Super Bowl 2012: Why Giants Will Knock out Patriots Again

Much has been made about Kyle Williams' gaffes in the San Francisco 49ers' 20-17 overtime loss against the New York Giants.

But the reality is, the Giants played well enough to win that game anyway.

Total QBR aside, Giants quarterback Eli Manning played well given the circumstances on Sunday. The circumstances: He was facing arguably the best defense in the NFL.

Manning threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers despite constant pressure and sustaining six sacks. He continues to prove he's an elite quarterback in the NFL and certainly has the ability to win a Super Bowl, as he showed in 2008 against the, yes, New England Patriots.

But, beyond that, the No. 1 reason I see the Giants winning Super Bowl XLVI against Tom Brady and the Patriots is their pass rush.

49ers quarterback Alex Smith was sacked three times against the Giants and was pressured numerous times. As a result, he went 12-of-26 for 196 yards. This was after throwing for 299 yards and three touchdowns in a thrilling 36-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round.

The Patriots are coming off a 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, but, for once, you could make the argument that Brady actually hurt the team more than he helped it. He threw for only 239 yards and tossed two interceptions to no touchdowns, while ending with a QB rating of 57.5, his worst QB rating since Nov. 30, 2009.

Beyond facing an elite defense, Brady primarily struggled because of the pressure brought by the Ravens. The Giants had a comparable pass rush to the Ravens this season, getting to the quarterback 48 times during the regular season and sacking Aaron Rodgers four times in their 37-20 victory in the divisional round.

This is nitpicking, but Brady has had a worse season than in 2010. He also faces a tougher defense than Manning does on Feb. 5. Manning not only faces a defense that gave up the second-most passing yards per game this season, he also faces a pass rush that is average.

Sorry, Patriots fans, but the Giants are "upsetting" you again in 2012.