Giants vs Patriots: Building New England's Game Plan from Regular Season Meeting

The last two meetings between New England and New York have both gone in favor of the Giants. Super Bowl XLII was arguably the biggest upset in NFL history, and then earlier this season the Patriots fell to New York at home 24-20.

So that being said, how does Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Co. get over this literally Giant hump? Well, here's a breakdown of each phase of the game for New England.

Offense

In the regular season meeting, the Patriots were held to just 20 points, Tom Brady was intercepted and sacked twice (hit another three times), not to mention he lost a fumble along with Julian Edelman.

Four turnovers from one of the NFL's most prolific offenses—to this point, the Giants' defense simply has New England's number.

As for the Super Bowl, Brady just can't turn the ball over. Three turnovers against New York the first time were on him, and he also threw two picks against Baltimore. Utilizing Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker as he did the first time, though, will be extremely crucial.

They combined for 237 yards on 17 receptions in the home loss, but there wasn't much production from anyone else. Obviously those numbers will take away from Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch, but what the Pats need more than anything is yards after the catch.

So a lot of quick slants, quick screens and clear out plays to get Brady's playmakers in the open field early will be needed. New York may struggle against the pass, but its pass rush can be proven obsolete with fast-developing plays.

In addition, that will open up the double-move patterns such as out-and-ups, post-corners and wheel routes later on. With Brady's ability to read pre-snap and fake pump, New England can really burn the Giants deep late in the first half.

Thereafter, that success will set up the running game.

With the linebackers and secondary mainly worried about the pass, dives, draws and cutbacks will be there to manipulate and control the line of scrimmage. New York may be improved; however, the Pats can take advantage of the Giants' over-aggressiveness by setting up the run with the pass.

Defense

Without a doubt, the New England Patriots' defense has vastly improved.

Even when they lost Andre Carter, Bill Belichick's crew hasn't let up, and perhaps the most impact has come from defensive tackle, Vince Wilfork.

In the regular season game, the Patriots hit Eli Manning eight times but did not sack him once. That being said, New England picked off Manning once and also recovered a fumble.

As for Super Bowl XLVI, New England must simply attack Manning as much as possible. With Wilfork controlling the middle of the trenches, the Giants won't have much success on the ground. Or, not enough to keep pace with Tom Brady, to say the least.

Now, the Pats have to expect that New York will try to keep them honest by not abandoning the run, so constant press coverage with an inside leverage must happen. In doing so, the Pats will force Manning's receivers to the outside and allow the defensive backs to use the sideline to their advantage.

Additionally, this creates numerous opportunities to blitz the outside linebackers and use the middle to spy on a running back or take on the tight end in single coverage. Also, the safeties have a bit more luxury to roam free and patrol the secondary to jump any route as well as have big hit opportunities.

All that said, it still comes down to the pass rush.

When facing a pass-first offense with an excellent receiving corps and reliable running backs, messing up rhythm and timing is key.

Provided that New England's secondary can minimize the damage, the Patriots' pass rush will prove to be the difference.

Special Teams

As we saw in both conference championship games, each contest came down to special teams, whether it's the kicking game like  in the AFC title or the return game like in the NFC title.

Now, for the Giants and Patriots from earlier this season, special teams didn't have too big of an impact, but that doesn't mean it won't in the Super Bowl.

Changing the field position is arguably the most important part of football, but maintaining possession comes first. Otherwise, field position is obsolete. New England punt returner Julian Edelman must be aware of the Giants' ability to cause fumbles and not give up on a play.

We saw it against San Francisco, and we'll see it again in the Super Bowl. Therefore, don't be surprised if Edelman neglects to risk any return and mostly calls for a fair catch. To that end, whenever he does take a return, Edelman must make it count by going up the middle because trying to bounce a punt return to either side lessens the chance of gaining yards.

On kickoffs, return man Danny Woodhead must simply take care of the ball.

A fumble against Baltimore almost cost New England the game, and it will cost the Patriots against New York. No risk taking here either—just get Tom Brady on the field and let him work.

The Patriots also can't rely on Giants' kicker Lawrence Tynes missing a game-winner. The man is money in clutch situations, so planning and executing the perfect block must be on Bill Belichick's mind. Perhaps the best idea is to send the block from opposite Tynes' kicking foot.

This way, Lawrence will see the block coming and potentially pull the ball instead of kicking it straight. Any way to gain an edge will be vital for New England against an inter-conference rival.

John Rozum on Twitter