Super Bowl Line: Previous Matchup a Sign New York Giants Can Beat the Odds

If you believe in trusting the past, then you should take into account the last time the New York Giants and New England Patriots played each other this season before taking a side in this year's Super Bowl matchup.

The two teams will be playing one another for the second time this year, and currently, the Patriots have been given a three-point edge by the odds-men.

The thing is, this Giants team actually defeated the Patriots in New England in what was a close 24-20 victory.

Both teams played a great game, as quarterback, Tom Brady threw for 342 yards with two touchdown passes. He found both wide receiver Wes Welker and tight end Rob Gronkowski for over 100 yards each but struggled to get past the secondary as he threw two interceptions in the game.

Quarterback Eli Manning had an equally great game for the Giants, passing for 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He found both wide receiver Mario Manningham and tight end Jacob Ballard for scores, while wideout Victor Cruz was kept at just 91 yards.

In that game, the Giants were actually shorthanded with wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and running back Ahmad Bradshaw out with injury. Both players are two of the biggest contributors for this team, so their absences certainly didn't help their cause.

Imagine what the outcome could have been with both men in the game.

The Giants were playing great in that game, but they're playing even better during their march to the Super Bowl. Not to mention, they have done so by winning their two last games on the road in difficult environments.

In this year's playoffs, both players have been playing extremely well. This postseason, Nicks already has 18 receptions for 335 yards with four touchdowns through just three games.

If he keeps up this play, that can certainly spell trouble for the Patriots' pass defense. The Giants did a fine job the last time around, so Manning should be able to flourish even more with a healthy receiving corps.

The addition of Bradshaw will certainly help this team as well, especially since running back Brandon Jacobs doesn't have the elusiveness that his backfield mate does.

He hasn't done all that much this postseason, running for just 200 yards thus far. He has the ability to go off at any second, but his foot injury could act up. Nonetheless, the combination of him and Jacobs can only make this Giants offense more dangerous.

The Patriots will really have to get their defense running on all cylinders to slow down this offense that's looking unstoppable. They didn't look that great their last time around, so they will have to hope that things can have a different result this time.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.