Giants vs. Patriots Predictions: 5 Reasons Eli Manning Won't Be Super Bowl MVP

Sometimes, you can be good and still be bad at the same time. Eli Manning may be stuck between a rock and a hard place if the Giants win the Super Bowl, but things do not pan out as everyone thinks they will.

This Super Bowl, maybe more than any other one with a rematch of teams that look the part, play the part, act the part and hope to be holding the Lombardi Trophy, with all the subplots, storylines, releases (way to go, Patriots) and the possibility of having Peyton Manning standing next to his brother when he lifts the Super Bowl Trophy, there is enough drama to write a series of reality television shows.

Please, that was only a comment. No show about the Mannings. We can't take much more.

But for Eli Manning, this game is about taking his place amongst the elite and proving he is just as good, if not better than his big brother, Peyton.

While he should be named MVP of the Super Bowl if the Giants win, here are some reasons why he wouldn't be named as the game's top player.

The Giants Do Not Win the Game

What happens in this Super Bowl is simple. If the Giants control the ground game and Eli Manning can find his receivers, then New York wins.

If the Patriots give Tom Brady enough time to find his weapons and the offensive line holds the front four of the Giants in check, well, the Patriots win.

While formulas like these are not taken to heart and large schemes are drawn up to beat an opponent, the fact of the matter really is that simple.

And if the latter possibility does happen, then it is possible Tom Brady takes home the hardware.

The Giants Win and He Has a Bad Game

What if...

There is so much talk of records being destroyed in this game and maybe both quarterbacks throw for more yards than Matt Flynn and Matthew Stafford did in the final game of the season between the Packers and the Lions.

Super Bowls are funny in that they never (well, almost never) live up to the hype and for most of us writers who are also fans, we hope for the one thing to "mess it up."

In this case, the Giants could win a sloppy game (16-14) and Manning could be all over the place, miss his receivers and look like a Mark Sanchez clone.

That would not garner him Super Bowl hardware and would make the New York media question him all over again.

Tom Brady Is Stellar and the Patriots Win

Similar to what I said a moment ago.

This is the kind of game Brady thrives in. This is his redemption, his reputation. He had not won a playoff game since 2007 before this year (and here I was thinking it was because of Gisele). For some reason, with this cast of characters, everything is coming together.

"Captain Hoodie" has punched all the right buttons. The Patriots offense is real. And Brady is in the driver's seat.

He may not be a Joe Montana clone, but in the playoffs, Brady may be the closest thing to Joe Montana that we have seen since he retired.

The Defense Has Something to Say About It

There are four reasons I can think of as to why Eli Manning may not win the award. They all reside on the defensive side of the Giants line.

And when push comes to shove, maybe defense will win a championship for New York, their fourth in franchise history.

There is no doubt the play of Manning has been some of the best, if not the best he has ever played in his career right at this moment, but he has also had to rely on a lot of luck and a defense that picked up the pieces in the past month as well.

Let's say Jason Pierre-Paul plays at a high level tonight and gets a couple of sacks and makes his presence known in a huge way, maybe a Richard Dent-type performance. I am sure the media would consider him for MVP honors as well.

And if the game is sloppy and the defense scores a touchdown or holds Tom Brady without a score, then, of course, the voting will indicate that as well.

By the way, Tom Brady has been sacked 13 times in his last three playoff losses.

The Peyton Manning Effect

This one is out of left field, but here is something to think about. This week, there have been so many things brought up about the Manning family: the game is being played in Peyton's Place; what does Archie Manning think about Eli playing in the big game; what about Peyton's injury?

Could we all just be sick of hearing about it? The Mannings are starting to make the Kardashians look "normal."

We all know about the injury that is affecting Peyton and the effect his playing or not playing next season has on the NFL. But this is the Super Bowl, and for a short time period, shouldn't we all be focusing on Eli Manning and his accomplishments?

Should he be given his just due and his props?

Maybe the media just gets angered enough and leaves Manning in the dust. Maybe it's the writers' way of telling the first family in football that enough is really enough.