Patriots-Giants. Giants-Patriots. To the majority of the readers of this blog, this is a big football game.
Let’s get it out in the open – we all know what happened in Super Bowl XLII. To Giants fans it was the greatest thing that ever happened. To Patriots fans, Eli Manning choked by throwing the ball directly to Asante Samuel, who choked even more than Eli did and dropped the ball despite it hitting both of his hands. Tom Brady then went down the field an won his fourth super bowl, only to have it taken away from him by a Eli Manning Hail Mary and a ball caught on top of David Tyree’s head. The rest is history.
Believe it or not, New England has gotten over that loss. It was not an Aaron Boone moment, simply because the Red Sox needed to win in ’03 and that loss was devastating for that reason. There was a 85 year drought crushed with that play. The loss to the Giants was coming off of a 3 year drought, when we’d won 3 championships immediately prior. It’s amazing how much easier that makes swallowing a loss.
But you better believe Tom Brady remembers.
So how will this week’s game shake out? The Patriots are favored by 9, why I’m not sure. Actually that’s not true – it’s because they are the Patriots. Regardless, the Patriots enter this game with the worst pass defense in the league, and have lost 3 defensive backs in the last week. Eli Manning, meanwhile, is having the best season of his career thus far. We saw last week that interrupting Tom Brady in the pocket and keeping him off the field is the recipe for beating the Patriots – the exact blueprint that the Giants introduced to the world in 2008. With the Giants pass rush being their specialty, it certainly seems as thought he Giants are poised for an “upset.” I put upset in quotations only because both teams are 5-2.
That said, Tom Brady is better than Eli Manning and Bill Belichick is better than Tom Coughlin. The Giants simply can’t match up with some of the Patriots’ offensive personnel. The game is in Foxboro. And you know the Patriots are playing with a chip on their shoulder coming off of a loss last week.
Phew. So how is this game going to shake out?
This game could go many different directions – the only outcome I’ve ruled out is the Giants blowing the Pats out. I generally think that the Giants will be able to pass all over the Patriots, which will effectively keep the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands. Also, when Brady is in the game I do think the Giants will be able to disrupt him pretty effectively in the pocket. That said, he’s Mister Brady and he’ll get his scores. I expect Eli to make an untimely turnover or two, which will ultimately lead to a Patriots victory. I’ll be conservative on this one and go with a 24-17 Patriots victory.
What’s your prediction?
Alot depends on how healthy the Giants are with Nicks and Bradshaw. Nicks when healthy has been unstoppable with good corners. He can eat the pats defense for a late lunch. With out him everyone else has to step up and it greatly changes the dynamic of the giants offense.
I am also interested in seeing Prince Amukumara finally on the field. The giants lost yet another corner last week and will need him to be on the field and to have some idea of what is going on. He has only been able to run for about 2 weeks so how much of the defense he knows so far is to be determined.
And I cant help myself “Just 17 points?”
Confidence is a good thing. If Floyd Mayweather was a pouter and thought he sucked he wouldn’t be undefeated.
It probably didnt matter but to give a defense an extra motivation usually isnt a good idea. and its also fun because mr cocky pants could only muscle 14 points.
How many times was he hit?
Enough that he couldnt score just 17 points
Mayweather is undefeated because he’s ducked Pacman. This one will be high scoring and close .. 30-27 Pats
Eli manning has been second to none this year in fourth quarter passer rating an already has 3 fourth quarter comebacks with a fourth going through a receivers hands against the lowly Seahawks. I expect this game to come down to the final possession with the giants going down the field for a late score to win it. Prediction, giants 24 pats 21.
Who have these comebacks come against?
Eagles, Cardinals, Dorphins
Well Nicks, Bradshaw, and Baas all doubtful so that changes some things.
Also Andrews out, JPP and Prince questionable.
Well we’ve got 3 guys on out already worst secondary in the league out, so….
Thats three guys added onto our 11 on IR already.
When you replace poop with crap it doesnt matter, it already stunk
Are you talking about the entire Giants organization in general?
No i am talking about your swiss cheese secondary
Giants 35 – Patriots 24 in a game that’s not even that close
Look at you all. You disgust me.
They came back against the Cardinals, Dolphins and the Bills. I know 2 of these are not quality teams, but still are better against the pass than the Pats.
I hope Benjarvus runs all over you.
You have to give J-Bone and his boy Eli some props the quarterback’s stats this season. Still it’s not as if the Giants have played anyone of consequence or a solid defense this season. In fact they’ve only played one team with a winning record and the teams they defeat have a combined winning percentage of .280. While New England’s defense isn’t anything to write home about, Sunday’s game should be the first of six straight rude wake up calls for New York. If you the Giants bet the Pats then I’ll start taking this team seriously. Until then they should be labeled as pretenders and expected to lose.
Love it glutton, love it. You’re a joy as always.
What big times teams did the pats beat? The bills are ahead of you did the giants beat them? Yes. Did the giants beat the eagles? Yes.
The Pats wins have come against teams with a combined winning percentage of .430. Yes the Giants beat a dysfunctional Eagles teams…congrats and i wouldn’t say they “beat” the Bills as much as the Bills beat themselves in that game (much like the Pats did in their loss to an emotionally motivated Buffalo team).
There are those “great” arguments. We got lucky I guess to beat buffalo yet they got lucky to beat the pats. We got lucky to beat the eagles in philly since they were a bad team that week but they are good now. Love those arguments.
I never said the Eagles were good and I have no interest in who wins this game. But it seems that you are a blindly loyal Giants fan.
Still pretenders sports glutton?
So you pick them to win by 7 conservatively? Yet you won’t bet me anything more than straight up? Sounds pretty skeptical to me. Another bet you won’t back up. Give me 7.5 50 per person if nicks and baas play.