Well, I’ve been going back and forth on the Super Bowl, but I now think the New York Giants will defeat the New England Patriots.
The point spread in Las Vegas opened at Patriots -3.5, but most books in Vegas are now at Patriots -3.0 and at least one Vegas book now has the Patriots at -2.5.
This game is a tough call because it is easy to make an argument for either team, but I think the Giants look like the stronger overall team right now. The Giant D is playing much better than they were in the regular season and the Giant offense looks good too, especially with RB Ahmad Bradshaw back.
Of course, if you read a few of the many pro-Patriot articles on some of the most popular sports websites you would think this game will be a rout and that NE wins 45-10, with TE’s Gronkowski & Hernandez scoring 4 or 5 TD’s, and a few other guys chipping in for the rest. .
Hey, if the Patriots are so good why didn’t they annihilate the Ravens? I know, I know, Brady had an off game and it won’t happen again. Oh, and, of course, Bill Belichick is greatest coach of all time…/sarcasm. Seriously, the Patriots are very good, I recognize that. Brady and Belichick are future Hall of Famers, but I think the Ravens demonstrated that a strong defense can disrupt NE’s offense and that an opponent with a QB who is a superior passer can move the ball and score on NE’s defense. Eli Manning should be very encouraged after seeing Joe Flacco throw for 300 yards on NE. Let’s not forget that the Giants defeated the Patriots during the regular season 24-20, in Foxboro, MA and they did it without Ahmad Bradshaw, who was injured at that time.
It is unrealistic to think that the Giant D can shut down Brady & Co., but I think they can slow them down a bit and that will enable the Giants to win. The Giants are peaking at the right time: The G-Men totally shut down a pretty good Atlanta team, then they went to Green Bay to knock off the Champ’s at home and followed that impressive feat by going on the road again and beating San Francisco, the team that arguably had the best defense in the league this year. Head Couch Tom Coughlin and his staff deserve major kudos for that performance. A victory over the Patriots would be a fitting end for a truly great season.
Final Score: Giants 34, Patriots 31
gmf journal 