Giants vs. Patriots: G-Men Even More of a Match for Pats This Time Around

The New York Giants weren't supposed to beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots came into the game undefeated, and they were favored to win by something like a million points.

Naturally, the Giants ended up winning. It was one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, and it was perhaps the greatest upset in Super Bowl history.

At the time, it was easy to see why the Pats were so heavily favored, and the advantages they were supposed to have then still seem like advantages now. Their offensive attack contained a deadly connection between Tom Brady and Randy Moss, and their defense was a rock-solid unit consisting of veterans who had been there and done that.

The Giants were able to win the game because their defensive line neutralized Brady, and because Eli Manning became a hero at the right time and the right place.

Make no mistake, the Giants weren't a better team than the Patriots that year. They were just a really, really tough matchup for the Pats.

Here we are, four years later, and the Giants and Pats are set to do battle in the Super Bowl once again. The question we should be asking ourselves is exactly what has changed since Super Bowl XLII. How do these two teams stack up now, as opposed to four years ago?

Here's the answer: The Giants are a better team, and the Patriots are a worse team.

Yup. That's the simple truth of things. This time around, the Giants have the edge.

The thing that should scare the Patriots the most is the fact that the Giants still have an outstanding defensive line. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are still there, and Michael Strahan has been replaced by Jason Pierre-Paul.

So far in the playoffs, this group has harassed Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith, and it will harass Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. You can take that to the bank.

Harassing Brady will prove just as useful in terms of leveling the playing field as it did in Super Bowl XLII. Then it will be a simple matter of watching Manning put points on the board.

That will be much easier for Manning in this game than it was in the last Super Bowl. You better believe that Eli is a much better quarterback now than he was four years ago, and he has better pass-catchers to throw to than he did back then.

It's all about Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. So far in the playoffs, Nicks has 18 receptions for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Cruz has 17 receptions for 244 yards, and we last saw him torching the San Francisco 49ers for 10 catches and 142 yards in the NFC Championship Game.

Nicks and Cruz are scary for two reasons. The first is that both of them are game-breaking wide receivers. The second is that they are perfectly in tune with Manning and what he wants to do at any given moment.

The Giants passing attack is scary no matter who they're playing. But against the Patriots, it's even scarier.

We know this because New England's defense just isn't very good. It's certainly not as good as it was the last time the Patriots were in the Super Bowl, anyway. The Patriots D has a lot of holes in it, particularly in the secondary.

The numbers speak for themselves. The Pats allowed over 290 passing yards per game during the regular season, and they just allowed Joe Flacco to throw for over 300 yards.

With all due respect to Flacco, he's not a guy who is a threat to throw for 300 yards in a given game. His success is New England's shame.

If Flacco can burn the Patriots, Manning can too. In fact, it could be ugly.

Since I have two weeks to ponder it, I'm going to hold off on making a pick for this game now. I merely wanted to point out that the Giants are going to be a tough nut for the Patriots to crack.

Because of that, I'll say right here and now that I'm leaning towards the G-Men.