Much has been written about the Super Bowl battle between these two in 2007. The spread approached double digits and a New York Giants team with great momentum recorded a 17-14 victory. Of greater interest for our purposes, however, is their November 6th meeting in New England Patriots. The game was scoreless in the first half. But there was plenty of excitement after halftime. In a fourth quarter in which 41 points were scored, with three TDs in the last three minutes, the Giants emerged with a 24-20 victory as 9 point underdog. That being said, let us go into some great handicapping tips for the 2012 Super Bowl.
That was the last time NE would lose…They enter the Super Bowl with 10 consecutive victories. That is five more than the red hot Giants have recorded, and a solid indicator of Super Bowl success. Seven of those 10 victories have been by 7 or more points. Eight of those wins have seen the Patriots top 30 points, while in three of the last five games they have put 41 or more on the board. A closer look at that schedule concludes it was not exactly a murderer’s row of opponents. Nonetheless we must give the NE offense its due. QB Brady threw for over 5,000 yards with a 32/12 ratio. They often push the pace with a no-huddle offense, using two TEs. A major blow to that attack would come if TE Gronkowski was unable to make post due to his high ankle sprain. The OL was solid all year, the running game was serviceable, and the passing game explosive. But, oh, that defense. With a makeshift secondary it was a major challenge for HC Belichick and his defensive expertise. They finished near the bottom of the league in both pass defense and total defense. They were often burned by the big play. But in typical NE fashion, it was a bend but don’t break unit. Their 19.0 defensive YP point was among the best in the league, as they allowed an average of just 21 PPG. They concluded the season with 21 INTs, leading to a +14 net TO margin, which included a -3 ratio in the playoffs.
While the defense may continue to have problems slowing down the big play receivers of the Giants, it must be noted that against the quality defenses that NE faced, including Dallas, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and NY, they could average just 20 PPG. THE TRUTH IS, THAT ALTHOUGH NE RECORDED A 15-3 SU RECORD, THEIR ONLY VICTORY OF THE SEASON AGAINST A TEAM WHO FINSIHED THE REGULAR SEASON GREATER THAN .500, WAS AGAINT BALTIMORE TWO WEEKS AGO. A CONTEST IN WHICH THEY WERE BOTH OUTRUSHED AND OUTPASSED. Now that it is a one game season, however, do you really want to discount the chances of the Brady-Belichick tandem?
Superbowl Betting Props - Giants vs Patriots
Host Marco D'Angelo and Pregame Pro Scott Spreitzer discuss the value in the kicking props due to indoor game and Patriot zone creates opportunities for unique running game props.