Giants vs. Patriots: Super Bowl XLVI Will Be Won in the Trenches

There's been a lot of talk that there may be a shootout in Indianapolis when Tom Brady's New England Patriots face off with Eli Manning's New York Giants.

But both Brady and Manning can go toe-to-toe. It will be the team that creates the most pressure defensively that will ultimately come out on top.

We've seen what Brady and Manning can do when given time in the pocket. In short, it's not a pretty sight for opposing defenses. But the best way to stop quarterbacks like Brady and Manning is to pressure them. Even if you disrupt their timing, that's a huge gain.

The explosiveness of the Giants' defensive line has been well-documented. Led by defensive linemen Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, there are very few offensive lines that can stop the Giants' pass-rush.

However, the Patriots do have a very good offensive line, led by guard Logan Mankins and tackle Matt Light. They allowed just 32 sacks this season and only one in last two playoff games.

The battle between both lines is worth monitoring all game long.

There's also the Patriots' pass-rush. While the Patriots notched 40 sacks this season, the number was a bit misleading because defensive end Andre Carter had 10. Overall, the pass-rush wasn't very good.

However, the Patriots' pass-rush has come alive in the playoffs, notching eight sacks in two games, including five sacks against Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork has led the team with 2.5 sacks, but the unit is getting contributions all over the board.

The Giants' offensive line is rather uncelebrated beyond guard Chris Snee but has actually done a pretty good job overall this season. The unit allowed just 28 sacks in the regular season. Center David Baas, a natural guard, has been solid for the Giants up the middle.

The San Francisco 49ers were able to get six sacks on Eli in the NFC Championship game—a sign of bad things to come against the Patriots?

Everybody will be focusing on Brady and Manning on Sunday.

That is, until these pass-rushes explode into the backfield. It shouldn't take long before people start paying attention to the battle in the trenches.