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Jan
2008
Believe the Hype - A Super Lame Prediction
By Jason Levy
Here we go. After a harrowing bye week that forced football fans across the country to (gulp!) spend a Sunday away from the TV, the big game is upon us. And Super Bowl XLII is a match for the ages. The unbeaten, three-time champion New England Patriots versus the upstart, road warrior New York Giants. Boston versus New York. Bill Belichick versus fellow Parcells-disciple Tom Coughlin. Tom Brady versus the younger Manning. A rematch of the week 17 spectacle in the Meadowlands, in which the Pats needed a ferocious 2nd half comeback to stay unbeaten, and the game that allowed the Giants to believe in themselves. This Super Bowl will live up to the hype.
To prepare for the Super Bowl, I took to Madden 2008 to see what their forecast of the big game looked like. It’s a five-year-old tradition, starting with Raiders-Buccaneers, and Madden has been on the money each year. It even predicted Rich Gannon would complete a lot of passes to the Bucs secondary. If the game on Sunday is anything like the simulation, we’re in for a treat.
After a scoreless first, both offenses found their rhythm. Brady hit Randy Moss for an 82-yard TD, giving the Pats a 7-0 lead. But Eli would answer on the next drive, hitting Kevin Boss on a play-action pass for a 1-yard TD. After the Giants D forced a three-and-out, Eli hit Steve Smith for a 12-yard score, but Tynes missed the extra point, and the Giants led 13-7 with 1:10 left in the half. That was more than enough time for Brady, as he led the Pats down the field, and found Moss in the end zone again, giving the Pats a 14-13 halftime lead.
The 3rd quarter started off with a bang, as Eli hit Amani Toomer in the open field, and he slipped by Ellis Hobbs for a 45-yard TD, and Brandon Jacobs plowed through for the 2-point conversion, for a 21-14 Giants lead. But Brady had an answer, finding a wide-open Dante Stallworth for a 31-yard score, tying the game at 21 all.
It looked like the Giants would take the lead back to start the 4th as they marched down to the red zone, but Eugene Wilson picked off Eli in the end zone, keeping the score tied. The Pats drive stalled in Giants territory, bringing on Stephen Gostkowski for a successful 37-yard field goal, giving the Pats a 24-21 lead with 2:17 left. Just enough time for a Giants two-minute drill.
Eli executed the drill like a master, converting on numerous third downs, driving the Giants down the field. But the Pats defense held firm, stopping the Giants at the 30 yard line with less than 20 seconds to play, setting up a Tynes 47-yard field goal attempt, the same exact distance of the kick that beat the Packers. But Tynes would wish for a couple more chances, as the kick sailed wide left. A couple kneel-downs later, the Pats completed the undefeated season and sealed their place in history, 24-21.
Madden 2008 may like the Pats, but I have different ideas. Ever since the frozen football sailed through the uprights on a 47-yard journey from Lawrence Tynes foot, I have been convinced the Giants will be crowned champions of the NFL. Destiny is on their side. Three road victories, two of which were in a couple of the hardest places to win a road playoff game. Eli Manning is the only quarterback without a turnover in the playoffs. Youngsters like Ahmad Bradshaw, Kevin Boss, Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, and Justin Tuck have come through in big spots. Antonio Pierce is a field general at the middle linebacker position. Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer can dominate any secondary. If the Giants are going to win, they will have to play the flawless football they’ve been playing the past month. No turnovers, no stupid penalties, few dropped passes, and creating chaos in the pocket with a four-man rush.
The Patriots will not just let the Giants roll over them. Bill Belichick is too smart a coach to leave his team unprepared, and Tom Brady is too good a quarterback to be distracted, even if his ankle is banged up. They have a litany of players on both sides of the ball that have been in this situation before, and they will come to play. But the Pats have been letting teams hang around in games throughout the second half of the season, and this Giants team has been pouncing on every opportunity an opponent has given them.
Just imagine this scenario. Giants lead 30-28 in the waning minutes of the 4th quarter. The Pats drive into Giants territory, and face a fourth down at the Giants 26-yard line with four seconds left. The field goal team trots onto the field for the game winner. But unlike the previous Patriots Super Bowl teams, it’s not Adam Vinatieri lining up the kick, but Stephen Gostkowski. How confident are you he will come through in the clutch? Each of the Pats three Super Bowl wins have been by three points, the first two on last second kicks. And remember in the first Super Bowl it was the Pats that were huge underdogs to an experienced, thought-to-be-unstoppable St. Louis Rams team. And the Giants have won a title off an errant kick before (Norwood-wide right). In a game for the ages, it’s the Giants destiny to emerge victorious in one of the greatest upsets ever, sending the Patriots to a dismal 18-1.
Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 30 - New England Patriots 28
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