Any Given Sunday? This could still be the Giants' Superbowl

NFL / Andy Richmond / 02 February 2008 / Leave a Comment

Andy Richmond sees a chink of light for Sunday's underdog...

Superbowl Sunday will see many questions answered, probably the most important of those is, can the Patriots go 19-0 and claim the right to be called the greatest team ever? Or do the Giants call time on the immaculate season at the final bell in an upset which would compete with city rivals the Jets win over Baltimore in 1969.

The Giants enter the arena in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday as 12.5 point underdogs - the biggest "dog" since the Pats themselves were 14.5 point "dog" in Superbowl XXXVI when they upset the odds to beat St Louis 20-17 with a 48 yard field goal as time expired.

Well that game could set a precedent as we reverse the roles here. That Pats team of six years ago reminds me a great deal of the Giants who enter here with very little to lose and full of confidence after a record breaking 10 wins on the road. Indeed their only away defeat was to the Patriots in week 17 by a slim three points in a game that was pivotal in providing that play-off momentum and belief that has taken them to Arizona on Sunday.

Pressure of course is nothing new to the Patriots, it's been mounting on them all year and they appear to handle it better and better - even thriving on it. They may have cooled a touch in recent weeks but they still have a enormous variety of weapons to get the job done as they step towards perfection.

So what are the keys for each side to accomplish their goal? These areas will be vital on Sunday in the quest for victory in Superbowl XLII.

The Giants must...

Pressure Brady: In all the games in which the Patriots have been pushed to the limit this year, their opponents have consistently pressured Brady - not necessarily sacking him but hurrying him and cutting down his decision-making time. The Giants lead the league in sack percentage and boast a front four more than capable of doing this.

Avoid Turnovers: Giants QB Eli Manning must continue to take care of the football as he has done in the past four weeks. They have suffered just the one turnover coming against the Pats in that week 17 game and none in the post season and arguably against better defences certainly in the secondary than he will face here.

Control The Clock: Despite the emergence of their receiving corps, basically the Giants will want to establish their power running game and keep Tom Brady and his troops of the field for as long as possible. In games where the Giants won the battle of the clock they are 10-3 this season with a game killing 40 minutes worth against the Packers last time out.

The Patriots must...

Establish the running game: To maintain their prodigious aerial productivity and keep the Giants "D" honest, the Pats must use RB Laurence Maroney before they switch to their dangerous spread formation - Maroney is instrumental in providing balance and a different type of outlet for this high octane offence.

Shutdown Plaxico: A key part of the ever more balanced Giants offence, if you take away wide receiver Plaxico Burress - who is having a stellar post season - then the Pats will have gone a long way not only to making the Giants one dimensional, but also forcing Eli Manning into mistakes which he hasn't been making so far in the post season.

Keep their "D" fresh: Whilst there may be a lot of experience on the Pats "D", with experience comes old age and they tend to wear down over the course of the game. It will be up to defensive coordinator Dean Pees to keep this group fresh with tactical substitutions at the appropriate times.

Having had a long time to look at this game you can come to many different conclusions as your mind calculates the myriad of possibilities. Can the Giants win this game? Well yes they can, but they are going to have to play a near perfect game to prevent the Pats becoming THE perfect team. They are going to have to make their possessions count and if they do get turnover ball score from it and score touchdowns not just field goals, that was the "mistake" that the post season opposition made only generating six points from four Brady interceptions. That aging but experienced Pats "D" rising up in adversity.

Betfair currently has 32 markets available on the game so there should be something for us all to get stuck into. My colleague TQ has given you some excellent advice in his column on how he would play the game and I'd go along with much of his advice - especially laying the Pats with a view to trading that pretty lean price in-running and getting with the Giants on that 12.5 handicap.

This should be a magnificent back and forth game with lots of scoring and the Pats - who my football head say will win - eventually gaining ultimate control deep into the second half.

The Giants offer the last chance this season to re-affirm the time honoured belief, that on any given Sunday, anything can happen. The dress rehearsal was good, the Superbowl show could be even better.