Giants vs. Patriots: 3 Keys to a New England Win in Super Bowl XLVI

The New England Patriots and New York Giants are both very much game plan teams that can execute a specific strategy based on their opponent.

And with two weeks to prepare, expect both Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin to bring a masterpiece to Lucas Oil Stadium. What exactly will be contained therein remains to be seen, but here are some of the nuts-and-bolts starting points for the Patriots.

Slow Down the Giants' Pass Rush

For the Giants, the game plan is fairly similar, at least on defense: Take down Tom Brady. That just so happens to be the very fabric of their defense; what makes them such a strong unit is their ability to get after the quarterback.

The nickname "NASCAR" gives you the idea of what the Giants' defensive front brings to the table. And their pressure/sack numbers are off the charts.

There are several ways the Patriots can slow them down.

The first is to run draw plays right into the teeth of the defensive line. Getting inside the heads of the defensive linemen is a good strategy to slow them down and make them think twice about going all-out in pursuit of the quarterback.

Likewise, they could also run screens. This falls under the same category of a misdirection play, but running a screen keeps the pass rush honest, especially if those screens go to the running backs.

The Patriots have run notably fewer running back screens, but with Josh McDaniels back in the fold, there's no reason why they couldn't return to it, especially with Danny Woodhead in the backfield.

The final, and perhaps most simple way to slow down the Giants' pass rush is extra offensive linemen. The health of Sebastian Vollmer will be key, since the Patriots would love to have the option of sending in reinforcements off the edge should Giants defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck get in rhythm.

That being said, the Patriots' offensive tackles have done a great job of protecting Brady all season long, and have faced some very fierce pass-rushing duos: Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis of the Colts, Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan of the Redskins, Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil of the Broncos and plenty of others.

And yet, with all that said, the Giants defense was able to keep Brady in check by pressuring him just 11 times on 52 dropbacks. Thus, it may not be as easy as simply keeping Brady clean—the Patriots may have to find ways to get their receivers open.

Exploit Matchup Problems 

The NFC Championship Game didn't exactly do wonders for the Giants prospects against tight ends as they allowed Vernon Davis to go off for 112 yards and two touchdowns on just three receptions. 

Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski did a number on the Giants in their last meeting, hauling in 12 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants linebackers, for the most part, have struggled in coverage this season. 

They didn't give up a receiving touchdown to a tight end until facing the Patriots in Week 9, but gave up two to Hernandez and Gronkowski, as well as an average of over 11 yards per catch.

But with the hype around the "Boston TE Party" intensifying, other weapons are flying under the radar. If it's not those two, it could be Wes Welker, who had nine receptions for 136 yards in the last meeting with the Giants.

If the Giants are somehow able to take away the two tight ends and Welker, Deion Branch could have a big game. He's been known to step up in such situations this year and in years past, even if his numbers are down across the board this season. When it comes to big games, the experience in those situations is invaluable.

And let's not forget about Danny Woodhead, as the Patriots could look to employ running back screens as a tool to slow down the Giants' pass rush. Another X-factor to keep in mind is Nate Solder's experience as a tight end. He hasn't done so yet this season, but he did run a few patterns against the Giants in the last meeting.

And with all of this in mind, look for a hurry-up attack at times when the Patriots feel they have a favorable matchup on the field. It's been a weapon for the Patriots all season long, and it's no secret why.

Long story short: If Brady has time in the pocket, the game could come down to whether the Giants have enough firepower in the secondary to slow down the Patriots' aerial onslaught. 

Mitigate the Damage from the Giants Wide Receivers

Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz have proven this season that you can't stop them; you can only hope to contain them.

The two have accounted for 2,728 of Manning's 4,933 passing yards this year (55.3 percent). But they did so on just 158 of his 589 completions (26.8 percent). Victor Cruz ranked third in the NFL with 18.7 yards per reception, and Hakeem Nicks ranked 22nd with 15.6 YPR.

When the Patriots last faced the Giants, they didn't have to account for Hakeem Nicks, who missed the game due to an injury. The Patriots will need to mitigate the damage that these two receivers cause by playing disciplined on the back end. They were hurt by giving up several big plays against the Ravens, but could be killed if they allow the same thing to happen against a talented Giants receiving corps.

They gave up five pass plays of over 15 yards in the last meeting, and will need to find a way to slow the bleeding in the Super Bowl.

Expect a lot of Cover 3 and 4 to ensure consistent double teams on both receivers on the deep ball, as the Patriots will likely show a lot of respect for the vertical abilities of both. If the Patriots expect to play the game and allow Eli Manning to make mistakes, they could be waiting awhile. He has thrown only one interception through three playoff games.

Whatever the Patriots do, though, they can't let these two run free through the secondary.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.