The 2007 New York Giants: Remind You of Anyone?

This year's Super Bowl has given me a sense of déjà vu. 

When the New England Patriots were just another NFL team and not a Super Bowl-winning juggernaut, they were in some ways like the Giants. 

That year, the St. Louis Rams rolled through the regular season with relative ease and didn't have many speed bumps on the way to Super Sunday. 

All of the "experts" predicted a 14+ point victory for the Rams. I remember one of the analysts said "The Rams are going to win this game 70-0!"

Obviously he was exaggerating but those were the chances people were giving New England.  

The Giants have had their trials and tribulations this season too. They started the season out 0-2 against the last two teams they've defeated—Dallas and Green Bay. 

Eli Manning suffered a shoulder injury but didn't miss any time on the field. They seemed to have everything going their way going into the bye week riding a 6-game winning streak. 

They then lost to the Cowboys again, struggled to beat the Lions, and got crushed by Minnesota at home in Eli's worst game as a starter.  

The last game of the season against New England was the best game of the regular season in a 38-35 thriller. Eli is looking more like his older brother of late and has this team playing with a new level of confidence we haven't seen in the Coughlin era. 

I wonder if Tiki Barber is happy with his desk job now?

The Patriots seemed to have lost a bit of their swagger during the playoffs the last two weeks. 

Jacksonville was right in the game until the third quarter when they were outscored 14-3. The Giants' run defense is going to have to step up big in this game. Lawrence Maroney is averaging 122 rushing yards a game during the playoffs and has been huge for the Patriots offense. 

Brady looked great against Jacksonville not forcing the ball to Randy Moss who saw double and triple coverage all game long. During the game against San Diego, he started making some throws that weren't "Tom Brady-esque."  

Three interceptions for Tom Brady? In the playoffs? I thought I was in the twilight zone. 

Brady didn't throw his third interception of the season until Week Nine against Indianapolis. The Giants' defensive backs are no slouches either. They've recorded five interceptions in the playoffs so far and held Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo, and Brett Favre in check. 

I wouldn't be too worried about Lawrence Tynes missing routine field goals anymore either. The conditions at Lambeau that day were much different than the Arizona weather he'll face against New England. 

Now you may be asking yourself "Is he really going to pick the Giants to win this game?" 

The answer to that is no. I can't pick against New England at this point of the season.  The veterans on this team are too focused and committed to finishing the greatest season of all time that I don't think the Giants can overcome it. 

I do think the game will be closer than people might expect. The Patriots are an 11 1/2 point favorite to win on most betting websites. 

As long as Eli keeps his cool during the game and doesn't get rattled by everything going on, the Giants will keep it close. In the end, I just don't think they have enough talent to overcome the Patriots' superior overall team.  

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