Super Bowl XLVI: The A-Z Blueprint for a New England Patriots Victory

We made it. Welcome to Super Bowl XLVI; we're only days away from kickoff.

Game plans have been drawn, plays have been analyzed and practiced and skills have been honed.

And for the New England Patriots, here's the blueprint that will win them the Super Bowl. Twenty-six factors that stand between them taking home a championship or merely just consolation.

So here's the 26 factors—the A-Z of the blueprint, if you like—and the reason why Super Bowl XLVI is going to have the New England Patriots all over it.

A Is for Arsenal

The New England Patriots must focus on the arsenal that they have in their ranks, and the strength and depth that this side has.

With all the offensive options and defensive abilities of this side, the arsenal of the Patriots must factor heavily in their decision making.

For this is war, and in war, you always take the guys with either more guns or better guns.

The Patriots have both.

B Is for Belichick

When you have one of the greatest coaching minds ever in the NFL on your side, it's got to be a factor in your plans.

Bill Belichick has brought the New England Patriots to another Super Bowl and surely will have something special brewing for the New York Giants.

His combination with Tom Brady is arguably the best coach-quarterback combination in football history, and whilst he might not be out there on that field, every single man in a Patriots uniform will be out there for him.

C Is for Coverage

Statistically speaking, the Patriots had the second-worst defense in the league throughout the regular season, but haven't they turned that around during the playoffs.

Their defense has been outstanding and if they can continue to play solid coverage on the likes of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, they may very well win this football game for the Patriots.

Expect a big play or two from the defense come Sunday.

D Is for Danny Woodhead

Danny Woodhead will be a key factor for the Patriots and has the potential to fly under the radar a little with all the hype around New England's other receivers.

His rushing abilities will be critical in moving the chains, and giving Brady another receiver should the coverage down the field be solid.

E Is for Eli

All the pressure is on Eli Manning, after leading the Giants on a wave of momentum to the Super Bowl once again.

He has a big arm, and bigger mouth to match and is the only quarterback in this game trying to establish themselves as elite.

Eli under pressure is a key factor for the Patriots in this one.

F Is for Favorites

The Patriots love entering in to games as favorites and they will do so again in the big one. They will try and explode early, wiping the Giants off the field and making this one over before it even really got going.

Whether they will do so or not still remains to be seen, but applying and knowing the favorite mentality is a key factor for New England.

G Is for Green-Ellis

As their lead runner, Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis has a huge responsibility to hit holes hard and get past a very complete Giants defense.

Similarily to Woodhead, Green-Ellis must give Brady another option underneath and may be responsible for picking up a critical block or two in protecting Brady.

I think there's good money on him as the first touchdown scorer, but that's for another time. Green-Ellis has the potential to explode, and if he can continue to get positive yards, the Patriots will win this football game.

H Is for Hernandez

Aaron Hernandez is probably not the best tight-end in the league. He's probably not the best in his team either, but he will have a huge impact on this game because he is very, very good.

He is impossible to contain in single coverage, and once you throw in his running abilities as well as his safe hands, Hernandez could be Brady's go-to-guy in this one.

Especially if Gronkowski doesn't play or doesn't have the same impact when he does play.

Then it will all be on Hernandez to carry the legacy of the dominant Patriot tight-ends.

I Is for Inside Tackles

The Giants will be looking to run outside the tackles when they have the ball as they have done so effectively all year — that's if they choose to run at all.

Which means, defensively, it's critical that the Patriots get enough pressure inside the tackles to make going outside the Giants only option. Either that or Manning is going to chalk up 60-plus passing attempts.

By building consistent pressure inside the tackles and taking away that option, the Patriots secondary will have a far easier time containing Eli Manning.

J Is for Jacobs

Seriously, if Brandon Jacobs rushes more than ten times, the Patriots will win this football game.

This is a big , big running back who goes nowhere when he runs the ball. He cannot run over, outside or do anything to get past anybody. Period.

Whilst there's not much Tom Brady or the Patriots can do about it, shutting him down early should be no problem, and if the Giants persist with him, they can kiss goodbye their championship dream.

K Is for Kill Him

New England will be wanting to put Eli Manning in their arms, in the air and on the ground as often and as hard as possible.

Simply put, they need to kill him.

If Manning has time in the pocket, he has shown this year that he is good enough (not elite, just good enough) to make a big-time throw down the field.

Getting enough pressure on Eli will be a huge factor for the Patriots chance at success.

L Is for Losing Hurts

Losing hurts, and the Patriots must remember that, not ignore it.

They must remember David Tyree and that sack they should have had on Manning and that Super Bowl that slipped out of their fingers.

They must remember Eli driving on them late last year and throwing a strike with seconds remaining.

They must remember all of that and funnel it back out on to that field.

And they must desperately want revenge.

M Is for Manning's Big Brother

One of this biggest factors of the Patriots, as mentioned a little before, is the pressure getting too much for a supposedly elite Eli Manning.

All the attention is on him, and on his big brother.

Manning will be daunted by coming in to Peyton's house and the camera's showing Peyton every second or third snap. He will not cope with the pressure of performing on the big stage again, and we'll be seeing that scrunched up face that he pulls so well, many times in this one.

Manning's big brother, Peyton, will be one of the many reasons Eli chokes in this one.

N Is for No Big Plays

It's all fine and well for Tom Brady to throw a huge deep ball for a touchdown, but it matters little if they allow Manning to just throw one back.

They can't allow a fumble off the kick-off, and they can't allow Manning good field position either by via a cheap interception.

By allowing no big plays, the Patriots will win the football game.

O Is for Offensive Line

If the Patriots offensive line can contain the blitzing Giants, they will win this football game.

The Giants' defensive pressure beat the 49ers and if they can get interceptions out of Smith, who'd thrown the fewest interceptions all year, they could pull off the same result against Brady if the offensive line does not step up.

They have given Brady time in recent weeks, and a strong showing against the Ravens was a huge positive sign, but they must step up again here or it counts for little.

Arguably the biggest factor of the game.

P Is for Pressure

Eli Manning is just the superior Tim Tebow.

If he makes it, he's a hero. If he loses, to some extent he's the villain, but he's done so much with this side that it surely can't be completely his fault.

But give him enough pressure and he will crack. Eventually.

If the Patriots can get to Manning, he can't just shrug it off as quickly as he would like to. There's too much at stake for him to do that.

And New England will walk away with the Super Bowl because of it.

Q Is for Quick Routes

If Tom Brady can complete quick routes and get his receivers to move the chain, they will win the football game.

They are arguably the best driving team in the league, and need sustained pressure rather than the attempted long ball to win this game.

The Giants' safeties are not good enough to stop that throw every time; they are helpless when Gronkowski or Hernandez runs a slanted crossing route. They simply don't stand a chance.

R Is for Rob Gronkowski

I'm not sure I've witnessed a bigger media hype around a player that wasn't a quarterback than I have around Rob Gronkowski this week.

He says he'll play, which New England fans want.

And even if he doesn't, it's no reason for the Giants to relax in defense at all, or think Hernandez is the only threat. There's so many other options for Brady that whether he does or doesn't play won't deter their cause in the least.

Having said that, if he does play, it's a huge boost for the Patriots.

S Is for Safeties

The safeties for each time hold a huge responsibility. Neither side wants to let up the big play and be the one that cost their team the match, so expect tight coverage.

But also expect them to bite on some plays too, opening up the deep ball.

The secondary on both sides have been excellent, but the Giants showed their weakness to it last week, and the Patriots resisted it well last week.

Advantage: New England, and if they continue that trend this week, they'll get close to winning again.

T Is for Tom Brady

Tom Brady has got the Patriots' championship hopes in his hands.

He won't be able to play average and get away with a win like last week; he'll need to step up and win this game for his side.

And that's what Brady does best.

U Is for Umenyiora

Jason Pierre-Paul is not the real danger of the Giants' defensive unit — that falls to Osi Umenyiora.

Shut him down and Brady will breathe easier.

Fail to do that, and Brady might not be breathing at all.

Shutting down Umenyiora, as well as Pierre-Paul, will be huge for the Patriots.

V Is for Vernon Davis

With two deep throws for touchdowns, San Francisco tight-end Vernon Davis showed that the Giants secondary is susceptible to a big throw to a tight-end.

Which is really not good considering the Patriots tight-end duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez get their kicks out of susceptible defenses.

W Is for Wes Welker

New England's favorite little-son, Wes Welker, will be another critical factor for the Pats — especially if Gronkowski is out.

Get him as many touches as possible early, and try and expose the secondary.

Welker will be huge for New England on third and long.

X Is for Xtra Help

The Patriots are probably not the best blitzing team in this Super Bowl, but they can be the most deadly if they go hard.

They need to bring extra help to the defensive line to create gaps and holes and many, many problems for Manning.

Going halfheartedly will only expose the short route coverage; they must go hard if they're going to get Eli.

Y Is for Yearly Success

The Patriots need to remember their yearly success and continue their favorite mentality to simply dominate the Giants.

They dominated the AFC, and the Giants only just made it in to the playoffs.

Keep the gap, and whilst respecting your opponent, don't give them any credit that they do not deserve.

Getting their heads right will be huge for the Patriots.

Z Is for Zeal

Give me Brady's zeal, simply put as passion, over Manning's any day of the week — especially if that day is a Super Bowl.

I'm not saying the Giants don't care, and they won't fight for a win; I'm just saying the Patriots will do all that better than the Giants.

It'll be tight, and heart might just get one side over the line.

That, and the other 25 aspects of the blueprint for Patriots success.

Patriots 24, Giants 20.

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