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Super Bowl XLVI Game Thread

New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

Sunday, February 5th, 2012 | 6:29 PM ET | TV: NBC

Giants Coverage: Big Blue View

60 minutes. That's all that stands between the New England Patriots and a fourth Super Bowl title since the 2001 NFL season.

Tonight, the New England Patriots will take on the New York Giants here at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. Kick-off is at 6:29 PM ET, but you will all have the television on long before them.

My prediction for tonight's game? A Patriots win, of course. While any Patriots fan would love a blowout, considering the match-up, that's unlikely to happen. I expect a closely contested game, with the Patriots fending off a late comeback attempt by the Giants. In the year of the quarterback, it would only be fitting that the Patriots much criticized defense makes the critical stop. Well, that's my prediction at least. I think Tom Brady will come out and have his best career Super Bowl performance - he has more than just his legacy on the line. And of course, LETS GO PATS! Greg's Prediction: Patriots 31 Giants 27

1. Pressure Cooker - In Week 9, Tom Brady was pressured and struggled to string together a consistent performance. The Patriots offensive line has the most important job on the field: protecting quarterback Tom Brady. If Brady is given enough time and is able to stand up in the pocket and make positive decisions, then the Patriots offense should be able to flourish. If the offensive line cannot match up against the Giants formidable defensive line, then the Patriots will have no chance of winning the game.

Throughout the playoffs, the Patriots have been able to keep Tom Brady clean for the majority of the game. All they need is one more positive performance.

2. Cruz Control - We reviewed a way of how the Patriots defense can control Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz when he lines up in the slot. Cruz is Giants quarterback Eli Manning's safety net and he is willing and able to cut away from his route if Manning needs help. He is dangerous when he's in the open field and not engaged by a defender because he can always find the empty pocket in the secondary.

Look for Cruz to receive 10+ targets, especially if Julian Edelman is in coverage. If Cruz is limited in his production, the Patriots defense will have had a good game.

3. Run the Rock - Double edged point. Can the Patriots run the ball? With Kevin Faulk inactive, the Patriots believe that Stevan Ridley has worked enough on his ball protection over the past three weeks to earn another look- and he's the most dangerous running back on the Patriots roster. If the Patriots can control the line of scrimmage and push back the Patriots athletic defensive line, the score might not be impressive, but the clock control will trump the total points.

On the other hand, can the Patriots slow the Giants rushing attack? Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are both extremely dangerous and can break free for large gains. How will the Patriots play heavy enough to contain the run, while be agile enough to defend the pass? The answer to the question is the outcome of the game.

4. 4th Target - The Patriots have Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez as their big three receivers. However, Gronk is limited and Welker has been "contained" by elite defenses. Who will step up as a big time receiver on the Patriots roster? Will Chad Ochocinco have the best game of his Patriots career (wouldn't be too hard) a la J.D. Drew? Will Matthew Slater catch a deep pass? How will Julian Edelman factor into the offense? Will the running backs like Danny Woodhead, Ridley, and even BenJarvus Green-Ellis be available out of the backfield? Someone will have to step up.

5. 60 Minutes. - That's it. 60 minutes to glory.

Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come.

Welcome to Lucas Oil Stadium, where the New England Patriots will take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI in approximately 2 and a half hours.

We've talked to the players, we've broken down the film, we've looked at every possible angle... now it's time for some football.

Pats Pulpit is at the game, stuffed up in the auxiliary press box in the in the upper corner of the Patriots' end zone (opposite the big score board). The plan is to blog semi-live at the end of each quarter. We'll bring you full analysis on the inactives in approximately one hour (teams are scheduled to release them an hour and a half before kick-off).

For now, feel free to discuss whatever you want about the Giants vs. Patriots match-up... if there's actually anything left to cover. For now, here's a few pictures we took on the way into the stadium:

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When your favorite team is in the Super Bowl, you know you're bound to hear the same story over and over again. For the past two weeks, Patriots fans have heard nothing but "Super Bowl XLII," "Rob Gronkowski's ankle" and "Eli Manning vs. Tom Brady." So with Super Bowl XLVI, which features the New England Patriots and New York Giants, set to kick-off at 6:29 PM ET tomorrow, here is the most generic Super Bowl preview you will ever see... bullet-style:

• This is a Super Bowl XLII re-match from the 2007 season, when the Giants beat the then undefeated Patriots 17-14. Both teams have the same head coach and same quarterback, and the Giants sacked Tom Brady a lot. And that David Tyree guy made some catch. And there's a few other dudes left from that game.
• Will Rob Gronkowski play? Bernard Pollard injured his ankle in the AFC Championship. Now, although every report strongly indicates he will play, we're left to wonder whether or not this guy will play.
• Can the Patriots stop the Giants pass rush? That's how the Giants beat the Patriots in 2007, and Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck are still there, so you know... can they stop them? That sounds important.
• The New York Giants are one of the hottest teams in football right now. They've played well recently. It's been pretty cool to watch if you're a Giants fan.
• The Patriots have a good offense and suspect defense. Tom Brady can put up points at will, but the Patriots defense might not be able to stop the Giants offense.
• Wait... did you hear the Patriots defense was ranked 31st in the NFL? That's like the 2nd worst possible spot to be. Wait! Can they stop the Giants passing game? That could be a problem!
• I hear Eli Manning is good in the clutch. Is he better than Tom Brady in the clutch? That's something to watch, I guess.
• These are two evenly matched teams.
• The Giants won in week nine, but both these teams are better since then. But seriously, the Giants won in week nine. Does that game have any impact on tomorrow's Super Bowl match-up?
• Can the Giants stop the Patriots tight ends? I hear that Hernandez guy is pretty good as well.

Did I miss anything? Feel free to leave your own "generic preview" storylines below.

INDIANAPOLIS -- One of the constant themes that we've heard in the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLVI is that both teams are "better." From a Patriots perspective, it's not hard to see why. The team has won ten straight games and is peaking at the right time, especially on the defensive side of the ball. And while we keep hearing about these improvements, no one has really gone into detail about what they are on the defensive side of the ball. Today, I will tackle that question by providing five "reasons" that the Patriots defense is different than the defense that fell apart against the Giants in the final minutes nearly three months ago:

5. Brandon Spikes is Back

When Patriots middle linebacker Brandon Spikes went down in the third quarter against the New York Giants, it changed the entire game. Spikes was an intimidating force, blowing up run plays and even making a big impact in the Giants passing game. And up until that point, the Giants had exactly zero points. Zero. Of course, after Spikes went down, the Giants put up 24 points in the second half. And while Spikes' absence wasn't the sole reason for the Patriots poor fourth quarter defense, it certainly had an impact. When Spikes is healthy, the Patriots defense is at its best. And right now, Brandon Spikes is healthy.

4. Devin McCourty Playing Better

Against the Giants in week nine, Devin McCourty was still in his sophomore "slump." But Devin McCourty is not the same player that Eli Manning victimized at times in that Giants game. In fact, since week 15 against Denver, McCourty has been playing excellent football (getting solid snaps at CB while playing some S as well). In the last five games, McCourty has been targeted 24 times. Just 8 of those targets have resulted in completions, and none of them have resulted in touchdowns. McCourty has also intercepted two passes in that time frame.

3. New Role Players Stepping Up, Personnel Has Changed

Since that week nine game, the Patriots have had new role players step up on the defensive side of the ball. Gerard Warren is making a real impact along the defensive line, Sterling Moore has become a capable cover cornerback, and Shaun Ellis is finally developing a role on the team. In addition, linebackers such as Gary Guyton and Tracy White, who struggled against the Giants, are no longer in the rotation - they have been replaced by the likes of Dane Fletcher, who is finally healthy after undergoing several thumb surgeries.

Final two reasons after the jump!

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Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham made some headlines earlier this week with some brash comments about Patriots receiver / defensive back Julian Edelman:

"I hope he's out there when we play them. I don't want to sound like that, but you know what I mean. To our advantage, I hope he's out there."

He continued:

"It's a different stage. This ain't regular season. That ain't your real position, so we're going to try to expose you. It's all or nothing now. That ain't your position, this is the Super Bowl and we want you to play that position."

Edelman has played at the slot cornerback position at times throughout the year, but has really seen his playtime increase over the past few weeks, as he has seemingly surpassed Nate Jones on the depth chart.

Manningham likely saw Edelman struggle in the final drive against the Ravens while covering Anquan Boldin. However, aside from that brief stretch, if Manningham were to turn on the tape, he would likely see that Edelman actually has held his own in coverage.

I'm not going to try and lie to myself and say that Edelman is the perfect solution at slot cornerback. He's not. He will have his hands full trying to cover Manningham, or god forbid, Victor Cruz in the slot. But I do believe he is being underrated by Manningham.

So will Edelman see extensive time at cornerback during Super Bowl XLVI?

At this point, it's tough to say. I do believe he sees the field before Nate Jones, but due to the downfield ability of the Giants receivers, I could see the Patriots coaching staff throwing a wrinkle into their sub-packages by bringing on Antwaun Molden as the 5th defensive back instead. In this scenario, Molden would play left cornerback, with Devin McCourty shifting over to free safety, and Sterling Moore coming onto the field as the slot cornerback. While Molden struggles covering the underneath throws, he's shown he can be average to above average covering the deep ball.

The reason this issue warrants it's own article is because of the sheer volume of plays that I expect New England to be in sub-packages. The Giants run a lot of their offense out of the shot-gun and 3-wide receiver sets, and therefore the Patriots won't running the 3-4 or 4-3 base defense against the personnel groupings.

All of this being said, what's your opinion on how the Patriots' defensive backfield should look in sub-packages come Sunday's Super Bowl against the New York Giants?

Well, in two weeks, the New England Patriots will be involved in either one of the biggest revenge stories in NFL history, or one of the biggest nightmares.

With the New York Giants defeating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime in the NFC Championship, it established Super Bowl XLVI as a rematch of the Super Bowl four years ago, when the 18-0 New England Patriots were upset by the underdog New York Giants.

The Patriots and the Giants will face off at 6:25 PM on February 5th, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The Patriots have been on a long road to recovery ever since that loss four years ago. On that day, Patriots fans learned the hard way that the Lombardi trophy is a lot more important than an unblemished regular season record.

The 2011 Patriots are far from perfect. They lost three games, the most recent coming at the hands of these New York Giants in week 9But now (well in two weeks), they will get the chance to pull off the ultimate revenge story as they will take on the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.

In the coming days, we'll continue to break down the Patriots' win over the Ravens in the AFC Championship, as well as the upcoming Super Bowl match-up with the New York Giants. For now, feel free to use this post to continue to discuss the Patriots' win as well as your initial thoughts on the Giants game.

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AFC Championship Game Thread

New England Patriots (#1) vs. Baltimore Ravens (#2)

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 | 3:00 PM ET | TV: CBS

Ravens Coverage: Baltimore Beatdown

We're here. After a long, turbulent offseason, an up and down beginning to the year, and a dominant stretch over the past ten weeks, the Patriots are taking on the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011-12 AFC Championship.

Today, the Patriots are faced with the task of defeating their toughest opponent of the 2011 season: The Baltimore Ravens.

A win, and the Patriots will be taking on either the Giants or 49ers in Super Bowl XLVI in their fifth Super Bowl of the Tom Brady / Bill Belichick era. A loss, and the Patriots will once again have to face the critics that have haunted them since Spygate and the team's Super Bowl XLII loss.

We'll do the analysis later. For now, lets enjoy some football.

Go Pats!