Giants vs. Patriots: Super Bowl 2012 Predictions

Super Bowl XLVI. The game all football fans have been waiting for is finally here.

The last two remaining teams, for all the Tostitos.

The New York Giants vs. the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. A rematch of Super Bowl XLII; Round 2, if you will. Except it's not really a rematch.

Yes, they are the same teams that played in Super Bowl XLII. But, the rosters are different. This, however, doesn't change the fact that it's going to be one helluva game.

The Patriots are three-point favorites over the Giants. It's going to be a close and hopefully exciting game. I'd put some serious paper down (if I had it) on the Giants; their pass-rush looks good enough to slow down Tom Brady.

The over/under is 54 points. I'd take the under.

(I'm not going to mention superstar Rob Gronkowski and his boot (the media has done enough of that), except to point out that the Giants' D was effective in slowing down Gronkowski in Week 9.)

Now, Super Bowls are always overanalyzed, so I'll stick to a few golden nuggets that led to my predictions:

1. In their Week 9 meeting, the Giants were able to rattle Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense with a solid pass-rush and very good press coverage. And that was when New York's defense was less than great. The Giants have picked it up a lot during the playoffs.

2. Eli Manning has been playing his best ball this season. Manning's accuracy and ability to get the ball downfield to his star receivers will put Patriots' weak secondary in a bad position.

3. The Patriots have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They were 31st in the league in yards allowed in the regular season. Granted, they have played better in the playoffs, but I don't think their pass-rush or secondary are capable of slowing down Eli Manning, Victor Cruz or Hakeem Nicks.

4. Fact: Jason Pierre-Paul and Michael Boley have played extremely well in the Giants' run to the Super Bowl, and, as always, they will be a huge factor in whether or not the Patriots will be successful on offense. Their performances have been the driving force for the Giants' defensive success. When these two teams met in Week 9, Brady was ineffective up until the last quarter. He was inaccurate, jittery in the pocket and hurried, which led to a good amount of poor decisions.

5. Key player: Ahmad Bradshaw. He didn't play against the Patriots in Week 9. Bradshaw adds dimension to the Giants' run game, and he is capable of hurting New England's chances if effective. 

The Patriots can easily minimize the Giants' pass-rush and slow down their defense by successfully running the ball, using the hurry-up offense and being effective with their screen passes and quick three- to five-step drops.

Slow down the Giants' front four and this game might turn into a shootout. Will the Pats be able to do so on a consistent basis throughout the game, however?

This game is going to be extremely close, and it will go down to the wire—just like the last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl.

The Giants will eke out a win for the championship.

Final Score: Giants 24, Patriots 20.