Giants vs. Patriots: Why New York Pass Rush Is Tom Brady's Worst Nightmare

The Giants' pass rush was New York's great equalizer in Super Bowl 42, and it will be Tom Brady's worst nightmare once again in Super Bowl 47.  

The G-Men tallied five sacks in that legendary upset and their defensive front is probably more balanced and ferocious now than it was then. 

Gone is Michael Strahan, but Jason Pierre-Paul has given Giants fans a new, chief pass-rusher.  

Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora  must still be accounted for even if they aren't as explosive as they were four years ago, and defensive tackle mammoth Chris Canty is better than any interior lineman the Giants had in that 2008 game. 

During 2011, New York's defensive line accumulated 48 sacks, good for third in the NFL. 

They weren't entirely healthy the whole season, but when they were, there probably wasn't a more dominating defensive front in football. 

Brady was only sacked twice in the New England Patriots' 23-20 AFC title game win over the Baltimore Ravens, but although he was pressured more than he is accustomed to, he not surprisingly didn't have one of his best performances, going 22-of-36 passing for 239 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. 

The Giants pose more of a threat to New England' offensive line and their quarterback. 

In the regular-season meeting between these clubs, a 24-20 Giants' win in Foxboro, the Patriots actually got more pressure on Eli Manning than New York got on Brady, but many near-sacks led to another two-interception effort for one of the game's finest. 

Poor performances by Mr. Brady are definitely a rare occurrence. 

However, when he has struggled—and by his standards, struggling has an entirely different definition—it has been directly caused by teams that can penetrate his stonewall offensive line and fluster him in the pocket. 

Pierre-Paul, Canty, Umenyiora and Tuck are undoubtedly capable of doing that. 

I'm not discounting Brady's ability to piece together a respectable outing in this Super Bowl rematch, but he'll have to do so with the league's most profound pass-rushing group coming at him on every snap. 

Not an ideal situation for the Patriots' living legend.

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