Super Bowl XLVI pick coming Wednesday; view Monday’s preview: NYG defense vs. NE offense
This Super Bowl is one of those rare occasions where two former Super Bowl MVPs face off against one another, in hopes of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy once again. Yesterday, we met Tom Brady and his offense; today, it’s Eli Manning of the New York Football Giants.
The Giants offense, for the most part, has been one of the great constants on their team this season. Whereas the defense looked spotty during the regular season but came on very strong late, the offense was generally good for the majority of the season. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride helped guide his team to being the 8th-best offense in terms of yards per game, as well as 9th in points per game in the NFL.
For all the criticism Eli Manning took for putting himself in the “elite” category before the season began, he has played like it. Manning threw for 4,933 yards during the regular season, just 67 short of 5,000 for the year, while connecting for 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Manning’s leading receiver shocked the NFL with how he burst onto the scene. Wide receiver Victor Cruz was one of the most prolific receivers in the league during the regular season, totaling over 1,500 yards and scoring nine times. Cruz’s 25 catches of 20 yards or more made him far and way the leader on the team.
Speaking of, the Giants offense under Gilbride and Manning has been built on the big play. The Giants completed 67 regular-season pass plays of 20 or more yards, with Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham collecting most of the rest.
The Giants run game has been different. As a matter of fact, it was the worst run offense in the NFL during the regular season, averaging under 90 yards per game on the ground. During the three postseason games, however, it has gone better for the Giants, as they average about 117 yards in each.
Speaking of units that have taken a lot of heat in 2011, the Patriots defense has held in their two playoff games despite having allowed the second-most yards per game and a bit of difficulty in the AFC title game. In particular, two players who are making themselves heard are Jerod Mayo, leading New England with 17 tackles, and Vince Wilfork, who played well against the Baltimore Ravens and holds 2.5 sacks. Some others include Brandon Spikes, with an interception and two defensed passes, and Sterling Moore, who defensed four passes in two games.
In the first game these two teams played against each other this year, the Patriots defense held the Giants to fewer yards than the Pats offense managed, at just 361. Their problem is that their bend-but-don’t-break defense broke at the end of the game, just like in Super Bowl XLII, and the Giants won. Will the third time be the charm?
The advantage here seems as though it lies with the Giants offense, even if only slightly. New England does have talent on its defense, but it hasn’t played as well as the Giants’ has, and it did struggle against Baltimore last week. For example, the Pats allowed Baltimore to convert on nine of 17 third downs, and who knows what may have happened in overtime if Cundiff hadn’t badly shanked his kick, or if they’d even been in this game if Lee Evans caught his pass.
The Giants offense has some serious weapons in their wide receiving corps, and the Patriot secondary may have trouble keeping up.
