Giants vs. Patriots: 10 Stats That Could Make Difference in Super Bowl Rematch

The rematch is here.

It's two weeks until the New England Patriots and New York Giants square off in the Super Bowl, and the Patriots are hoping this game will go better than their last Super Bowl matchup against the Giants.

Las Vegas has opened up with the Patriots as a three-point favorite, but we all know that favorite/underdog talk does not mean much in the Super Bowl.

As fans and professionals, we try our hardest to predict what will happen through stats and games in the past, and that trend continues into this year's Super Bowl.

Here are the 10 stats that could make a difference come Feb. 5.

Patriots: 10 Game Win Streak

The New England Patriots come in on a 10-game winning streak.

Tom Brady has been playing some of the best football in his career during these 10 games, and the offense, fueled by Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, is virtually unstoppable.

New England is definitely the hot team coming in, but as the favorite, could have the most pressure on them during this game.

We'll have to wait and see if that affects them. 

Last Team to Beat the Patriots...the New York Giants

All the way back in Week 9 was when the New England Patriots last lost, and it was to the New York Giants.

The game was hotly contested throughout, but it came down to a clutch fourth-quarter drive by Eli Manning to set the Giants up for a go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds, much similar to the 2008 Super Bowl.

Although it's tough to predict how this Super Bowl will go off of the Week 9 matchup, it seems as if the Giants are the one NFL team that has the Patriots' number.

Belichick and Coughlin's Combined Total of Games Coached: 525 Games

They have coached A LOT of games.

Bil Belichick and Tom Coughlin are seasoned veterans when it comes to preparing a team for a huge game like the Super Bowl, so I expect both teams to come out with a game plan and as prepared as they can be.

With all of this experience, the important thing is that both coaches will not be caught off guard.

These two men are two of the best coaches in the league, and they have seen everything throughout their coaching career. They will be cool, calm and collected, which will reflect on their respective teams as the Super Bowl nears closer.

New England Defense Ranked 31st in Pass Defense

The lack of a pass defense could really hurt New England in this game. Eli Manning threw for nearly 5,000 yards this season and is playing his best football right now.

The Giants also have a dangerous trio of wide receivers: Mario Manningham, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

With the Patriots struggling to defend the pass, these wide receivers could be due for a huge game.

Manning continues to torch defenses, and if he establishes himself early, the Patriots' defense could be in trouble come Super Bowl Sunday.

90 Receptions, 1,327 Receiving Yards and 17 Touchdowns

It will come as no surprise to you that those stats above belong to tight end Rob Gronkowski.

By looking at these statistics, you can easily see the significant impact that Gronkowski has on the Patriots' offense. His 90 receptions, 1,327 yards rank second on the team behind Wes Welker, and his 17 touchdowns lead the team.

He has been Tom Brady's most reliable target all season, and the big question for the Super Bowl is if Gronkowski will suit up for the Super Bowl. He suffered an ankle sprain in Sunday's AFC Championship Game, but Gronkowski is saying he'll play.

Although his availability is still uncertain, if he misses the Super Bowl, the Patriots offense will take a huge hit as they will be playing the Super Bowl without one of their most dangerous offensive weapons.

23 Interceptions

The New England defense has 23 interceptions on the season, which ranks them second in the NFL. The opportunistic defense could be the difference in this year's Super Bowl.

Eli Manning, who has always had a knack for turning the ball over, could run into some problems against the Patriots. While New England gives up a lot of yards, they're compensating by taking the ball away from the offense.

If Manning throws two or more interceptions, it could be a long day for the Giants.

Giving the Patriots offense good field position via turnovers is a quick way to lose a football game.

Eli Manning in Playoffs: 923 Passing Yards, 8 Touchdowns

Throughout this postseason, Eli Manning has dissected defenses in every round.

He's taken down the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the NFC on the road and has proven his elite status with every game.

With Manning on a hot streak, the Giants offense has been clicking.

Manning is clearly playing the best of the two quarterbacks left, but he'll have to keep it up if the Giants want to win another Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.

The Chip on Brady's Shoulder

As hard as it is to believe, I think Tom Brady comes into this Super Bowl rematch with a chip on his shoulder.

And if that happens, that's not good news for the New York Giants.

In the two meetings against Tim Tebow, much of the spotlight was on Tebow rather than Brady. How did Brady respond?

He threw for a combined 683 yards and eight touchdowns, along with two rushing touchdowns.

With all of the talk about Eli Manning's recent performances in the playoffs, and how he's playing better than Brady currently, you got to believe Brady will look to prove he's still the best in the league.

48 Sacks

With 48 sacks in the regular season, the New York Giants were ranked second in the NFL. They also lead the postseason with nine sacks in just three games.

Players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, Michael Boley and others, are the reason why the Giants have been so effective in the pass rush. They bring relentless pressure and make it tough for the quarterback to get any kind of comfort level or rhythm. 

The pass rush from New York will be key in this year's Super Bowl. Back in Super Bowl XLII, the pressure the Giants put on Tom Brady was the difference. He was never able to get comfortable in the pocket, which forced him to make some errant throws.

The Giants have a comparable front seven, which will give the Patriots' offensive line some serious problems. Just ask Green Bay, San Francisco and Atlanta.

If the Giants get consistent pressure, they will set themselves up nicely for another Super Bowl victory.

Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17 Patriots 14

Perhaps, the most important statistic going into this Super Bowl rematch is the prior Super Bowl matchup.

In Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots undefeated season hopes were dashed after Eli Manning led the Giants on a game-winning drive in the final minutes of the game.

While this game doesn't help predict any kind of outcome for this year's Super Bowl, it does help the psyche of the Patriots, in my opinion. The Patriots have not forgotten what the Giants did to them in the Super Bowl and I expect Tom Brady and his team to be ready to get their revenge this season.

Tom Brady will be on a mission to correct what went wrong in 2008, so I believe this will give the Patriots the mental edge they need to overcome what happened in Super Bowl XLII.