Super Bowl 2012: Why New York Giants Are True Lombardi Trophy Favorites

The New York Giants know what it's like to head into a Super Bowl matchup against the New England Patriots as underdogs. They've been down that road before.

That was back in 2008, when the Giants were double-digit 'dogs against a Patriots team that was heading into the Super Bowl with a perfect 18-0 record. They were supposed to win that game.

We all know they didn't, of course. We also all know that the Patriots are facing a stiff challenge in this year's Super Bowl. So much so, in fact, that they should be the underdogs.

They're not, as the folks at Bovada have the Patriots favored by three.

After some careful consideration, I have determined that this spread is all wrong. It's the Giants who should be favorites.

Here's a detailed breakdown of why they should be.

New York's Defensive Line Is Ferocious

The Giants defensive line is a big reason why they were able to beat the Patriots back in Super Bowl XLII. The guys up front put pressure on Brady every time he dropped back to pass, forcing him to settle for check-downs and short routes when he was able to get the ball off.

Nothing is going to change this time around. Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul are going to get after Brady, and he's going to be as powerless against them as he was four years ago.

Because the guys up front are going to be doing so well, New York's makeshift secondary will have a much easier time staying in front of Brady's pass-catchers.

Special attention will have to be paid to Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, but none of New England's wide receivers are dangerous enough to require extra attention and they will be rendered useless once the pass rush gets to Brady.

That's a huge advantage for the Giants.

New York's Wide Receivers > New England's Secondary

The Giants secondary is just OK, but New England's secondary is even worse. You know things are bad when you have to use a wide receiver in coverage in certain situations.

We last saw New England's secondary struggling to contain a Baltimore receiving corps that is decent, but certainly far from great. Joe Flacco had little trouble finding open receivers, which is something he has a hard time doing against everyone else.

So you can only imagine how much the Patriots are going to struggle against the likes of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, both of whom are game-breaking wide receivers. New England's secondary is in for a long day at the office.

Eli Manning Is Tough as Nails

Eli Manning had a great regular season, and he's only gotten better in the playoffs. So far, he's thrown for 923 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception.

Manning was at his very best against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The pocket was collapsing around him on seemingly every play, but he still managed to hang in there and complete passes. Typically, he just looked Cruz's way when the pressure came.

This recent experience will come in handy against the Patriots, who showed off a resurgent pass rush in both their playoff games. They'll get after Manning, but they won't faze him.

New England's Offense Lacks Explosiveness

When the Giants faced the Patriots four years ago, they had to worry about Randy Moss. He had a record-setting regular season that year, and was a threat to go the distance every time he touched the ball.

The Patriots don't have a receiver like that anymore. Their offense is designed to be efficient, not explosive. You're really only in trouble when the Patriots are in the red zone.

The Patriots will get to the red zone, but the Giants will not live in fear of a game-breaking, back-breaking play. The Patriots will have to live in fear of one of those, a fear that could easily become a reality.

Tom Brady Is Not Perfect

We found out just how imperfect Brady is four years ago, and we were reminded of it in the AFC Championship Game. The Ravens bothered Brady all game long, and he ended up completing just 61 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions.

It was a combination of Brady being under too much pressure and Brady simply not being sharp. He made more than a couple bad throws, which is rare for him.

If the Ravens can force the imperfect Brady into appearing, you better believe the Giants can do it.

Again.