New England Patriots vs. New York Giants: Why Pats Will Rewrite History

The New York Giants may have gotten the best of the New England Patriots back in Super Bowl XLII, but don't expect a repeat of history. 

The Giants come into this game without their two best offensive weapons, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and running back Ahmad Bradshaw. Although the Giants face what has been an atrocious pass defense statistically, the Patriots have been much more difficult to score on in the red zone than most would think. Losing a big target like Nicks in the red zone will make it even more difficult for the Giants to punch it in. 

Without Bradshaw, the Giants will have a tough time running on Vince Wilfork and Co. Backup running back Brandon Jacobs has been dreadful this season; he lacks explosion, does not initiate contact and does not get the yards after contact that he has made his money on his whole career. 

On the other side of the ball, the Giants will rely on their speed rushers to get to get to Tom Brady. While the Giants can certainly rush the passer, their numbers are usually inflated from feasting on bad offensive lines early in the season. The Patriots are easily the best line they have faced up to this point in the season, and they have a lot of depth. Brady gets the ball out quickly, and they will orchestrate a precise, short-passing attack to keep the Giants off balance. 

An underrated aspect of the Patriots offense has been their ability to run the ball; conversely, the Giants have struggled against the run. The problem with the Giants is that their defensive line is built to rush the passer, and when they are undisciplined, they lose gap control and allow big gains. 

Oh, and by the way, the Patriots have won 20 straight regular season games at home (and 31 straight at home with Brady under center), and Brady has never lost two games in a row at home. Don't expect those streaks to end this week.