday, Jan. 28: QUARTERBACKS
Giants: Peaking at the right time, Eli Manning has made his regular-season inconsistencies just a distant memory – what, 20 INTs? Fugget about it! The kid has thrown – count ‘em – zero INTs in the postseason, boosting his QB rating to a not-too-shabby 99.1. But how will Manning handle the pressure of not just the biggest game in football but the biggest game in his young four-year career?
Patriots: True, Brady’s last outing in the AFC title game was less than stellar. Since then, Brady has been limping around Manhattan with a mildly sprained ankle and has yet to practice. But with history to be made, expect the MVP-winning Brady – who has started 126 consecutive games (including the postseason) – to lace up and start Sunday.
Edge: Patriots. C’mon, Brady with one good foot is perhaps better than most NFL QBs at full strength. Moreover, with three Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVP awards, Brady gets the nod over his less experienced counterpart.
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