The New England Patriots face the New York Giants this Sunday in a rematch of the 2007 Super Bowl. Five years ago, the Patriots suffered a 17-14 loss to the Giants, ending their hunt for an undefeated season and denying them their third championship ring in five years. Tom Brady is still the quarterback for the Patriots and Eli Manning is still the quarterback for the Giants, but that will be one of the only factors that are the same as it was five years ago. After 60 minutes of hard fought battle, the Patriots will be sprinkled with confetti and lifting the Lombardi Trophy for the fourth time in team history.
One of the driving forces that will help lead the Patriots to victory, will be seeking revenge for the loss in 2007. Many of the key players for the Patriots 2007 team are still the team leaders on this 2012 team including Tom Brady, Logan Mankins, Wes Welker and Vince Wilfork. These players will not allow their team to be beat by the Giants in the Super Bowl again and will lead the team in a win over the Giants. The rest of the players who were not involved in the 2007 game will have the fresh memory of the Giants protecting their home and defeating the Patriots 24-20 in week 9. The Patriots will rally around revenge, and it will ultimately lead them to victory.
Throughout the playoffs, the Patriots run defense has been phenomenal. After a wild-card week bye, the Patriots held Willis McGahee to 76 rushing yards and even stopped the surging Tim Tebow, keeping him to a mere 13 yards in the Divisional round. For the Conference Title, the Patriots faced the Ravens and kept Ray Rice to a pedestrian 67 yards on the day. The Patriots will keep the Giants running game in check, keeping the impact of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs minimal.
A strong rushing defense will force Eli Manning to back his claim entering the season that he is among the current elite quarterbacks in the league. The Patriots secondary has been struggling some the season, but with a solid performance by them, the Giants offense will be ineffective.
Finally, the most obvious and yes, the most cliché answer to why the Patriots will win the Super Bowl, Tom Brady and the potent Patriots offense. Brady has an array of targets who have big play potential including Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker. The Giants struggled mightily with tight end, Vernon Davis, of the San Francisco 49ers during the Conference Championship. The Patriots have two tight ends in Gronkowski and Hernandez who are capable of putting up the same big time numbers. Gronkowski is currently injured with a high ankle sprain, but is expected to suit up for the Super Bowl. The Patriots offensive line buys Brady all the time in the world, and when Brady has time, he is one of the deadliest and most efficient quarterbacks in NFL. Tom Brady and his numerous deadly offensive threats will pose a serious problem for the Giants defense and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to New England.
What Do McDaniel Students Think?
Sophomore Richard Rutkin says, “Gronkowski is going to go off on the Giants defense and prove that he is the man even with a high ankle sprain.”
Junior Billy Paulshock stated, “Two words. Tom Brady. That’s all you need to know.”
