Giants vs. Patriots Predictions: New York Giants Will Upset, Again

We learned a lot back in 2008. We thought the New England Patriots were invincible, but it turns out all you need to beat them is a beastly defensive line, a clutch quarterback and a little bit of luck.

The New York Giants were the ones who did the teaching.

It's therefore almost a little too easy to pick the Giants to beat the Patriots again this time around. The fact that the Giants are, according to Bovada, three-point underdogs makes it even more tempting.

It's times like these that you feel like you're being conned into picking the wrong team. I have to admit, I feel like I should pick the Patriots, despite the fact I want to pick the Giants.

But I'm going to pick the Giants anyway. It's the right thing to do.

The point has been made over and over again in the last week-and-a-half that the Giants are a better team than they were four years ago and the Patriots are a worse team. This is a point that bears repeating because it's absolutely true, and the breakdown of it all is quite simple.

I mentioned that New York's defensive line was a key part of the Giants' victory in 2008. The Giants still have an amazing D-line, and it just so happens to be playing better than it has all season. In order, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith have all had to deal with the wrath of the Giants' D-line, and all of them were powerless against it.

Tom Brady is typically the exception to the rule when it comes to quarterbacks, but not in this case. The Giants battered and bruised him four years ago, and you can rest assured that they're going to do the same in this game.

Besides, we were reminded in the AFC Championship Game just how human Brady is. He was never able to get comfortable against the Baltimore Ravens, and he ended up having one of the worst playoff games of his career, if not the worst. It was downright ugly.

This is an ominous sign for the Patriots. They count on Brady to give them an advantage over every team they play. If he can't perform, the playing field is far more level than they would like.

Against the Giants, the playing field will be fairly level even if Brady is at his best. As good as he is, Eli Manning has come a long way: he's elite.

Against the Patriots' defense, Manning has every reason to be great. New England's D has played well so far this postseason, but against two mediocre-to-bad offenses. The Giants have an explosive offense, and it presents many dangers to the Patriots.

Primarily, it's going to be very hard for New England's secondary to keep tabs on Manning's array of pass-catchers. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks form a deadly duo, and Mario Manningham is an underrated third option. Even if the Pats bottle up one guy, there will be two more to worry about.

If there's an open man, Manning will find him. It's that simple.

To make this long story short, the Giants have the edge in this game on defense, and they have the edge on offense. If those aren't compelling reasons to win a football game, what are?

Of course, we do always have to consider the possibility of an unforeseen upset. Despite the circumstances, the Patriots could easily find ways to win. Great teams have a habit of doing this.

Here's my question, though: just how great are the Patriots?

The truth is that they're not. They're good, but not great. The Pats have made it to the Super Bowl, but one look at their schedule will tell you that it was a little too easy for them to get this far.

They reeled off eight wins in a row to finish the regular season, but all of them were against mediocre or downright bad football teams. In the playoffs, they destroyed a mediocre Denver Broncos team and then got outplayed by a Ravens team that could have and perhaps should have beaten them.

The Giants' run through the playoffs has been much more convincing. They dominated the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers, and they simply outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, a team that is much tougher to beat than the Patriots.

So, you know that point about the Giants being a better team than they were four years ago and the Patriots being a worse team? Let's just keep it simple and put it this way:

The Giants are a better team than the Patriots.

Giants 31, Patriots 23