Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Projecting the Game's Biggest Stars

The New England Patriots take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, meeting in the big game for the second time in the last four years.

Both teams boast a collection of playmakers who are all going to make a difference in the game, but some are likely to have more success than others.

In the following slides, I project the stat lines for four of the biggest stars in the game.

QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had the worst big game of his career in his team's AFC championship win over the Baltimore Ravens, going so far as to say that he "sucked" to the media after the game.

Brady completed 22 of his 36 passing attempts for 239 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Though he ran in what ultimately became the game-winning touchdown, Brady's aerial prowess was held in check all day via a combination of the Ravens' strong defense and an overall down performance.

He shouldn't have a similarly bad day in two weeks when his team takes on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. Including this year, Brady has been to the Super Bowl in five of his 10 seasons as a starting quarterback and thus has the most postseason experience of any quarterback in the league.

It's likely that the Patriots will regroup and play far better on offense than they did against the Ravens. The New York Giants have a strong defense, to be sure, but they also have a secondary that is fairly easy to exploit.

When the Patriots fell to the Giants in Week 9 of the regular season, Brady had 342 passing yards, two scores and two touchdowns. In the Super Bowl, Brady should again throw for over 300 yards and throw two—or potentially three—touchdowns and be picked only once.

That may not be enough for the Patriots to win the game, but it's a stat line befitting a quarterback as elite as Brady.

QB Eli Manning, New York Giants

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for just shy of 5,000 yards in the regular season and had 923 passing yards in his team's three playoff wins this year.

The Giants will need to rely heavily on Manning's arm—and his considerable weapons in the passing game—in their Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots.

New York also has a strong defense which will help them gain an edge on the generally high-scoring Patriots, but Manning will have to play well to keep the Giants in the game from start to finish.

Manning is on a hot streak that seemingly cannot be stopped. He threw a ridiculous 58 times in the Giants' NFC championship win over the San Francisco 49ers for 316 yards and two scores.

Despite being under pressure every time he dropped back to pass and was sacked six times as a result, he didn't turn the ball over. He's playing some of the best football of his career and should have himself a good game against the Patriots in two weeks.

Manning will likely throw for around 300 yards, with two scores and no more than a single turnover in the Super Bowl.

TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski set the single-season tight end scoring record in 2011, with a total of 18 touchdowns on the season.

He's an invaluable piece of the Patriots' offense and should see his fair share of targets when his team faces the New York Giants in the Super Bowl in two weeks.

Gronkowski suffered an injury in the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, when Ravens defender Bernard Pollard rolled up on his ankle in the third quarter and was seen in a walking boot after the game.

However, Gronkowski's injury isn't thought to be serious and he should be fully recovered by the time the Super Bowl comes around. That's great news for quarterback Tom Brady, who has relied on Gronkowski and fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez heavily this season.

In two postseason games, Gronkowski has 232 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He's averaged just under 83 yards per game this season, but he should have more than that against the Giants in the Super Bowl.

Look for Gronkowski to again be Brady's primary target, with the tight end pulling down seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.

RB Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants

The New York Giants have a tandem of running backs that seem to alternate having good games, but against the New England Patriots, it will be Brandon Jacobs and not Ahmad Bradshaw who makes the biggest impact.

In the teams' first meeting in Week 9, Jacobs had 18 carries for 72 yards and a score, and caught four passes for 28 more yards. Granted, Bradshaw was inactive for that game, but Jacobs' up-the-gut running style should prove more effective against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

While it's easy to throw against the Patriots defense, it's not hard to run against them either. The Giants will likely look to run the ball fairly often in hopes to control the clock and keep New England quarterback Tom Brady off the field.

Jacobs should have a solid showing, with 12 carries for 60 yards and potentially one touchdown against New England in two weeks.