10 Reasons the New England Patriots Were Beaten in Super Bowl XLV

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The rematch of Super Bowl XLII was almost identical—well, the outcome was the same.

The New York Giants edged the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in dramatic fashion, much like four years ago.

In the season's biggest game, the Patriots were simply not themselves—they did not play Patriot football. They were just not themselves.

With that being said, here are 10 reasons why the Patriots lost Super Bowl XLVI.

Too Many Costly Drops

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The New England Patriots are known for having one of the best receiving corps with the likes of Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Throughout the course of the 2011 season, these receivers came up so big for the Patriots with huge receptions in key situations—that was not the case Sunday night.

Late in the fourth quarter during New England's final two possessions, the Patriots dropped four consecutive passes that directly affected the result of the game.

It all started when Wes Welker dropped a wide-open pass that would have ultimately won the game and then Deion Branch dropped two in a row on the final drive, as well as Aaron Hernandez dropping one.

The Patriots simply had too many costly drops.

Rob Gronkowski's High Ankle Sprain

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Rob Gronkowski was not himself in Super Bowl XLVI. It was clear that his high left ankle sprain was serious and he was far from being 100 percent.

Gronkowski struggled blocking, and he struggled getting off the line as well as with running routes.

Gronkowski finished the game with only two receptions for 26 yards.

No One Picked Up the Slack for Rob Gronkowski

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The New England Patriots offense was doomed without Rob Gronkowski. He is by far the team's top target.

With Gronkowski obviously struggling with a high ankle sprain and not playing at 100 percent, the team's receivers did not pick up the missing production that Gronkowski usually produces.

Tom Brady's Interception

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Tom Brady made one of the worst decisions in a while, as he avoided two sacks, but then rolled out and decided to throw the ball up for grabs to Rob Gronkowski—but the New York Giants linebacker out-jumped the injured Gronkowski and picked the pass off.

There is absolutely no reason why Brady should have thrown that ball in that direction.

Tom Brady's Safety

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You'd think that Tom Brady would know better—hell, as soon as he threw the ball, even I knew right away that it was going to be called a safety.

On New England's very first offensive play, Brady made one of the idiotic passes of his career, as he threw the ball to absolutely no one while standing in the end-zone, which resulted in a safety.

Time of Possession

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This absolutely killed the New England Patriots.

Eli Manning and the New York Giants nearly doubled New England's time of possession, as they had the ball for a whopping 37 minutes and five seconds, while Brady and the Patriots had the ball for just 22 minutes and 55 seconds.

When your offense is not on the field, there's no way that you can win the game.

Inability to Shut Down Hakeem Nicks

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Hakeem Nicks ran wild against the New England Patriots, as he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and simply dominated.

Whenever Eli Manning needed to make a crucial throw, he called Nicks' number, and he succeeded.

Mario Manningham Shredding New England's Secondary

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Much like Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham ran wild and had a stellar day for the New York Giants.

Manningham caught five passes for a whopping 73 yards and reeled in a huge 38-yard gain on New York's game-winning touchdown drive.

Poor Tackling by New England's Defense

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The New England Patriots defense may have played well at times, but their tackling was pretty pathetic at times.

Granted, they would always be there for the huge stick, but ultimately, the Giants ball-carrier would out-will New England's tackler and always pick up an extra two or three yards.