Unfortunately for the 18-0 New England Patriots, they do need to win one more game before the term "perfection" can accurately be used to characterize their 2007-08 season. That's not going to happen this upcoming Sunday when the Patriots face the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
Sure, the Giants are underdogs in the game. But this is not a bad thing. The Giants have actually bonded together and played their best football in adverse conditions. Their NFL record 10 consecutive road wins speaks volumes to their mental toughness.
The Patriots are good. But, they are not unbeatable. At the peak of their success in Week 17, they got quite a scare from the Giants, edging out a 38-35 win over them.
In that game, the Patriots faced a 28-16 deficit late in the game, but pulled out the win. Many felt after this match-up that the Giants played the best they possibly could, but still came up short. In a game in which the Giants defense gave up 38 points and allowed Randy Moss to burn them for a 65-yard touchdown, though, there is obvious room for improvement this time around.
Just like all NFL teams, the Patriots have had a tough time playing against teams that control the line of scrimmage. This game will be won in the trenches. The Giants defensive line will have to find a way to get constant pressure on quarterback Tom Brady.
When Brady is comfortable in the pocket, he has no problem burning defenses. Look no further than his playoff performance in the divisional round against the Jaguars, in which he completed 26 of 28 passes. The Jaguars rarely, if ever, blitzed Brady that night, opting instead to only rush four linemen. The Giants are sure not to make this mistake.
In the AFC championship, the Chargers did pressure Brady throughout the game. Brady wound up with a 66.4 quarterback rating after throwing three interceptions and many other wild passes. Clearly, the pressure the Giants' strong defensive front (lead by ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora) can apply will be a major advantage come Sunday.
For those concerned about the Patriots' success in the running game in the AFC championship game, consider the following: The Giants have the No. 8 rush defense in the NFL, giving up 97.7 yards per game in the regular season. They only gave up 46 yards on the ground to running back Laurence Maroney in Week 17. They also held Packers running back Ryan Grant to 29 yards rushing in the NFC championship game, a week after Grant ran for 201 yards against the Seahawks.
An additional key on defense for the Giants will be limiting the effectiveness of Moss. Thus far in the playoffs, Moss has turned in unimpressive performances, catching a total of two passes against the Chargers and Jaguars combined.
Limiting Moss will make the Patriots passing game less explosive and should eliminate the big play. The Giants would be much more content taking their chances with Brady methodically throwing to Wes Welker and relying on the ground game.
On offense, opportunities will be there for the Giants to score on the Patriots defense. The Pats defense allowed an average of 17.1 points per game, but this won't scare a Giants offense that lit them up for 35 points in Week 17. The Patriots secondary is not to be especially feared either. Eagles backup quarterback A.J. Feeley did, after all, torch them for 345 yards and three touchdowns in Week 12.
The Giants offensive line must give quarterback Eli Manning enough time to complete his throws. Manning has a 6-foot-5-inch big-play wide receiver in Plaxico Burress who has, unlike Moss, performed in the playoffs. Against Packers Pro Bowl cornerback Al Harris, Burress ripped 11 receptions and 151 yards.
The Giants need to control the clock by using their powerful team of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to tire the Patriots defenders.
Had the Patriots drawn any other team from the NFC as their Super Bowl opponent, it is likely that their season would have stayed perfect. Instead, they will find themselves out-matched on Sunday when they face the Giants. I can only hope for the sake of Pats fans everywhere that Moss doesn't pull a T.O. at his post-game press conference, and embarrass his team by crying on national television.
Final Score: Giants 31, Patriots 27
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