Offense
Both are pass first teams, but both are dangerous in different ways. New England looks to pass the ball in the middle of the field. Their main targets, Wes Welker and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez will be looking to make the short passes and turning them into big gains.
New York meanwhile will look to pass the ball outside most of the time, with Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham being deep threats.
Comparing both teams’ star quarterback, the nod is given to Tom Brady with him throwing for 5,235 yards and 39 touchdowns so far while Manning managing 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns. Manning also threw more interceptions with 16 compared to Brady’s 12.
When it comes to rushing, the New York Giants are dead last in the league while the Patriots are ranked 20th overall.
Offensive line play will be the deciding factor, the Patriots has two Pro Bowl guards in Logan Mankins and Brian Waters. In the Giants win over San Francisco last week, the offensive line gave up six sacks to Manning.
Defense
Defense is not a strong point for both teams, Giants rank 27th overall while the Patriots rank 31st.
Giants main defensive strength is the front line, boasting a line that includes Jason Pierre-Paul (16.5 sacks), Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, the Patriots will have a hard time defending against the pass rush.
The Patriots in the middle have Vince Wilfork at nose tackle and Mark Anderson who recorded 10 sacks this year. Linebacker Brandon Spikes will also be a factor for the Patriots.
The secondary are weaknesses for both teams, the Giants gave up 28 touchdown passes and a hair over 4,000 yards while the Patriots gave up 26 touchdowns and 4,703 yards.
Special Teams
Both teams’ returning have not been spectacular this season but neither of them have relinquished a touchdown.
Both punters match up well but a slight edge is given to the Patriots for the kicker position. Stephen Gostkowski of New England have not missed yet in the playoffs while Lawrence Tynes, his New York counterpart have missed four out of eight tries from over 40 yards this year.
Tell us in the comments below who are you rooting for this year’s Super Bowl. My vote goes to the Giants.
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