Super Bowl 2012: 10 Questions to Decide Who Walks out of Indy Victorious

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here and the New York Giants vs. New England Patriots isn't the matchup most people thought would happen.

The Patriots come into Super Bowl Sunday with a 10-game winning streak that began right after their 24-20 loss to the Giants on November 9. They're riding a lot of momentum, but may be without their best offensive weapon in tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Meanwhile, the Giants have been riding a more recent wave of momentum.

After defeating the Patriots, they took a bit of a nose dive. The Giants got to the point where they needed to win their last two games, and did so in convincing fashion over the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys.

While the matchup should be a good one, there are several questions that will be answered Sunday as we look to crown a new Super Bowl Champion.

Is This Game a Super Bowl XLII Re-Match?

The argument could be made that it was the New England Patriots that had the biggest choke job in NFL history. The Patriots and their sparkling 18-0 record walked into Super Bowl XLII and came out...losing to the Giants?

We all remember that classic Super Bowl matchup where Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress late in the game to give the Giants a 17-14 victory. However, if you're expecting the same magic to happen in this Super Bowl, it's not going to happen.

The two teams are completely different from the last time these two teams faced off. Yes, the coaches and the quarterbacks are the same. Yes, the Giants have a defense that could be comparable to the one that stifled the mighty Patriots. That's about it.

The Giants of 2007 were a tough team that was able to run the football between the tackles. That's something the Giants have been missing as Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs haven't been able to get the job done this year.

They've now gone to an elite passing offense fueled by some of the best receivers in the game.

Meanwhile the Patriots have gone from using two stud receivers to using two stud tight ends. Their passing attack remains the same, but their offense is nowhere near as good as it was in 2007. And that defense...ugh.

The media will try and play this as a re-match, but in reality it's two good teams that made it to the Super Bowl.

Will Indianapolis Host a Better Super Bowl Than Dallas?

Last year the NFL was excited about having the Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It was thought that it would be the first major championship sporting event at "Jerry World" and would open doors for more Super Bowls in the near future. Then all Hell broke loose.

The Dallas area received a significant ice storm which had temperatures drop below normal throughout the entire week. Pieces of ice also stuck to the roof of the stadium and released in giant amounts when the weather warmed up. However, the weather wasn't the only problem in Dallas.

About 1,250 fans were displaced after temporary seating was not installed in time for Super Bowl XLV. While roughly 800 fans were assigned to different seats, the rest were forced to watch the game on monitors or standing-room platforms throughout the stadium.

Judging by the events of early this week, its seems like Indianapolis will avoid the same fate. While temperatures have been way above normal, the more important factor of temporary seating should be taken care of.

Last year crews were working around-the-clock up until kickoff to install the temporary seats at Cowboys Stadium. This year, contractors had the new seats installed the Monday before the Super Bowl which should give the folks at Lucas Oil Stadium a huge sigh of relief.

It seems like all should go smoothly, but you never know.

Who Will the Indianapolis Crowd Cheer For?

It seems to be a storyline for every Super Bowl, but it will be interesting to see who the neutral fans in Indianapolis will cheer for in Super Bowl XLVI.

Both teams aren't exactly the most popular teams in the NFL. While that doesn't matter on the field, the reprocussions of that off of it could mean a home field advantage for one team or the other.

Judging by recent history, I would imagine that the Giants could be the recipients of this. Remember, the game is being played in Indianapolis which has had an intense rivalry with the Patriots for past decade.

Even though the Colts aren't in the game, the neutral fans in Indianapolis could make enough noise to make Tom Brady think that Peyton Manning is on the opposite sideline.

How Many Peyton Manning References Will Be Made During the Game?

Wait, did I say Peyton Manning? If you thought Favre Watch was excessive, wait until you get a load of Peyton Watch.

As sad as it is, the biggest storyline may not even be in the game itself. It could be how much the NBC telecast will push the impending Peyton Manning vs. Jim Irsay steel-cage deathmatch coming up within the next month to see if Manning will finish his career with the Colts.

If you think I'm wrong about this, it's already begun. During Super Bowl Media Day, several players on both the Patriots and the Giants were asked whether the Colts would keep Manning after he's due a $28 million roster bonus on March 8.

With little brother Eli in the game, Peyton will be watching from a suite at Lucas Oil Stadium. The number of times that NBC will pan to Manning and mention his dilemma could provide for a drinking game that could bring even the biggest alcoholic to his knees.

Yup, the worst team in the league will have a big role in the Super Bowl.

How Effective Will Rob Gronkowski Be?

All of New England held their breath during the third quarter of the AFC Championship game when Rob Gronkowski's foot twisted awkwardly. The giant tight end, who had set a NFL-record with 17 touchdowns during the regular season, limped off the field with a high ankle sprain and returned later in the game.

Seeing Gronkowski return to the game after the injury was a good sign for the Patriots, but the diagnosis of a high ankle sprain was not what they wanted to hear.

In most cases, a high ankle sprain takes about 4-6 weeks to recover. Even after that recovery stage, the athlete may still take a couple more weeks to regain their form. That's a luxury the Patriots don't have.

It's not a question if Gronkowski is out on the field for the Patriots, it's how effective he'll be. If the Patriots don't have Gronk at near 100%, the Giants defense may have an easier time slowing down the powerful New England offense.

Can the Giants Get Pressure on Tom Brady Again?

The Giants boast one of the most fearsome pass rushes in the NFL. The Giants ranked tied for sixth in the NFL in percentage of opposing drop backs that resulted in a sack at 7.5 percent. By comparison, the 2007 New York Giants ranked first in the NFL with a whopping 9.2 percent sack rate.

According to those numbers, it seems like the Giants should be able to get to Tom Brady. Or will they?

According to ESPN's Numbers Don't Lie, the Giants have had trouble getting to the quarterback when teams throw out two tight ends on the field. When that happens, the Giants sack rate drops to about two percent.

Considering the Patriots have two stud tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, the Giants will probably see a lot of two tight end sets in Super Bowl XLVI.

The only difference could be that normally, when a team throws two tight ends on the field it's to slow the pass rush. Hernandez and Gronkowski are more pass-catching tight ends that are important cogs in the Patriots offense.

It could be that if Gronk and Hernandez are out for routes, they might not be as effective if they were staying at home blocking for Brady. However, the Giants only registered two sacks on Brady in the November 9 matchup in Foxboro.

If the Giants can put Tom Brady on his back, they'll be in good shape. If they can't, we may have a shootout on our hands.

Will the Patriots Suffer the Same Fate as the Saints and Packers Pass Defenses?

Remember when it was supposed to be the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers facing off in the NFC Championship? Well, that didn't happen. Instead, the leaky pass defense for both teams did them in.

The Patriots come into Super Bowl XLVI ranked 31st in the NFL in pass defense. That's good enough to be sandwiched between both the Saints (30th) and Packers (32nd).

When teams are throwing at the Patriot corners, they're putting up numbers better than some of the best receivers in the game have had this season.

It's gotten so bad that 2010 Pro Bowl cornerback Devin McCourty has been moved to safety and wide receiver Julian Edelman has been turned into the nickel corner.

It won't get any easier as the Patriots face a Giants team loaded with weapons in the passing game. As mentioned earlier, Eli Manning threw for 4,933 yards through the air this season. The combination of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz could make it very difficult for the Patriots on Sunday.

The Patriots have been able to hold off their demise longer than their counterparts in Green Bay and New Orleans, but will their luck run out on Sunday?

Who Will Have a Chance to Win the Game?

As mentioned earlier, Eli Manning has been incredibly good in the fourth quarter. Tom Brady has also been known to lead a comeback or two during his career. So if Super Bowl XLVI is close (and I think it will be), who will have the opportunity to win it in the fourth quarter?

So far this season, Manning has lead six fourth quarter comebacks and seven game winning drives. That includes the November 9 matchup where Manning found tight end Jake Ballard in the back of the end zone for the game winning score.

However, Tom Brady has lead two fourth quarter comebacks and three game winning drives this season. That includes the Patriots gift-wrapped 23-20 victory over Baltimore in the AFC Championship game.

Combined, Manning and Brady have lead 45 fourth quarter comebacks and 59 game winning drives. There's a chance that we could see a dramatic moment if either of these two get the ball in their hands late in a close game.

Will People Think of Eli Manning as an Elite Quarterback After Sunday?

Eli Manning did an interview during the offseason in which he was asked where he ranks among quarterbacks in the National Football League. His answer seemed arrogant, but it shouldn't be surprising.

Manning declared himself as a "Top five, top ten" quarterback in the NFL. The answer drew plenty of laughter from Manning's critics, who have hounded him since he arrived in New York.

However, Manning has done everything to prove that statement true this season. In addition to tossing 29 touchdowns and a 61 percent completion rate, Manning quietly threw for 4,933 yards.

Manning even turned it on in the fourth quarter of games this season, leading several key fourth quarter drives and putting the Giants on his back on the way to the Super Bowl.

It's been well advertised that if the Giants win, Eli will have more Super Bowl rings than his brother. However, it shouldn't be about that. It should be about how Eli has become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

What Will Be the Final Score?

The Patriots are a very good team, but I don't believe they can keep this up. They have one of the league's worst pass defenses, and with the limited health of Rob Gronkowski, I can't see them pulling this one out.

The reason for this has been the momentum of the Giants. I wrote when the Giants beat the Packers that they were channeling the 2010 Packers. In other words, they just seem like a team of destiny.

Their backs to the wall mentality has gotten them this far and they're riding the wave into Indianapolis this Sunday. I think it will be a close game, but Eli Manning will win it for the Giants in the fourth quarter and give them their fourth Super Bowl Championship.

Final Score: New York Giants 27, New England Patriots 24