Super Bowl XLVI: How Can New England Patriots Beat New York Giants in Rematch?

The argument over the next two weeks will center around the rematch element of the New England Patriots and the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. This is the same matchup that we saw when the Patriots were chasing perfection.

And in many ways, the rematch will be similar to the first meeting.

Protect Tom Brady

The Giants defense didn't get as much pressure on Alex Smith as they might have liked with three sacks, but they were able to force incompletions as Smith went 12-of-26 on the day.

The defense has improved a good deal in the secondary, but if Brady has time in the pocket, he has proven over and over again that he will find a good matchup and an open man.

The Giants brought Brady down twice in their regular season meeting, and although he threw two picks, neither were as much a result of pressure as they were simple misfires by Brady. According to Pro Football Focus, Brady was pressured on just 11 of his 52 total dropbacks.

Respect the Deep Pass

Eli Manning has proven himself to be a great deep ball quarterback this year, but the Giants have certainly equipped him with great weapons to maximize his strengths. The Giants picked up 8.4 YPA through the air, and ranked third in the NFL in that category.

The Patriots defense played fairly well in the last meeting, holding Eli Manning to just 6.4 YPA. Of course, what was a great defensive performance was overshadowed by a miraculous Manning touchdown drive.

Don't forget another factor: Hakeem Nicks missed the game. He was one of Manning's favorite targets this year, with 76 receptions and seven touchdowns. He was also one of the most explosive targets, with 15.7 yards per reception.

The Patriots weak link has been the secondary, specifically the safeties this year. That was on display on Sunday when Joe Flacco was able to reach 8.5 YPA and could have had a lot more were it not for a dropped touchdown pass and a misfired deep ball to Torrey Smith.

Don't Make Stupid Mistakes

The Giants beat the Patriots in the last meeting for several reasons, but one of the biggest was an uncharacteristic bad day from Brady. His two interceptions were an underrated key to the Patriots loss. 

Major mistakes defined the outcome of both games this weekend. 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams (a muffed punt and a fumbled punt), Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff (missed 32-yard field goal to send the game to overtime) and receiver Lee Evans (dropped touchdown pass with :22 remaining) will all tell you about their troubles.

Most importantly, though, the Patriots need to continue to play solid red-zone defense and also commit as few penalties as possible.

In the last meeting with the Giants, the Patriots committed seven penalties for 81 yards, and allowed the Giants to go 3-of-5 (60 percent) in the red zone. 

In their two playoff games, the Patriots have held their two opponents a combined 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) in the red zone and have committed just three penalties for 25 yards.

And the Giants proved they aren't above taking a gift and cashing in on it against the 49ers. The less opportunities the Patriots give the Giants to do so, the better their chances are of earning the franchise's fourth Super Bowl ring in the past 11 years and earning a good dose of retribution for Super Bowl XLII.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.