Giants vs. Patriots: 5 Bold Predictions for Super Bowl XLVI

Over the past two weeks, this game has been dissected and broken down so much that it seems like we already know what is going to happen. However, on the game's biggest stage, as we have seen before with these two teams, anything is possible. 

Here are five bold predictions for today's game. 

Eli Manning Will Throw at Least Two Interceptions

Eli has been excellent all season, and he has gotten much better at protecting the football, but I predict that he'll make a few uncharacteristic mistakes against the Patriots' defense. 

If you are going to give Bill Belichick two weeks to prepare for the biggest game of his life, he is going to come up with some quirky coverage concepts that will initially confuse Manning. Belichick will take some gambles early in the game in hopes of knocking Manning off his game and planting a seed of doubt for the rest of the game. 

Justin Tuck Will Record the Giants' Only Sack on Tom Brady

Since it was determined that the Giants and Patriots would have a Super Bowl rematch, inevitably there have been a lot of comparisons between the Giants' resurfaced pass rush and the dominant unit that played a huge role in their victory in Super Bowl XLII. 

While this Giants' defensive line is certainly at or close to the same talent level as the 2007 group, I believe the Patriots' offensive line and protection as a whole is significantly better, for two main reasons.

For one, Brian Waters has been fantastic all season at right guard and has stabilized the interior of the line. In addition, Rob Gronkowski has played a huge part in pass protection, since he can hold his own as well as an offensive lineman against some of the best pass rushers. He helps with chips and nudges to give the Patriots' lineman that extra second to see their feet and make a block. 

Because of this, I can see the Giants' pass rush being a bit frustrated all game long, but I'll give the veteran Justin Tuck one sack, blowing past against Sebastian Vollmer to get Tom Brady. 

Ahmad Bradshaw Will Outrush the Entire Patriots Team

Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick are both great coaches, but they have different philosophies when it comes to sticking with the run game. Belichick will only run if it helps him win, but he has no qualms about operating an unbalanced offense if it's working.

Coughlin, on the other hand, is committed to maintaining a balanced attack, no matter how good his quarterback and passing attack are. 

With the Patriots focusing all of their attention on stopping the three-wide receiver set of the Giants, the Giants are going to try to keep them off balance with a heavy dose of Ahmad Bradshaw. 

Bradshaw is now healthier than he has been in months, and the Giants will take full advantage of it. 

Giants Will Blitz Often

With all of the talent the Giants have on their defensive line, it may be easy to assume that the Giants will just try to get to Brady with four men. 

However, if you look at this matchup in detail, it may make more sense for the Giants to blitz more often than assumed. 

The main reason is the health of Sebastian Vollmer, which allows Nate Solder to move from right tackle to being a sixth offensive lineman. That will stonewall any kind of four-man rush. If the Giants plan on rattling Brady early, they need to get on him, and rolling the dice on a few early blitzes is the best way to accomplish that. 

If you play simple coverages with no threat of a blitz against Tom Brady, he is going to have his way with any defense. Mixing coverages and blitz concepts is going to be key for the Giants if they are going to slow down the Patriots' passing game. 

Hakeem Nicks Will Lead the Giants in Receiving

Bill Belichick is known for taking away what he perceives as his opponents' biggest strength, which I believe is Victor Cruz in the slot and him running after the catch.

With all of the attention going to Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks is due for a monster day. 

We have seen this dynamic in the Giants earlier in the playoffs; when Cruz was finally drawing the majority of the attention in coverage, Nicks filled in and was able to generate big plays, and vice versa.

Nicks is also the bigger red-zone target with his size and leaping ability.