Super Bowl 2012: 5 Things NY Giants Need to Do to Beat New England Patriots

After defeating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime Sunday, the New York Giants are your NFC champions and are going to the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons. However, in order to win, they have to beat the New England Patriots, just like they did four seasons ago.

Talk about déjà vu...

Now the Giants are certainly capable of beating the Patriots. The two teams played in the regular season earlier this year. Back in Week 9, the Giants won 24-20. In addition, during their win streak, going back to Week 16 has shown that their defense is capable of shutting down quarterbacks; the Giants have beaten Mark Sanchez, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan (whose team could not score an offensive point), Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith.

Pretty good list, right?

However, this is the Super Bowl, and anything can happen to either team. So, here are five things the Giants need to do win the Super Bowl.

Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs Need to Do Well with the Running Game

Over the past few seasons, the Giants have shown that they have an effective running game, with their two-back system of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Bradshaw, the starter, provides the speed, while Jacobs and his 6'4", 264-pound frame provide the power.

This season though, both running backs have not been to provide a decent rushing attack all season. Bradshaw's last 100-plus-yard game was against Buffalo in Week 6. Jacobs ran well in the Wild Card Game against Atlanta (14 carries for 92 yards), but his only 100-plus-yard game was in the first showdown against Dallas in Week 14. Combined, their rushing attack has ran for 1,230 yards in the regular season.

At the same time, though, you can't just solely rely on Eli Manning to throw the ball so often forever. You need a decent running game to alleviate pressure from your quarterback and keep the opponent's defense guessing on what play you're running.

In the biggest game of the year, both Bradshaw and Jacobs need to step it up and run with the ball effectively, so as to give Eli relief in the passing department.

Use Receiving Talent Other Than Victor Cruz

Victor Cruz has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this year. An undrafted player who signed with the Giants in 2010, Cruz was originally tabbed this season as the fourth wide receiver, behind Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon.

Over the course of the regular season, Cruz had 82 receptions, 1,536 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He remained a big threat in the playoffs, including this past Sunday against the 49ers, catching 10 times for 142 yards.

By now, though, most teams—if not every team—in the NFL knows how much talent this young kid has. The Patriots should know, having played them earlier this season. They got a taste of what Cruz can do; though he didn't have a touchdown, he did catch six times for 91 yards. 

Though the Patriots secondary is already pretty weak, there's no doubt in my mind that they will try to double-team Cruz in coverage to prevent him from being a threat once again.

So what's a guy like Eli Manning to do? Take advantage of the depth that he has at the wide receiver position, that's what.

Obviously, Hakeem Nicks, the team's No. 1 receiver will get a lot of looks in this one, but there's more on the depth chart than just him.

Mario Manningham, now the team's No. 3 receiver, can at times be a hidden gem. He has caught a touchdown pass in all three playoff games. Against Atlanta in the Wild Card Game, he had four receptions for 68 yards. On Sunday, he was only targeted once, but that one time resulted in a 17-yard TD in the fourth quarter that gave them the lead (until David Akers kicked a field goal).

Jake Ballard, one of the Giants tight ends, has also shown to be a surprise in his first full season. Originally known as a blocking tight end at Ohio State, Ballard had 38 receptions this year and just over 600 receiving yards. The Giants' other starting tight end, Bear Pascal, just caught his first touchdown pass this Sunday against the 49ers.

Cruz will still get plenty of looks, sure, but in order to truly capitalize against the Patriots D (particularly their secondary), Eli needs to spread the ball around and leave them confused over to whom he's going to throw.

Giants Must Remember That Brady Has TWO Tight Ends That Can Catch

By now, you probably know how talented of a tight end Rob Gronkowski is.

In just his second season this year, Gronkowski had 90 receptions, more than 1,300 receiving yards and set an NFL single-season touchdown record for a tight end with 17 TD catches.

Though his career is just beginning, he has reached the elite level of tight ends, alongside guys such as Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. In my opinion, if he continues to remain healthy, his career may surpass both of them when it's all said and done.

When February 5 comes along, Brady will definitely look to throw to the 6'6" monster, especially when it comes to scoring from the red zone.

However, the Giants should not divert too much attention to Gronkowski, because Brady has not one, but two tight ends that he''s able to throw it to.

The second is named Aaron Hernandez.

With most other teams in the league having one tight end capable of catching, while the other blocks, the Patriots are one of the few that can say they have two tight ends that can do both.

Despite missing two games, Hernandez, while his numbers are nowhere near Gronkowski's, still put up some pretty statistics. He had 79 receptions, more than 900 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. In addition, he put up decent numbers against both Denver and Baltimore in the playoffs.

Brady can certainly utilize both tight ends to his advantage. If Gronkowski is given too much attention, Hernandez has the ability to get the job done in his place. If the Patriots have their way, he could be the hero in this matchup.

Jason Pierre-Paul Must Make Big Plays On Defense

Football may be a team sport, but Jason Pierre-Paul may just be the most important piece of this Giants defense.

Though only in his second season, the former University of South Florida standout has made big strides from last season. He rightfully earned himself a Pro Bowl berth, with 86 tackles, 16.5 sacks and six interceptions.

JPP continued to show that he deserves his spot by not only providing plenty of pressure throughout the playoffs, but had an interception against both Green Bay and San Francisco.

Whether it's sacking Tom Brady, tipping/intercepting a bad pass or just delivering pressure to force Brady to make bad decisions, the Giants need Pierre-Paul to keep delivering punishment.

No Matter the Score, Always Play with 100 Percent Effort

I can't stress this last one enough. I have seen games won and lost in the worst ways possible, because one side was too confident or put themselves down to the point where they let games go. Until that final whistle blows, you play!

Remember that no matter what the score is, play every down, every run, every pass, every kick, with all of the effort you can muster. If there's a will, there's a way to win. Anything can happen in the world of sports, including the NFL.

I remember as a kid watching classic NFL games. One of these games was from back in November 1968. Known today as the "Heidi Game," the Oakland Raiders scored two touchdowns against the New York Jets and turned a 32-29 New York lead into a 43-32 victory. However, for many living on the East Coast, they could not watch the turnaround occur, as NBC switched from its telecast to show the film and prevent its postponement.

For those that haven't heard of this game, I suggest checking this video here. It's pretty ridiculous—you would never see something like this happen nowadays.

Anyway, my point is both the Giants and the Patriots are capable of turning games around, regardless of the score. Brady is an efficient passer no matter the situation. Eli Manning threw 15 touchdowns in the fourth quarter during the regular season, breaking a single-season record previously held by Johnny Unitas and his big brother Peyton.

Oh, and let's not forget that he and the Giants made a comeback four years ago.