Early Super Bowl Thoughts, 2012

The New England Patriots and the New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl for a rematch of Super Bowl 42, even though neither of them should be. The Patriots, while at home, were outplayed by the Ravens, and while a Billy Cundiff shank led them to the NFL's Promise Land once again, it didn't seem like the Patriots would've survived overtime. The Giants on the other hand were on the receiving end of good injuries. The 49ers regular return man, Ted Ginn Jr. was out with injury. Two costly mistakes by the replacement return man sent the game into overtime and got the Giants the victory. Right now, I'm thinking New England is going to win. I believe Baltimore was a better than the Giants due to their experience and defensive prowess. While Tom Brady had no touchdown passes against the Ravens, he had the game-winning rushing touchdown late. I don't expect Brady to go two weeks in a row without a TD pass, and he'll probably rack up 3 or 4 against the Giants defense, who have played quarterbacks this off-season that appeared less than thrilled to be there. I also think the Patriots seem motivated more than ever before in the Playoffs, looking to prove themselves not only for mistakes of seasons past, but playoff losses and Super Bowl 42, the most famous loss in their history. The Giants, on the other hand, look lucky to be there, and are playing with house money yet again. This time though, it doesn't appear that Tom Brady will be injured or that the Patriots will take them lightly. The Giants offense didn't look that great against the 49ers defense, having scored mainly on their mistakes. While I'm sure the Patriots defense will be less of a challenge, the Giants do have a tendency to overlook defenses they perceive to be poor. Whatever the case may be, both teams are lucky to be there. However, I think the Giants luck will run out against the Patriots, since they barely had any luck against Baltimore. The Giants on the other hand got all the luck in the world.