History Awaits the Conclusion of Super Bowl XLII

Eli Manning and the New York Giants have gone through the road less traveled in getting to Super Bowl XLII. In winning three consecutive road games against three division champions, New York became the first NFC team to win three games away from home to advance to the Big Game. They have faced long odds from the beginning, and as they enter their matchup with the 18-0 New England Patriots, most are underestimating Tom Coughlin’s team once again. One way or another, history will be made when the sun sets on Arizona on Sunday. Either the NFL will have its first ever 19-0 team, or the league will have witnessed its most stunning upset ever, and the culmination of the greatest Super Bowl run in history by the overachieving New York Giants.

The rise of the Giants has been largely attributed to the amazingly steady play of Eli Manning, who has not committed a single turnover in three games of the postseason. Tom Brady hasn’t even been that good at protecting the ball during the playoffs, and that is the single most important factor in New York making this longshot a competitive game. It is imperative that Manning holds on to the ball, and limits his turnovers. Only then will New York have a chance to sink their teeth into this game with their running game and defense.

The Giants relied mostly on their passing game in their Week 17 encounter with the Patriots, a game that did more to help New York’s confidence than any other regular season win may have been able to accomplish. This time around, however, they will need to get Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw involved early. The best way to play defense against the Pats’ historic offense is to keep them off the field, and a consistent run game over the course of four quarters is the best way to do that. Eli Manning and the Giants offense has done a tremendous job of doing that, especially in the second half of their playoff games. Controlling the clock and the pace of the game will keep Belichick and the Patriots on their heels. However, New England’s defense has stepped it up a notch in the postseason, and New York will need to hit them in the mouth early to send a message, then follow through with an attacking and fearless game plan in the second half.

A similar strategy will be needed from the Giants defense, which will have to leave everything out on the field in order to faze Brady and the most complete offense the NFL has ever seen. Jacksonville and San Diego did a tremendous job at stopping Randy Moss, but the Patriots took the little things that those defenses gave them and still managed to put up an average of 26 points in their two playoff games, albeit against two very well executed defensive game plans. New York gave up 38 points in the first meeting; they will need a dramatically different result this time around to stay competitive.

It will be start up front with Michael Strahan, Osi Umeniyora, and Justin Tuck, who all have the ability to rush the passer. The Giants will need to put more pressure on Brady this time around, one sack will not cut it. New York will have to rattle Brady the way Baltimore was able to do earlier in the season. This means coming at the league’s MVP with blitzes from all angles. Disguising coverage’s will stop Brady from being to check it down to Wes Welker on any occasion. Even when Brady has struggled, New England has been able to use Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk to move the football. The duo had the biggest impact of any of New England’s offensive weapons in the AFC Championship, and will have plenty of opportunities to create havoc in the Super Bowl. New York’s game plan for these backs will need to better than Jacksonville or San Diego’s plan was. The Giants’ front seven will need to be able to contain New England’s backs, so that their secondary will have all the players it needs to shut down the Patriots talented wide receivers.

All the talk about Plaxico’s bold prediction, and Brady’s infamous boot will be laid to rest once kickoff comes on Sunday. Bill Belichick and the Patriots don’t need any bulletin board material to motivate themselves; the prospect of being the NFL’s first 19-0 team, and its greatest team ever should be more than enough to get New England ready for this game.

However, New York has thrived in the role as the ignored team, and is a talented group that isn’t awed by New England’s mystique. They learned a lot about themselves when they built a 10-point lead on the Patriots in the third quarter. The Giants were done in by a conservative game plan late in the game, and New England pounced on the opening. This time around, New York will throw everything its got at the New England, and bring the evil empire down. Think Super Bowl XXXVI when New England took down the heavily favored St. Louis Rams to win their first title. That storyline will come full circle at Glendale on Sunday, and the Giants will walk away with a 24-23 win.