Super Bowl 2012: Early Predictions for Giants and Patriots Next Season

Now that the Super Bowl is over, we're looking at roughly six months off from the NFL. 

To me, that's a relief. For others, it's a nightmare. Depends on how you feel about football, really.

What we know for sure is that the coming months are going to be nice for members of the New York Giants, and not-so-nice for members of the New England Patriots. The Giants get to bask in the glow of being Super Bowl champs, and the Patriots get to dwell on the very real reality that they could have been Super Bowl champs.

Next season is going to be here before any of us—and both of these teams—know it. At that point, both of them will get down to business and look to make it back to the Super Bowl.

It's still early, but I have a few guesses as to how the Giants and Patriots are going to fare in 2012.

New York Giants

We know that the Giants are going to head into 2012 with an elite quarterback in Eli Manning, an elite head coach in Tom Coughlin, two great wide receivers in Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, and one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

The Giants will have some decisions to make as far as how to round out the rest of their football team, but the key pieces will be in place for yet another run to the Super Bowl. That's a plus, to say the least.

I fully expect Manning to keep getting better. He made huge strides as a quarterback in 2011, and he made very few mistakes once the Giants got to the postseason. He was practically flawless in the Super Bowl. He's done everything in his power to prove that he's one of the very best quarterbacks in the league.

Health will be the key question concerning the rest of the team. It's not uncommon for Super Bowl teams to break down the following season. However, the Giants proved in 2011 that they don't need to be fully healthy to succeed, so they'll be able to deal with whatever adversity comes their way.

This being said, we're not looking at a team that is going to win 13, 14 or 15 games in 2012. The Giants are not going to go on a dominant run through the regular season like the Green Bay Packers did this past season. The Giants are constructed to win in the postseason, but they're not well-rounded enough to be an excellent regular-season team.

Let's also realize that the NFC East will be better in 2012 than it was in 2011. There's no way the Philadelphia Eagles are going to be as mediocre as they were, and the same goes for the Dallas Cowboys. If they find a quarterback, even the Washington Redskins will make a run at the division crown.

All told, the Giants will be a better team, but the increased quality of play within the division will keep them from running away from the NFC East.

I actually don't think they're going to win it.

Prediction: 10-6, second in the NFC East, wild card berth.

New England Patriots

The Patriots are going to have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick back next season. As long as they have them, they can win.

There's going to be a lot of turnover in New England this offseason, however. Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is leaving to go coach at Penn State, and the team is likely to lose some of the heavy hitters on its list of free agents (check it out at Pro Football Talk).

Nevertheless, the Pats will find a way to plug their various holes to ensure success for another season. It helps that they have two first-round draft picks, giving them plenty of flexibility in terms of what they can do in the draft.

On paper, the 2012 Patriots are going to be no sexier than the 2011 Patriots. But as long as they have Brady and Belichick, the AFC East will belong to them by default.

There's not likely going to be much competition in 2012. The New York Jets currently look like a mess, the Buffalo Bills proved to be a fluke after starting hot in 2011, and the Miami Dolphins have a little more rebuilding to do before they're ready to contend.

Of the bunch, the Dolphins should be considered a sleeper team, and it's not like the Jets are going to be an awful team. They're going to compete.

The Patriots are in a class of their own, though. We're used to seeing them dominate the regular season, and there's no reason for that trend to quit in 2012. The Patriots have their flaws, but they're more than good enough to win over 10 games in 2012.

Prediction: 12-4, first in AFC East.

Playoff Predictions: Giants bow out in the divisional round, and the Patriots bow out in the AFC Championship Game. Better luck to both teams in 2013.