Super Bowl XLVI: When the Giants Run the Ball against New England

The countdown has already begun for Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

The Giants of course won Super Bowl XLII back in 2008 (17-14), which ended the legendary undefeated season of the Patriots.

Tom Brady had the most passing touchdowns in a season (50), Randy Moss had the most receiving TDs (23) and yet the Giants defense made the Pats offense look ordinary.

There were several factors into why both of these teams are back at it once again, but let us talk about nearly every matchup there is that will determine your Super Bowl XLVI winner.

I will break down a different matchup every single day leading up to what many believe is the best sports day of the entire year.

After talking about Tom Brady's chances against the Giants defense, it is now time to discuss the matchup between the Giants rushing offense against an underrated Patriots run defense.

During the regular season, the Giants were dead last in the NFL, averaging only 89 yards rushing per game (Pats were 17th against the run on defense, 130 YPG).

A lot of that had to do with Bradshaw missing four games and Eli Manning's ability to carry this team on his back. 

New York just went 9-7 during the regular season, but the receivers were too good to not thread the needle over 40 times (seven more times in the postseason). 

Still, the G-Men averaged an NFL-low 3.5 yards per carry during the regular season, although it has improved to 4.2 during the postseason.

Brandon Jacobs has carried it 28 times for 127 yards, and Bradshaw's 200 yards on 46 carries has taken some of the pressure off Eli.

David Diehl, Kevin Boothe, David Baas, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie make for one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, but the Patriots are destroying opponents at the point of attack right now.

The fridge that is unable to move and is never bare is Vince Wilfork (6'2", 325 pounds). His relentlessness in the backfield (2.5 playoff sacks) has put a stop to Tim Tebow and Ray Rice in consecutive postseason games.

In fact, Rice's 78 yards was his second-worst performance of the entire season, and that was thanks to an improving group of linebackers that are hardly ever talked about.

Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes and Rob Ninkovich have combined for 44 tackles and 2.5 sacks in the last two games and their ability to shed blockers and blow up a play in the backfield is the ideal plan.

Mark Anderson, Brandon Deadrick and Kyle Love have also filled in admirably since the loss of defensive end Andre Carter, who had 10 sacks this season, back in Week 14.

Starting safety James Ihedigbo has been arguably the most underrated player on the entire Patriots roster during the postseason. He can help in the running game and has the talent to lay the wood on top of dropping deep back into coverage.

Going against a bruiser like Jacobs and a strong, slippery back in Bradshaw could make life difficult for New England's defense.

However, it's rare for one to out-game plan the "hoodie," so look for the Pats to win the battle in the trenches when their defense takes the field in Super Bowl XLVI.

Slight Edge: Patriots

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