It almost seems like deja vu, but the New York Giants and the New England Patriots are at it again. This Sunday they will face each other for the title of Super Bowl champions. The last time these two teams met in 2008, the Giants clinched the win, 17-14.
The hardest part about the Super Bowl is not just getting there, but getting there with your team intact. Each of the teams has star players suffering from major injuries.
On New York‘s side, Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw are recovering from injuries. However, according to the Washington Post Nicks and Bradshaw are likely to play in the Super Bowl. The Patriots, on the other hand, aren’t as fortunate. Although Wes Welker is likely healthy enough to play despite the knee issues according to reports, the big question coming out of New England is whether breakout tight end Rob Grownkowski will be able to play this Sunday. If he does suit up, the question will he be if he is effective enough, just two weeks removed from spraining his ankle in the American Football Conference Championship.
Despite the uncertainty of Grownkowski’s status, the New England Patriots are still favored by three and a half over the New York Giants to win the Super Bowl. This time around, as opposed to 2008, the New England Patriots are expected to take care of business and defeat the New York Giants this Sunday.
Brady Johnson, a member of Pepperdine’s Rugby team, expressed his opinion of the game: “Tom Brady’s legacy as an elite quarterback will be at stake in this game,” Johnson said. “If he wins, he will be remembered as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. If he loses, he will be branded as an overrated quarterback.”
The Patriots have a huge question looming over Brady’s big target Grownkowski. However, the Patriots will still have the best decision maker on the field and the last couple of Super Bowls have shown that having that type of player on the field is one of the keys to winning the Super Bowl. This is why the New England Patriots will win this Sunday. It’s hard to imagine that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will not win in this rematch opportunity.
Ultimately, one thing that can be agreed on is that the Super Bowl champs will be from the team who is able to best limit their turnovers. In fact the last two winners of the Super Bowl have succeeded in having fewer turnovers then their opposition. As bad as the Patriots defense has been said to be, they were still number three in the NFL in forcing turnovers. Keep that in mind this Sunday.
No matter what happens, this Sunday’s game is certainly going to be a historic battle that no one will want to miss.
