Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Eli Manning Will Outplay Tom Brady in Victory

Tom Brady will go down as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. He is one Super Bowl victory away from garnering four Vince Lombardi Trophies which would officially put him in the conversation as the greatest player in the history of the game.

There is just one problem: His opponent is Eli Manning and the New York Giants. For years people have considered Manning as Peyton’s little brother. After this Super Bowl, it should be the other way around. Eli will outplay Brady in Super Bowl XLVI to win his second Lombardi Trophy.

Joe Flacco outplayed Brady last week, so Manning doing it in this type of game is not out of the question. Flacco went for 306 yards and two touchdowns; Brady went for 239 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Both quarterbacks will throw a crazy amount of passes and both will be given opportunities to win the game for their team.

Defensively is where and why I see Manning being able to outperform Brady. New England’s defense and New York’s defense have both turned it on in the postseason, but struggled in the regular season.

Which defense can you trust?

It’s the Giants because of their ability to rush the passer with their front four. Dropping seven and still getting pressure on Brady will give teams the best chance for victory. The problem is few teams can achieve that feat.

The Giants are one of those teams.

New York had 48 sacks on the season, led by Jason Pierre-Paul’s 16.5. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are capable of getting maximum amount of pressure on Brady which is how you contain the "Golden Boy."

He doesn’t like pressure at his feet, causing him to be a little more erratic and quick with his decisions. That is when you will see the majority of his mistakes.

Of course this doesn’t happen often, but the Ravens are a team notorious for giving him trouble despite their record. They press the receivers, they are physical and they don’t back down. New York won’t back down an inch.

Both quarterbacks have unbelievable weapons at their disposal. Brady has the tight ends (Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez) and Manning has the wide receivers (Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham).

When you simply put it to explosiveness, the edge leans towards the Giants. One pass to Cruz or Manningham and they could be gone to the house. In a game like the Super Bowl, one big play could be enough to take the crown.

Manning will outperform Brady in the biggest game of the year.

Prediction

Manning: 350 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT

Brady: 335 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT

Giants 28, Patriots 27