Super Sunday Ready for Super Sequel

With the NFL season reaching it's climatic finish in Indianapolis, legacies are on the line in the rematch we've all been dying to see.

New York Giants v. New England Patriots:
It was more than four year ago the New York Giants stormed into Glendale, Arizona as 12-point underdogs only to defeat the New England Patriots in arguably the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, 17-14.

Sunday they are hoping for much of the same. But the road to get here was anything, but easy.

The Giants' pass rush will hold the key to
stop Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI.

The Giants finished the regular season 9-7, capturing their eighth NFC East Division title. They played back-to-back must-win games in weeks 16 and 17 against the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys to even get into the postseason after a 6-2 start.

They are only the third 9-win team to get to the Super Bowl. The previous two both lost, the Los Angeles Rams (1979) and the Arizona Cardinals (2008).

Since that time, New York has reeled off three consecutive postseason wins, beating the Atlanta Falcons in the Big Apple and upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers away from home, furthering their reputation as road warriors.

Commanding that ship, just like in 2007, is quarterback Eli Manning.

The 31-year-old signal caller was asked at the start of the season if he was in fact an elite quarterback. But even when the doubters questioned his yes response, he did his best to prove them wrong and has his team one win away from football's ultimate prize.

Just like in Super Bowl XLII, Manning threw a record 15 fourth quarter touchdown passes during the year and led multiple game-winning drives and comebacks.

As for his coach, Tom Coughlin now has seven postseason road wins, tying him for the most all-time. His team is 6-1 in their last seven games and have continued to live by his "humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform" modo throughout. He has helped the franchise improve to 5-0 in conference championship games with the hope of adding their fourth Super Bowl.

Coughin, 65, could become the oldest winning Super Bowl head coach in history with a win Sunday.

On the other side, New England may be favored in Vegas, but it seems they are back to the underdog role -- a role that saw them win the franchise's only three Super Bowls in a four-year span at the turn of the century.

The Patriots are 3-3 in their six previous Super Bowl appearances with the last one a forever haunting nightmare.

Brady is now 16-5 in 21 career postseason games, tying Hall of Famer and his boyhood idol, Joe Montana, for the most wins all-time. This is Brady's fifth Super Bowl appearance, tying another Hall of Famer, John Elway, for the most ever.

If Brady is able to win his fourth career Lombardi Trophy, he join Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to do so. Montana holds the record for most Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards with three, and passing touchdowns with 11. Comparing those to Brady's two Super Bowl MVPs and seven passing touchdowns, the record books could be rewritten Sunday night in Indy.

He is also just 155 yards from breaking Kurt Warner's career record (1,156) for the most passing yards in the Super Bowl. Warner holds the records for the first (414), second (377) and third (365) most passing yards in a single Super Bowl.

It will be the fifth time Brady and head coach Bill Belichick have appeared in a Super Bowl together which is the most of a quarterback-head coaching duo.

With a win Sunday, Belichick will tie the legendary Chuck Noll for the most Super Bowl wins as a head coach. And history is one his side.

When Belichick, who spent most of his career as a defensive assistant or coordinator prior to becoming a head coach, has had an extra week to prepare for an opponent whether it's in the regular season or postseason, more times than not he comes out on top. His offense averages 25.3 points per game without the extra rest compared to 26.0 PPG with it.

But it has been his defense that truly has excelled.

Belichick's defense has surrendered 20.4 PPG on a week-to-week basis, but with his ability to scheme another week, the defense becomes stingy, allowing just 14.8 PPG.

His .739 winning percentage in the postseason is second to only Vince Lombardi's .900 and it's been his unique style of coaching and willingness to take on players that nobody else wanted that has made him one of the greatest to ever don the sidelines.

This season alone Belichick has 18 undrafted free agents on this AFC champion team, 11 of them coming on defense. A defense that has seen them rank last in numerous major categories and have 16 different players take snaps in their secondary.

Unlike the AFC Championship game,
Chad Ochocinco looks to be active
for the biggest game of his life.

These two teams have met 10 lifetimes meetings with record all even at five wins apiece. However, each of the last two times they have met, the Giants have come out on top, including their improbable Super Bowl XLII victory and most recently in Week 9 of this season.

New York went into Foxborough and Manning rallied them to one of the team's many fourth quarter comebacks this season, 24-20. Tight end Jake Ballard caught the game's go-ahead touchdown and could play a major role once again. The Giants were without wideout Hakeem Nicks and running back Ahmad Bradshaw in that win, both whom have played a major role in the team's recent postseason success.

That was the last time the Patriots lost this season, reeling off 10 straight victories since. But the loss ended New England's 20-game home winning streak and Brady's 31-game home streak -- streaks the Giants are now notorious for breaking.

Most notably breaking New England's 18-game winning streak in the Super Bowl, spoiling their bid a perfection. They are now posed with the task of breaking yet another Patriots' winning streak.

For the quarterbacks, Brady and Manning will meet in the Super Bowl the second time, a feat that has only been accomplished two other times. Bradshaw and Roger Staubach met in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII, both won by Bradshaw's Pittsburgh Steelers.

The only other Super Bowl quarterback rematch also contained another Hall of Fame Cowboy quarterback, but this time he was on the other side of the fence. Troy Aikman led Dallas to two consecutive Super Bowl victories over the Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly as a part of Buffalo's four straight Super Bowl losses.

History is on Manning's side.

Prior to their Super Bowl XLII matchup, the Giants lost to the Patriots in Week 17. The loss catapulted New York's season capped by their third championship. But with New England's Week 9 loss to the Giants this season could be a sign of role reversal.

There's 15 players remaining on the Giants' roster that played in their previous Super Bowl meeting, and only seven on the Patriots, so it's safe to say revenge is not a factor.

Or is it?

NYG X-Factor: Giants' Pass Rush


NE X-Factor: Chad Ochocinco


Super Bowl XLVI MVP: Wes Welker


New England, 31-27

Championship Sunday Preview: Showdown In San Fran

Are you ready for some football?

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers:
It will be the eighth time these two teams have met in the postseason with the Niners holding a 4-3 advantage.

The Giants are coming off an improbable win last Sunday in Lambeau Field, where they upended the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, 37-20. It was the fourth time Eli Manning has led his team to victory on the road in the postseason and could set a new NFL mark with career postseason road wins (5), if New York gets passed San Francisco's hard-nosed defense.

Manning has experienced every type of
situation in the postseason, Sunday by
the bay won't be any different.

Manning has quickly gained a reputation as one of the best late-game and playoff performers in NFL history. This season, emerging from the shadow as Peyton's little brother, Manning threw 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns, setting an NFL record.

That success translated into the postseason once again.

Manning, for the second in his career, beat Green Bay on the road in a playoff game. The first time came in final of New York's three road victories that eventually lead them to an unthinkable win in Super Bowl XLII over the undefeated Patriots.

En route to that Super Bowl appearance, the Giants' front four played a vital role in their climb to the top and that will need to be the case once again if they are to win their second Super Bowl in five years. New York is one of the rare teams in the NFL that is able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks while just rushing four defenders.

New York visited Candlestick Park earlier this year, where they were handed one of their seven losses this season. Down 27-20 in final minute of the game, Manning was driving his team down the field for the game-tying touchdown. San Francisco defensive tackle Justin Smith, who hit Drew Brees five times last Saturday, including a sack, knocked down the potential game-tying pass, giving the 49ers the win.

In the Giants' first two playoff wins this postseason, they have won each by least 17 points, becoming the one of the rare teams to accomplish that feat while starting in the wild-card round. There have been twelve total teams to do so prior to New York doing that this season. Ten of those teams that have won by that margin have gone on to win the Super Bowl.

Sounds like a recipe for success. Not to mention New York is 4-0 all-time when playing in NFC Championship.

In San Francisco, first-year new head coach Jim Harbaugh has taken a 6-10 Niners team from a year ago and made them a 13-3 division winner, while capturing the No. 2 seed in the NFC and creating arguably the NFL's best defense.

It's San Francisco's first playoff appearance and win since 2002. Their last postseason win game against none other than the Giants in the divisional round. In that game then-quarterback Jeff Garica orchestrated the second-greatest comeback in NFL postseason history, erasing a 24-point deficit and finishing the controversial game with a 39-38 lead.

Former first overall pick, Alex Smith and Co. is coming off an emotional last second victory over the New Orleans Saints. With nine seconds left and the Niners trailing by three, Smith threw a 14-yard strike to tight end Vernon Davis, creating "The Catch III", giving them the right to play in the Conference Championship.

Gore only carried the ball six times for no
 gain on Nov. 13 against the Giants before
 leaving with an injury.

In that win, Smith became only the fifth quarterback in postseason history to throw 3 TDs, rush for another and not throw an interception. The other four are Tobin Rote (1957), Joe Montana (1984), Rich Gannon (2002) and most recently Aaron Rodgers (2010).

While their offense has been much improved this season, especially the play of Smith, it will be San Francisco's defense that needs to take them to the Super Bowl. With their stout front seven, the 49ers were tied with the Packers for a league-best 38 takeaways this season and added five more turnovers to the bunch in their win against the Saints.

Both New York's Ahmad Bradshaw and San Francisco's Frank Gore did not play or were limited in the two team's first meeting this season, but are ready to go in game that is being called by many a potential blood bath.

NYG X-Factor: Eli Manning


SF X-Factor: Frank Gore


New York, 24-23

Giants Bigger Than Brady

Manning celebrates following his
fourth quarter touchdown pass.

Eli Manning one-upped New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady once again.

In their first regular-season meeting since Super Bowl XLII, where Manning handed Brady and Co. their first loss of the 2007-'08 football season, scoring in the final minute to seal an improbable Super Bowl win, the New York Giants did more of the same Sunday in New England.

After the first scoreless game at the half so far this year in the NFL and New England being shutout for the first two quarters for the first time in 74 games, the scoring picked up and the Patriots found themselves down 17-13 in the fourth quarter.

Despite the Giants' defensive line dictating much of the game, Brady orchestrated his 35th comeback in the game's final period or overtime with a 14-yard strike to tight end Rob Gronkowski on fourth and eight with 1:36 to play in regulation.

It looked like Brady, who mounted a fourth quarter come from behind win against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, was going to add to his legend, instead it was Manning furthering his legacy as the last-minute magician against the Pats. The eight-year veteran out of Ole Miss conducted an 8-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ballard, who hauled in a 28-yard pass from Manning earlier in the drive that helped set up his third touchdown reception of the season.

The drive also included a season long 12-yard first down run from Manning.

New York's touchdown was the fourth and final lead change of the quarter, as Brady was unable to do much with the generous 15 seconds Manning left him.

When referring to himself as an elite quarterback at the beginning of the season, many shook their head in disagreement, but Manning has done his best to prove the doubters wrong.

Manning tossed 2 touchdown passes in the game's final three minutes and three seconds, giving him 15 on the season, compared to his 6 interceptions. He has racked up 2,377 yards and a career-high 98.8 quarterback rating through his team's his eight games. The Giants are now 6-2 on the year, tying themselves with the Detroit Lions for the second-best record in the NFC.

Also representing their conference proudly, New York becomes the first NFC since 2002 to win game in Gillette Stadium, ending an 18-game losing streak.

As for New England, the loss snaps at 20-game regular season home winning streaking, dating back to November of 2008 when then-quarterback Matt Cassel, who was filling in for the injured Brady, lost in Foxborough to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-10.

It also ends the longest home winning streak by a quarterback in NFL history. Prior to Sunday, Brady had won 31 consecutive regular season games in Foxborough. However, Brady has lost each of his last two postseason games at home.

Much like in Super Bowl XLII, Brady found
himself pressured and on his back Sunday.

The loss drops New England to 5-3 at the half way point in the season, putting them in three-way tie atop the AFC East, joining the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, who host Bill Belichick and Co. next week on Sunday Night Football.

History repeated itself Sunday like it almost always tends to do, while Manning proved once again he is an elite quarterback in the NFL.