Super Bowl 2012: Breaking Down Offense, Defense, Special Teams and More

As you would expect, there are plenty of stars on both sides in Super Bowl XLVI. Still, even the superstars on each team will end up looking ridiculous against the superior opposition. 

While this is a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, the two teams are much different. Household names like Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez were not yet in the NFL in February of 2008.

So, let's take a look at the matchups and see if some new faces change anything. 

Offense

Giants

This offense runs through Eli Manning and the receivers. Victor Cruz had 1,536 regular season receiving yards, while Hakeem Nicks had 1,192. In only 12 games, Mario Manningham had 523 yards. So, the outside play is certainly as good as the NFL has to offer.

What the Giants lack is a running game. They were 32nd in the league in rushing during the regular season. If they lose this game, the poor running game will be the reason. The Giants will be best off when Tom Brady is on the bench. That will not consistently happen without a good running attack.  

Patriots

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are the biggest difference here. The Patriots offense is much different now than it was in 2007, as they aren't as reliant on the deep ball as they were with Randy Moss. But against a team like the Giants, that's a very good thing, as it can keep the pass rush at bay.

New England's running attack isn't great, but they're much better than New York in that category. The Giants were last in the league, while the Patriots were 20th. Not unlike the Giants, the Patriots are best off when New York's offense is on the bench. BenJarvus Green-Ellis will do a better job of making sure that happens. 

Edge: Patriots

Even in Manning's career year, he is not Tom Brady. Look at their regular season numbers.

	Completion Percentage	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rating
Tom Brady	65.6	5.255	39	12	105.6
Eli Manning	61	4,933	29	26	92.9

Comparing the group of receivers and tight ends is a tossup. The Giants' receivers are best suited for Manning, while the Patriots' are best suited for Brady. But in the end, the men distributing the ball are in the spotlight. Brady is better in every meaningful statistic.  

Defense

Giants

Get to Brady or you're toast—it's as simple as that. The Giants have a phenomenal pass rush, as their 48 regular season sacks were tied for third in the league. On the other hand, New York allowed over 255 passing yards a game, 29th of 32 teams. 

Their rushing defense was only a little better, as it ranked 19th in the league. The Giants will have to get in Brady's face. In the NFC Championship Game, we saw Alex Smith twice burn the Giants for deep touchdowns. If Smith can do that with time, Brady will eat them alive.

Patriots

This is going to be an offensive Super Bowl, as everything that applied to the Giants applies to the Patriots as well. Their run defense was 17th in the league, while only the Packers allowed more passing yards. 

Despite all of that, New England's defense was three points per game better than the Giants. Still, their 21.4 points per game was only good enough for 15th in the league. All of this means that we're going to see points.

Edge: Giants

The points edge does go to the Patriots, but the Giants are the better defense. They were 14th in the league in sacks, while the man who tied for the team lead (Andre Carter) is out. Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora give the Giants a huge edge.

Special Teams

Giants

Special teams is the reason the Giants are here. You can blame Kyle Williams for the two fumbles, and one was certainly on him, but New York forced the one that led to the winning field goal. 

In the NFC Championship Game, San Francisco not only beat the 49ers in their own stadium, but also at their own game. The field position edge rested with New York, not San Francisco. If that didn't happen, they wouldn't be here.

Patriots

Stephen Gostkowski has a big leg, he just doesn't need to use it all that often. In a battle of the kickers, he does get a slight edge over Lawrence Tynes. 

The wild card in this battle is Wes Welker. He returned eight punts during the regular season, so Welker is still capable of inflicting some damage in a pinch.

Edge: Patriots

Welker is the difference-maker here. Neither team's return stats are really eye-popping, and both kickers are strong, especially in a dome. But Welker got his start in the NFL as a return man and still has deadly tools.

Overall: Patriots

Their tight ends and Wes Welker give the Patriots a great chance to negate the Giants' pass rush, just like they did against the Ravens. The Giants will score plenty of points, but their advantage on defense will not show

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