Although the odds on a New England Patriots victory in Super Bowl XLII seem to be falling - currently a favorable 11-point spread on a 55-point game - few people are backing the New York Giants to end the Patriots' perfect unbeaten season.

It is true that the Giants have fought their way to brave wins at each of their playoff games on the road: 24-14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an improbable 21-17 win against the Dallas Cowboys and a 23-20 overtime victory in bleak conditions at the Green Bay Packers where the wind chill factor was minus 24.

Each game demanded that the Giants keep it close in relatively low-scoring encounters. They entered the fourth quarter trailing 17-14 against the Cowboys and against the Packers hung in for a Lawrence Tynes field goal victory after Brett Favre gave up an untimely overtime interception at the Green Bay 43.

'If Eli Manning can minimize his errors and maximize his completions, and provide some variation to the Giants' offensive play and keep the Patriots' defense honest, then the Giants have every opportunity to compete'


To win the Lombardi it seems as though the Giants will have to play strong defense. Even though the Patriots seem to have lost some offensive effectiveness in recent weeks they have done enough to secure wins in the playoffs: 31-20 over the Jacksonville Jaguars and 21-12 over the conservative San Diego Chargers.

It was also noticeable how the Patriots utilized the run in the playoffs although ground conditions at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough likely made the passing game a little less secure. The Patriots' regular season statistics are formidable: Tom Brady threw a record 50 touchdowns with 4806 yards.

The team led the league in the following categories per game: 36.8 points; 411.2 offensive yards made up of 295.7 passing yards and 115.6 rushing yards for which the team was ranked 13th in the league. Their regular season team total of 75 touchdowns compares very favorably with the 34 they gave up.

In contrast the Giants delivered more modest statistics: 23.3 points for 14th place; 331.4 offensive yards for 16th place, made up of 197.1 passing yards for which they were 21st and an effective 134.2 rushing yards for which the team was ranked in fourth place. In total offensive yards of 5302 they were well behind the Patriots 6580. They did achieve 53 regular season sacks which compares well with the 47 achieved by the Patriots.

Defensively the Patriots gave up per game: 17.1 points for fourth place; 288.3 total defensive yards for fourth place made up of 190.1 passing yards for sixth place and 98.2 rushing yards for 10th place. In contrast, the Giants gave up per game: 21.9 points for 17th place; 305.0 defensive yards for seventh place made up of 207.3 passing yards for 11th place and 97.7 rushing yards for eighth place.

The statistics certainly give Giants' fans some hope. Overall, defensively, the Giants have some level of parity with the Patriots and if Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator, can conjure an effective game plan just as he has done in previous playoff games, with mistake-free football and, above all, keep the game close, then the bookies 55-point game prediction might well turn out to be generous.

No doubt head coach Tom Coughlin will have noted how the Baltimore Ravens beat up the Patriots defensive line in week 13 of the regular season when Willis McGahee ran for 138 yards and one touchdown in the late, controversial Patriots 27-24 win. In this match-up the Ravens controlled the game clock 33 - 27 minutes.

In Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, Coughlin has the tools to control the clock and limit Patriot possession. But much will depend on the performance of quarterback Eli Manning who has yet to mature into a dependable NFL starter.

However, his playoff performances have been encouraging and if he can minimize his errors and maximize his completions, and provide some variation to the Giants' offensive play and keep the Patriots defense honest, then the Giants have every opportunity to compete.

If they can't keep it close and compete then the game will be a blowout and the Patriots will further confirm their dynasty with an unbeaten season.