New York Giants vs. New England Patriots: Who Has the Edge?

After a hectic Sunday afternoon, two teams booked their tickets to Superbowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

The first game featured the No. 1 seed New England Patriots, coming off a definitive win over the Denver Broncos, against the No. 2 Baltimore Ravens. The two teams battled it out for all 60 minutes.

With 11:29 left in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady plunged into the end zone from one yard out, giving the Patriots a 23-20 lead. The game stayed that way for the duration of regulation.

With 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Billy Cundiff set up for a 32-yard field goal. There is no need to discuss what happened in the following moments. 

The second game proved to be just as riveting. The No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers settled in at their home stadium after an exciting divisional playoff win against Drew Brees and the Saints, and prepared to play their counterpart, the New York Giants, who beat the 15-1 Green Bay Packers the following week.

The Giants came in fired up, but was silence early on with a long Vernon Davis touchdown. The next three quarters of the game was a hard-fought battle between two teams that both deserved to be in the Super Bowl.

With a little under 10 minutes to go in the first overtime, Jacquin Williams performed a perfect strip of Kyle Williams, and set up Lawrence Tynes for a 31-yard game-winning field goal.

Now the question is, who has the edge?

Quarterbacks: Manning or Brady?

Two of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL will be squaring off in one of the most intriguing Superbowls of the last 20 years. Both Manning and Brady are phenomenal quarterbacks as well as inspirational leaders, and both deserve the utmost praise for their accomplishments. 

However, I do have to give a slight edge to Brady. With three Superbowl victories, two of which he received the Most Valuable Player award, Brady has experience and composure on his side. The guy just straight-up wins football games.

I do not mean to discredit Manning, who has won one Superbowl and received the MVP award in that instance, but Brady is in a better position to lead his team effectively in Indianapolis.

Brady > Manning

The Backfield

While both running games are not the most potent in the league, they both get the job done.

Despite the Giants' rushing attack being dead last in the NFL, they are not a backfield to be treated lightly. The combination of the elusive yet hard hitting Bradshaw with the power-running of Jacobs will get the job done against a depleted Patriots run defense.

Don't forget about fullback Henry Hinoski either. While some might think of him as a "no-name," he adds a lot to the Giants run-game with his occasional electrifying run and his ever-solid run blocking.

The Patriots running game is similar to that of the Giants. The Patriots have a solid run game despite being ranked only 20th in the league. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the Patriots primary tailback, is not the most prominent back in the game, but he will get the job done at times. The only thing that worries me is the Giants remarkable front-line, including Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck. Rushing against the Giants defense is no easy task by any means.

Here, I give the Giants rushing game an edge over the Patriots. While Green-Ellis is a good back, he cannot compare to the dual-attack of Bradshaw and Jacobs. The Giants will have much more success against an average-at-best Patriots defense than the Patriots will be able to muster against the Giants front-line.

Giants backfield > Patriots backfield

Wide-Receivers/Tight Ends

Wide-receivers is one area where both the Giants and the Patriots thrive in.

The Patriots' wide-receiving core, consisting of Wes Welker and Deion Branch, is certainly enough to make defensive coordinators cringe. When you add Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to the mix, you get an almost unstoppable passing attack, headed by Tom Brady.

When the Patriots offense is at its best, Brady is spreading the ball around to all four of these guys and making defenses disordered. Even when defenses supposedly have Gronkowski covered perfectly, he somehow comes away with the ball, explaining why he has 17 receiving-touchdowns this year. The Giants are certainly in for a challenge if they want to stop this passing-attack.

The emergence of Victor Cruz as one of the leagues primary receivers has largely aided the Giants. Cruz casually stepped in as the number one receiver on this team, catching 82 balls for over 1,500 yards.

You can't forget about Hakeem Nicks, however, as he too had over 1,000 receiving yards for the year.

Mario Manningham is also a solid receiver as Manning's third option.

The Giants really do have a spectacular wide-receiver core. In my mind, there is no way that the struggling Patriots secondary will be able to impede the Giants' passing game.

This is a complex decision to make. The Giants' wide-receiving core far outmatches that of the Patriots. While the Giants can spread it around to Cruz, Nicks, Mannigham, and Bradshaw out of the backfield, the Patriots have Welker as a key target and that's about it.

Then, of course, you average in the Patriot's phenomenal tight ends to the equation. The Giants' dismal display at the tight end position makes this decision much tougher. However, Giants win out in the end.

Patriot's receivers/tight ends < Giants receivers/tight ends

Offensive Line

Both offensive lines played reasonably well in the regular season. Eli Manning was only sacked a little over 20 times in a 16-game season. Tom Brady, on the other hand, was sacked a little over thirty times, making you think that the Giants might have this one wrapped up already. Well, think again.

Since the start of the playoffs, Manning has been banged around in the backfield almost constantly. He's been sacked eight times in three games, and harassed almost every drop back.

While the Giants offensive line has been struggling, the Patriots O-line has thrived. Brady has been able to get, and stay, comfortable in the pocket due to their success. Brady has only been sacked once in two games.

Because of the recent success of the Patriots O-line, I give them the edge over the Giants. It's all about momentum in the playoffs, and the Patriots certainly have all of it.

Giant's offensive line < Patriot's offensive line

Defensive Line

The defensive line might possibly make the difference in this game. Both teams embody solid front lineman, but one team does have an advantage over the other.

The Giants defensive line is virtually unstoppable when they are healthy and playing with zeal. If Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul didn't do a good enough job on their own, Osi Umenyora is back and has made a large impact thus far. Chris Canty also provides a solid big man to solidify the core.

While the Patriots may have the Giants defensive line in size, they do not in talent. Vince Wilfork is the only real threat on the Patriots' defensive line, and not even him can single-handedly penetrate the Giants' offensive line.

Giants' defensive line > Patriots' defensive line

Defensie Seconday/Linebackers

Both the Giants' and the Patriots' secondary defenses are nothing to write home about. The linebackers, while better for both teams, are certainly not top tier in the NFL.

The Giants' secondary, led by Corey Webster, are not inept at stopping any prolific passing attack. They will need to improve drastically if they want to stop the talented Tom Brady. The Giants are much more talented at stopping the run. Mathias Kiwanuka is a force to be reckoned with at linebacker, stopping even the most dominant backs.

The Patriots' secondary is debatably the worst in the league at stopping the air-attack. Their run-defense is equally as bad. They have not been able to seriously shut down any big-time back yet this season. Jacobs and Bradshaw will run all over them in two weeks time if they are not able to establish Mayo and the rest of their backers in stopping the run. Shutting down Cruz and Nicks, while no easy task, is the Patriots' only option to stopping the offense of the Giants.

The Patriots defense will not be able to stop the Giants offensive attack.

Patriots' secondary/linebackers < Giants' secondary/linebackers

Special Teams

Both the Giants' and the Patriot's special teams do not play a large role in the success of their respective teams. Tynes and Gostowski are almost exactly equal in skill. They have similar field goals made to field goals attempted percentage, and both hit their long field goal from 50 yards this year.

Devin Thompson and Danny Woodhead, returners for the Giants and Patriots respectively, are also very similar. While both are not very talented, they get the job done for their teams and leave their offenses in good position.

Steve Weatherford's punting has been mirrored by the punting of Zoltan Mesko. Both punters have the same ability.

Giants' special teams = Patriots' special teams

Overall

Superbowl XLVI is certainly going to be an intriguing and memorable game. The fact that this is a rematch from a previous Superbowl only adds to the suspense.

We don't know who will come out on top from this game, but it is certain that this will be a hard-fought game right down to the final whistle.

The game will, in all likelihood, will be a high-scoring affair as neither defenses has been able to keep potent offenses off the board in the past.

Get ready for a riveting game on February 5th in Indianapolis.

Prediction: Giants 35, Patriots 31