Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Eli Manning Headed Toward Super Bowl MVP

By the time we wake with one hell of a Super Bowl hangover, Eli Manning will have been crowned the Super Bowl MVP after a magical season that was sadly under appreciated. 

It's time to wake up to the fact that there is just one Manning left on the planet that can deliver Super Bowl feats worthy of our adulation. Little brother Eli is all grown up and is indeed an elite quarterback in the NFL. 

This isn't to say that a waltz into the Super Bowl will at all be easy for the New York Giants. The San Francisco 49ers proved our theories about their roster quite incorrect as soon as the season started. 

Their rushing defense is second to none and will serve to stifle the usual inconsistent mess the Giants usually throw at the line. This will not be the game for Ahmad Bradshaw to delight in his underrated talent. 

This game will come down to two things that New York claims as the advantage. First is the offensive line that has been nothing short of spectacular in the last few games. 

Any woes that Manning experienced this season was due to the pocket collapsing amidst an inconsistent bunch up front. That problem has all but disappeared heading into Sunday, and Manning will be well taken care of, even against a deadly pass rush from San Francisco. 

The second advantage is Eli Manning himself, who has the better complement of receivers at his disposal. He is coming off a season in which he passed for 4,933 yards and nearly 30 touchdowns. 

His last effort may have been against a porous Green Bay Packers secondary, but the passes from the younger Manning were no less sublime. He was poised and accurate nearly all game and will pick apart a 49ers secondary that has had its issues. 

After that, I take a Giants defense that held Aaron Rodgers to a mediocre level last week and an offense that is on fire right now. 

It's easy to lose sight of Manning during a wild season when Dan Marino's passing yards record fell and Rodgers set the all-time passer rating mark—but Manning is not without his superstar merits. 

He began the season with the claim that he was elite, and I am inclined to believe him after an unbelievable year. With two more wins, we can crown Manning as elite and the Giants as finally getting the due they deserve. 

The world has been sleeping on New York all year, and that finally ends this weekend in San Francisco. 

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