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The Contrarian: Why the Patriots STILL won't win the Superbowl

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The Betfair Contrarian said the Pats wouldn't win the Bowl way back in early December - and he's not one to back down now!

In a sport which has more than its fair share of colossal egos, the Patriots have built their success on being all about the team, not individuals. They even run onto the field out of the giant helmets together, instead of being announced individually, and to keep it low key, coach Bill Belichick dresses for the game as if he's going out to do a spot of gardening. On these modest foundations, the Patriots have become a candidate for Best NFL Team of all Time, although they need to get the Super Bowl successfully out of the way before that argument can really begin. And while they may be red hot favourites, there are still reasons why it may not be the happiest Sunday of the year for them...

What they are aiming to do has never been done before.
Should the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl, they will finish the season with an unprecedented record of 19 wins from 19 games. Whilst the Miami Dolphins managed the so called 'perfect season' in 1972, their record only read 17-0. That brings pressure.

The Giants have been breaking some records themselves.
The New York Giants have also had a record breaking year, becoming the first team in NFL history to win ten consecutive games on the road, including three successive playoff wins. The Giants have won in every stadium that they have played in this season.

If at first you don't succeed...
Of the eleven occasions when the Super Bowl has matched two sides that have met in the regular season, the losers in the regular season have won six times, including four of the last five. The Patriots beat the Giants earlier in the season.

The favourites are often toppled...
Whilst New England Patriots will go into this one as the higher seed, Super Bowl history shows that the higher seeded team win just 54% of the time.

... and the top seed hardly ever wins.
Only TWICE since 1990 has the top seeded side in the AFC Conference been victorious come 'Super Sunday' (Denver Broncos in 1998 and Patriots in 2003). New England Patriots are the top seed.

The Giants have potential match winners.
In Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants have an exciting backfield combination that could pose serious problems for the Patriots. Jacobs finished third in rushing yards per game in the regular season.

The Patriots have a few too many old-timers.
The Patriots have some aging inside linebackers, Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau as well as an aging strong safety, Rodney Harrison, who could struggle should the Giants rack up enough carries. Plus, there's been some fevered speculation about the condition of Tom Brady's ankle after he was photographed last week limping around wearing a support.

The Giants have a score to settle.
The sides met in the final game of the regular season and though the Giants led 28-16 at one stage, a fourth quarter 65-yard touchdown pass sealed a 35-38 win for the Patriots. New York have not lost since and will be looking to put the record straight on Sunday.

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