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As in Super Bowl XLVI…the game that is considered to be a national holiday.
The game that draws more than 100 million viewers (Super Bowl XLV had 111 million viewers).
The game that asks for millions of dollars to run commercials (some sources say $3.5 million while others says $4 million).
Or just simply known as “The Game”.
For the two weeks that lead up to the Super Bowl, everyone gets to chime in on their opinion of the teams and the potential outcome of the game…and why should this medium be any different?
This person has been a New England Patriots fan for quite a while including following the team in 1992 season where they finished the season 2-14.
This person owns a jersey not from Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, or Wes Welker, but with the name of who he thinks was the all-time best Patriot in Troy Brown.
This person has many friends who are New York Giants fans. These friends remember the days of Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, and Bill Parcells.
While the history isn’t as prolonged as Red Sox and Yankees, one could argue the rivalry between the Patriots and Giants is more relevant in recent memory.
Four years ago, it has been well-documented the Giants ruined the perfect season from happening by defeating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
One can’t help but compare the two quarterbacks from that game. Since that game including the playoffs, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has thrown for 17,286 yards, 116 TD, and 68 INT and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has 14,664 yards, 113 TD, and 34 INT. (These stats are somewhat skewed since Brady only played one game in the year following Super Bowl XLII due to a knee injury.)
Which would you rather have on your team? This is a question that is asked at many times during the season. Manning has been sensational in 3rd down scenarios this year as he has a QB rating of 109.4 during the regular season. It’s hard to argue against Brady though as he has won three Super Bowls and has been named Super Bowl MVP twice.
For those who say defense will be the key to this game, both teams were known to have shoddy pass defenses with the Patriots giving up an average 293.9 yards and the Giants with 255.1 yards during the regular season. The playoffs have been a much different story though as the Patriots have allowed 195.0 passing yards and the Giants 200.7 passing yards. Both defenses have amassed 9 sacks each also.
So who’s going to win?
It has always been this person’s opinion that quarterback play is the most important in postseason games and especially in the Super Bowl.
It pains me to say that Manning’s play is higher than Brady’s right now. While many are considering this to be a revenge game from the Super Bowl XLII, the Giants are just playing at an unconscious level and they know how to get pressure on Brady.
I cringe at this prediction, but I am picking the Giants to win 34-31.
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