Super Bowl 2012: Breaking Down Key Defensive Matchups

Even though teams get two weeks to prepare and the media scrutiny is a million times more intense than a regular-season game, the Super Bowl is still decided by a couple key matchups. Whichever teams gets the better end of those crucial battles will win the game.

Here are the three matchups to watch on Super Bowl Sunday.

Giants Safeties vs. Patriots Tight Ends

Everybody knows about the dominance of New England tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. They give the Patriots a distinct advantage against any defense and, as evidenced by Hernandez's recent carries, they are both extremely versatile.

That puts a lot of pressure on New York's group of safeties. Antrel Rolle, Deon Grant and Kenny Phillips all see a good amount of snaps on the back end for the Giants. Luckily for them, they got a preview of what to expect when the teams met earlier in the season.

Both Gronkowski and Hernandez caught a touchdown in that game, so the Giants will obviously need to approach defending them differently this time around. Don't be surprised to see an extra safety out there on passing downs in an attempt to contain the dynamic duo.

Patriots Pass Rush vs. Eli Manning

There's been a lot of talk about how the weak Patriots secondary is going to stop the Giants. In reality, they can't. New York has too much talent out wide for New England's defensive backs, so the Patriots will need to do something else on defense to have success.

That something else is getting pressure on Manning. He's played tremendously during the team's recent hot streak, but his past turnover woes are still hovering above his head. The Patriots need to ensure he can't get comfortable in the pocket, otherwise he'll just tear them apart.

While New England doesn't have one dominant pass-rusher, one guy who needs to step up is Mark Anderson. He had 10 sacks during the regular season, but has just one in two playoff games and hasn't had much of an impact. That must change to keep the Patriots from getting torched.

Aaron Ross vs. Wes Welker

Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who will assume his full role at Penn State after the Super Bowl, love to get Welker into optimal situations by moving him around the formation. For example, several times against the Ravens he was able to take advantage of a Ray Lewis matchup.

In order to make sure that doesn't happen in the Super Bowl, the Giants should have Ross shadow Welker wherever he goes. That will guarantee he doesn't get matched up with a linebacker or, even worse, finds an opening against a zone look.

Ross will still need help from his linebackers when the shifty wideout runs a short crossing route, but it's still the best way to keep him from picking up a bunch of eight-yard gains all game. The Giants will have no excuse if they get caught unprepared for Welker since he burned them the first time.