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17 - 15

Super Bowl XLVI Game Thread #4

New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

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

Giants Coverage: Big Blue View

Thoughts through three quarters of Super Bowl XLVI:

• Awesome opening drive for the Patriots to begin the second half. 8 plays, 79 yards and a Tom Brady to Aaron Hernandez touchdown. It completed the "two for one," as the Patriots scored a touchdown to close out the first half.
• On the Giants first drive, the Patriots once again give up a lot of yards, but step up when they're backed up, holding the Giants to just a field goal.
• After a Patriots three and out, the Patriots rose to the occasion on defense once again, giving up a lot of yards but holding the Giants to another field goal after a huge Rob Ninkovich sack on third down from the Patriots' nine yard line.
• The third quarter comes to a close with the Patriots up 17-15 and with the ball. How we define the Brady-Belichick era could come down to the next 15 minutes of football. LETS GO PATS!

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10 - 9

Super Bowl XLVI Game Thread #3

New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

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

Giants Coverage: Big Blue View

First half thoughts:

• Disappointing to see the Patriots only get a field goal on that opening drive of the 2nd quarter. Erases the safety by the Giants, but doesn't do much else. The Pats will have to take advantage of their red zone opportunities.
• Good "bend but don't break" defense by the Patriots for the majority of the second quarter. The team is limiting deep shots from Eli Manning and while they're giving up yardage and half been on the field for the majority of the game, they're doing whatever they can to keep the Patriots in this game.
• And although it seemed as if the Giants had dominated this entire game, Brady leads the Patriots 96 yards in 14 plays to close out the first half and give the Patriots a 10-9 lead. The drive was capped with a four yard Brady to Woodhead touchdown pass on a third down.
• The Patriots have the ball to start the second half with a new-found momentum on their side. This wasn't the way we thought the first half would turn out, but the Patriots have the lead, and that's what counts. A touchdown to begin the second half would be huge.

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0 - 9

Super Bowl XLVI Game Thread #2

New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

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

Giants Coverage: Big Blue View

First quarter thoughts:

• Patriots gained momentum by forcing two sacks on three consecutive plays for a loss to stop the Giants on their opening drive. Then the Patriots blew that momentum, when Brady had a terrible no-decision that led to an intentional grounding.
• Un-Patriot like mistake on the Giants next drive. Sterling Moore forces the fumble that leads to Pats turnover, but team had 12 men on the field. Two plays later, Giants score a touchdown and the Patriots are in a 9-0 hole early.
• Fortunately, the offense seems to be settling down, getting a nice drive going to end the first quarter. The 9-0 start is not what the Patriots were looking for, but this game is very far from being over.

Well, we've finally reached Super Bowl Sunday, with the New England Patriots set to take on the New York Giants at 6:29 PM ET. I'll be heading out to the media center at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis in a few minutes. The plan is to get there at around 11:30, post a story, then head to Lucas Oil Stadium at around 1:30 (when the stadium is opened to the media).

I also wanted to take the time to thank Matt Grecco of Stampede Blue and SB Nation Indiana for letting me crash at his place for the week. If it wasn't for his hospitality, I wouldn't have been able to cover the game from Indianapolis this week. Also wanted to thank Brad Wells of Stampede Blue for helping set that up, and Dave Halprin of Blogging the Boys for working to get media credentials. It's been a privilege to cover the Patriots in Indianapolis this week, and I hope you all have enjoyed the extra coverage.

For now, feel free to use this thread to discuss the Patriots and the Super Bowl XLVI match-up against the Giants. And... oh yeah.... LETS GO PATS!

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2012 NFL Pro Bowl

American Football Conference vs. National Football Conference

Sunday, January 29th, 2012 | 7:00 PM EM | TV: NBC

Well, I can't imagine a more meaningless Pro Bowl from a Patriots perspective in recent history. The last time the Patriots made the Super Bowl, in 2007-08, the Pro Bowl was still played the week after the championship. Now, with the game being played the week between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl, and with the Patriots set to take on the Giants a week from today in Super Bowl XLVI, there aren't many storylines to cover from a Patriots perspective.

Of course, the Patriots did have eight players initially named to the Pro Bowl: Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins, Brian Waters, Wes Welker, Matt Slater, and Andre Carter. Those players have all been replaced.

Hey, but at least we are finally getting some more football. Sort of. If you can call it "football."

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16 - 20

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

The Patriots began the third quarter by driving 14 plays and 74 yards. Unfortunately, the drive ended in just three points, the team's third drive that stalled inside the red zone on the night.

The Ravens then got the ball and drove down the field for a touchdown. On the next kick-off, Danny Woodhead fumbled and the Ravens were able to tack on another three points.

With the Patriots driving at the end of the 3rd, Rob Gronkowski suffered what appeared to be a serious ankle injury. Big story to watch there.

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3 - 0

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

The Patriots have a 3-0 lead after one quarter, but the Ravens are deep in Patriots territory threatening to score. The Patriots have had opportunities on offense, but quarterback Tom Brady has struggled to hit his receivers. This one certainly looks like it's going to be a grinder.