Giants vs. Patriots: 5 Keys to the Game for Super Bowl 2012

The Super Bowl is arguably the biggest single sporting event in the world. Both the New York Giants and New England Patriots have worked long and hard all season to make it to the biggest stage in sports. But none of the regular season matters anymore.

Here are five keys to the game for each team:

New York Giants

1. Pressure, disrupt, and bother Tom Brady

Any football expert who has seen the Patriots play this year knows that beating them first involves taking All-Pro Hospitality Analyst Tom Brady out of his rhythm.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Giants have to blitz or use crazy schemes to get to him. The Giants defensive line is playing as well as any unit has all year.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go after Brady with primarily four-man rushes, trying to get him off his center of equilibrium in the center of that pocket.

2. Giants WRs cannot be no-shows

Throughout the year, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz exchanged highlight-reel plays, while Mario Manningham faded into eternal darkness.

This Sunday, the game plan has to be tailored in a way that keeps both of them involved. All season the remarks have been about how bad the Patriots defense has been, but they’ve been ready to put up in the postseason.

The Giants will need all receivers to show up in some way or the other on Sunday.

3. Run, run, run

Last week, the Ravens (a good running team) managed just 63 yards on 21 carries from All-Pro Ray Rice, so running the ball against Planet Wilfork and the Patriots is far from an easy task.

However, part of beating the Patriots involves keeping Tom Brady off the field, and even if you’re averaging just three yards per carry, keeping him off the field and out of a rhythm goes a long way towards a victory for Big Blue.

4. Manning Magic

This playoff run has drawn endless comparisons to the 2007 postseason campaign, when the Giants went on a magical run to take down the Bucs, Cowboys, Packers, and eventually the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Perhaps the strongest similarity between the two campaigns is the ‘out-of-this-world’ play by Eli Manning. Manning has averaged 307 yards per game this postseason, with eight passing touchdowns to just two turnovers.

Most importantly, Manning has been absolutely unstoppable on third down, demoralizing defenses, and keeping his own off the field.

5. MAKE. A. PLAY. 

In any game where you’re an underdog, someone on the team has to step up and make a play to give your team a chance.

It could be Hakeem Nicks, taking one of his patented 10 yard curls 45 more to the house, Jacobs with a bulldozing run, or Jason Pierre Paul with a strip sack.

The bottom line is that, for the Giants to impose their will, they are going to have to work as a team around individual standout performances.

New England Patriots

1. Protect Tom Brady

The fact that ‘get/disrupt Tom Brady’ was one of the keys for the Giants shows you how important this guy is.

The fact of the matter is, if the Giants let him establish his pocket and throw all day, it’s going to be a long one for Big Blue. The New England o-line should prepare to isolate their rushers, but also be prepared for any surprises from the Giant side of the ball.

2. The Gronkle 

For the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the biggest story by far has been the status of the ankle on a 22-year-old western New Yorker.

I suspect that Gronkowski’s ankle is above 95% and that the boot was more of a charade/cautionary move.

Gronkowski has set records all his life, and even if Belichick has to scheme to get him free releases by putting him in motion or what not, look for Gronk to have a big game on the biggest stage of them all.

3. Wilfork and who else?

In the AFC Championship, calling Vince Wilfork an absolute powerhouse may be an understatement.

According to many around the league, he had arguably his best game as a pro, disrupting several plays in the Ravens backfield, causing havoc for the running game and Flacco’s pocket presence all day.

The presence of Eli Manning, for those of you who haven’t seen the Tyree catch from Super Bowl XLII, is even better.

Needless to say, someone else is going to have to make a play for the Pats, whether it’s Mayo or Chung in the defensive backfield.

4. Special Teams

It’s funny how special teams gets swept under the rug until it matters.

If not for an injury to an All-Pro special-teamer in the NFC Championship, the New York Giants might be on a golf course right now instead of preparing for the biggest spectacle in all of sports.

For this reason, the Patriots need to be dominant in this aspect of the game. Whether they use Edelman or Welker for returns, Mesko has to have a game where he can dictate field position and opportunities for New York. If they consistently give Manning and the Giants long fields to work with, it should be a good day for them.

5. Avoid the Big Mistake

As opposed to being an underdog where someone has to step up and make a play to spur you into the game, I believe this Patriots team (despite being just a 3-point favorite) simply needs to avoid the big mistake to win.

Whether that means Brady not forcing a throw into coverage, or the secondary allowing a big play, just contain the Giants and play the Patriot game, and all will end up well.

No matter what happens, this budding rivalry should be one for the ages.