PATRIOTS OFFENSE: Tom Brady has had a magnificent season, and there's nothing to indicate it won't continue today. When the Patriots played the Giants in the regular season, he beat their ferocious pass rush with quick passes underneath to Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk and Benjamin Watson. Then he went deep to Randy Moss when he found the right matchups in the secondary. What's changed since then is that Laurence Maroney has suddenly emerged as a premier back, with back-to-back 122-yard rushing games in the playoffs. And the Patriots need him to get that tough yardage against the Giants, who held him to just 46 yards in the regular season. If he can run the ball, the Giants have to hold off their rush, and that will give Brady more time to throw, which is dangerous because the Giants don't have anyone in the secondary to match Moss and Welker.
PATRIOTS DEFENSE: It's all pretty simple. New York quarterback Eli Manning had a career game against the Patriots in the regular season, throwing for four touchdowns and 251 yards. One of the reasons was that he had plenty of time to throw. He was sacked only once and the Patriots didn't get close to him often. One of the reasons is the threat of the Giants running game, led by battering-ram back Brandon Jacobs and boosted by rookie Ahmad Bradshaw, who missed the regular- season game but has been the Giants top rusher in the playoffs. The Patriots need to contain the running game, putting pressure on the inside people, nose tackle Vince Wilfork and linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau. If they can do that, it will force the Giants into a one-dimensional attack, and the Patriots will come at Manning from all sides, looking for linebacker Mike Vrabel and ends Jarvis Green and Richard Seymour to harass Manning. Look for cornerback Asante Samuel to take on Plaxico Burress.
KEY MATCHUP: The Patriots' offensive line vs. the Giants' defensive line. For all the individual matchups that are worthy of noting, this is the one that will decide the game. The Giants, led by their trio of ends - Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck - led the NFL with 53 sacks this season. But only one came against the Patriots in the regular-season game between the two. And the Patriots were missing two starters, right guard Stephen Neal and right tackle Nick Kaczur, as well as blocking tight end Kyle Brady. Left tackle Matt Light neutralized Umenyiora, while left guard Logan Mankins and center Dan Koppen - like Light bound for the Pro Bowl - added to the protection. Brady, given time to pass, completed 32 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants know they have to get to Brady and at least make him uncomfortable in the pocket to have any chance of staying in this game.
OF NOTE: This will be the Patriots' sixth appearance in a Super Bowl - the most appearances in a Super Bowl in the last 25 years. They have a 3-2 record, with all the victories coming in the Bill Belichick-Brady era. ... The Giants are playing in their fourth Super Bowl and have a 2-1 record. This will be the Giants' 19th appearance in an NFL championship game. They have a 7-11 record since 1933. ... Brady is looking for his fourth Super Bowl championship, which would tie him with Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most all time by a quarterback. ... Belichick is attempting to join Pittsburgh's Chuck Noll as the only coaches with four Super Bowl wins. ... The Patriots are 5-3 all time against the Giants, winning the last four games. ... New England is attempting to become the first team in NFL history to go 19-0 in a season. ... The Giants, designated as the away team, have won an NFL-record 10 straight road games. ... The Patriots...
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