Unfortunately, the end of the NFL season is upon us. The cold weather (very cold here) is making things even more difficult, especially when there seems to be nothing good on TV in terms of sports (although ESPN’s replays of “NFL’s Greatest Games” is a nice touch…). We enter the second week before the Super Bowl and just about everything is “Live: From Phoenix“. The usual hype is absolutely a bore and it was just a year ago that these 2 morons received their 15 minutes of fame at Super Bowl Media Day. I’m sure Rex Grossman would have “dropped the ball” when (or if) the bride reporter asked to marry him.

In either case, the shift will begin to focus to Sunday and 4 hours of intense coverage. This could turn out to be a very special Super Bowl if the Patriots go 19-0 and hush the 1972 Dolphins and the notion that the 1985 Chicago Bears were the best team ever.

While all that is true, there should be some haste taken by everyone in the Patriots corner (or those who claim to be) in such a big game. Super Bowl XLII has the makings for quite the upset and majour losses in Las Vegas. Here’s what may happen on Sunday:

What the Patriots Will Do: When you’re 18-0, what would you change? What I like most about the Patriots is their patience. Calm, cool and collective. There never seems to be an ounce of urgency, but even against Baltimore, they remained as focused as could be. An intangible asset the Patriots held this year was time of possession. Not a glaring stat, but something the Pats use to their advantage in every game. On paper, they only lead the Giants in T.O.P. by a mere minute, but the other advantage they have is their ability to get it done on third down (48.2%). Even with Randy Moss, the Patriots are as methodical as can be and will opt for the sure, short route (i.e Wes Welker/Kevin Faulk) when its there rather than going down field to Randy Moss. When a defense goes to a nickel or drops just about everyone back, the Patriots still have Laurence Maroney to handle the ball. Even worse for opposing teams is the fact that Brady can eat a seven course meal with the protection he has on just about every down. Utilizing a zone package is a formula for trouble with the multiple receiver sets the Patriots display and use. One more thing about the Pats offense is the constant utilization of check downs and audibles. Guessing right before the snap usually accounts for guessing wrong when the whistle blows.

Defensively, the Patriots (even with age) still conduct business as usual no matter who the opponent. The key here is Rodney Harrison. Even still, the blitz packages used (usually multiples) are a hindrance to an opposing offensive line and distort most schemes. The only soft spot I see in the defense (and this is a stretch) is containing the run. And I do mean a stretch…

Key Offensive Player: Matt Light
Key Defensive Player: Ashante Samuel

What the Giants Will Do: You wont find it on paper, but the Giants always seem (lately) to keep close in the game on both sides of the ball. This is an odd team, but also a team you don’t want to face in a crucial game. Offensively, their biggest asset may just be the running game with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. The bigger question will be the ability to run the football consistently allowing Eli Manning to set up with play-action and the ability to keep the Pats defense at bay with blitz packages. As far as Manning is concerned, its more like Jekyl/Hyde and its anyone’s guess as to how he’ll perform, however, he looked poised and confident against Green Bay and utilized Plaxico Burress just the way he was designed.

Defensively, the biggest key will be to keep the Giants offense in the game and that may not be a stretch considering what the Giants have done defensively this postseason. Expect to see the Pats cautious with the screens and focus more on the middle to deep middle routes in an effort to exploit the secondary. It didn’t work for Green Bay, but then again this is New England. The Giants defense will decide how much of a chance they have in winning.

Key Offensive Player: Kevin Boss
Key Defensive Player: Kawika Mitchell

Overall: Very eery matchup here and it almost seems as if the Patriots have gone 18-0 too easy. The biggest factor will be the Giants ability to convert on third down and keep the ball out of Brady’s hands as much as possible. The Giants will need to start quickly and will depend on a defensive turnover to pull this one out, but I have a feeling they’ll play spoiler on Sunday. Expect a late field goal by Tynes to win it. My opinion, but the champagne is pulled out by Don Shula and his 1972 Dolphins.

My Pick: Giants 23 Patriots 20

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