New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady stole the headlines last week when he was seen limping while visiting his girlfriend in New York. Brady was seen walking with a boot on his right ankle the morning following the Patriots’ win over the San Diego Chargers.
It was reported he had a mild ankle sprain and was wearing the boot to rest a hurt ankle. Brady missed all of last week’s practice and was not seen with a limp at the team’s farewell rally in Foxboro, Mass. as they left for Glendale, Ariz.
Nonetheless, the Super Bowl is nearing and the undefeated Patriots are favorites over the road-warrior New York Giants by almost two touchdowns.
This will be the fourth trip to the Super Bowl for MVP Brady and the first for Giants quarterback Eli Manning. New York will look for revenge after losing to New England 38-35 in Week 17, while the Patriots look to cap off the first ever 19-0 season in NFL history.
The game’s deciding factor will be the two quarterbacks’ play and decision-making. Manning has had a great postseason so far throwing no interceptions and leading his team to three consecutive road wins by making smart decisions.
Brady, a true pocket passer and three-time Super-Bowl-winning quarterback, has started 126 consecutive games while losing only two career playoff games. His play will be critical, and the ankle injury may have a huge impact on the Giants’ chances of pulling off the upset.
Giants running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw both have powerful running styles and the ability to go the distance, but the Patriots have Laurence Maroney, who is a lot faster than people think, and Kevin Faulk, who can catch passes out of the backfield. Faulk may be the X-factor for the Patriots throughout the game.
Patriot wide receiver Randy Moss has had a quiet postseason so far, but look for him to have a great Super Bowl.
In addition to Wes Welker and Dante’ Stallworth, the Patriots impact receivers will spread out a banged-up Giants secondary. New York wide receiver Plaxico Burress had a sensational game against the Packers and his matchup with Patriots all-pro cornerback Asante Samuel will be one to watch.
The edge on offense goes to New England, but the edge on defense will go to the Giants. The ability of their front seven to rush the passer effectively, led by defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, will put the necessary pressure on Brady. The Giants will need to force Brady to throw bad passes on a sore ankle and limit the dump-off passes to Welker and Faulk.
The Patriots defense will blitz safety Rodney Harrison, and use Samuel’s ability to jump routes, something that could be huge for the Patriots.
The game will be exciting and close, but I’d like the Patriots to go undefeated this season. I see them beating the Giants 31-20 with Brady winning the MVP.
The Patriots offense is too good and New England head coach Bill Belichick will out-coach New York’s Tom Coughlin, giving the Patriots their fourth Super Bowl victory this decade.
