Yup, that’s me on the field during the NFC Championship game! I got my eye on ya, Eli Manning!

Life has been pretty hectic with school and work. I haven’t been able to incorporate much sports time and blogging in my busy schedule.

However, I was able to knock two birds with one stone with this post.

My teacher gave me permission to write about today’s Super Bowl for my first essay. So I chose the argumentative route. I decided to explain why I think the New England Patriots will lose this one…again.

Honestly, I’m not a fan of either team. It would have been nice to see the 49ers on the field, but that’s not happening. So, I’m just going to enjoy the good food and commercials more than the Super Bowl itself.

Yes, I’m still bitter.

But there are a few reasons why I have money on the New York Giants.

I just don’t like the Patriots, and there’s just something about Tom Brady that reminds me of Justin Bieber. I’m tired of hearing the Brady-Montana comparisons. We all know who is the greatest QB in the NFL!

Also, the Giants better prove that they are worthy enough of beating my favorite team (San Francisco 49ers), by obtaining the Lombardi trophy!

If you’re going to beat the 49ers, you better win the Super Bowl. It’s that simple.

So here’s my essay. I literally wrote it out with only minutes to spare before kickoff. I had to work under pressure just to put out this piece. It’s probably going to be the same amount of pressure that Tom Brady will feel against the Giants defense. Pun intended!

Enjoy!

….

Today is a holiday. While it may not be official, we all know what 99% of the nation will be doing this Sunday. As the lines get long at the supermarket, the grills get fired up, the bottles of beer are popped open, I am spending my last three hours before kickoff, writing this essay. That’s right. It’s Super Bowl XLVI and I have a deadline to make!

I have looked at the final two teams left standing in the NFL. The NFC is represented by the New York Giants, and the New England Patriots will perform for the AFC. I may be a little biased when it comes to my prediction. I made my decision immediately after the 49ers and Ravens were beaten by the aforementioned teams. It’s very easy for any fan to go with what their heart says, rather than what their mind tells them. However, I did my research, and after weighing out my options, my selection still stands. Tom Brady and his Patriots will lose to the younger Manning and the Big Blue.

For those of you who don’t know, the Giants already beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII back in 2008. As a lifelong football fan, I can’t help but sense a little deja vu this time around. History is known to repeat itself, and I’m not only talking about sports in general. But that will not be my sole defense for this argument. I’m not going to tell you that Giants are going to win because they did four years ago. Nevertheless, they did beat the Patriots each time they met this year. New York came away with the win in Week 4 of the preseason. It may not even be fair to bring this game up, given the fact that it was only preseason, but I’m bringing it up anyway. The final score was 18-17. The Giants beat the Patriots again in Week 9 of the regular season, in New England territory, and that final score was 24-20. The Giants have already defeated their fellow opponents twice this year, and there’s not much that will stop them from doing it again today.

Let’s face it, Eli Manning and the rest of his squad may have not had the perfect season. They acquired this position as Wild Card contenders in the playoffs, and now currently hold a 12-7 record. However, they’re on a 5-game winning streak, and this underrated QB is on fire. They won the Wild Card Playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons in blow-out, with a 24-2 score. They beat the powerful Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Playoffs at Lambeau Field. Then they flew over to Candlestick and defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a field goal in over time. Eli Manning has been known to have some crazy comebacks in the 2nd and 4th quarter in these last few games. He’s made 8 touchdowns and only 1 interception this whole post season, while Tom Brady has only made 6 TD’s and threw 2 INT’s. Performance-wise, Manning is reliable and is capable of handling pressure well, even if it’s down to the last minutes (maybe even seconds) of the game.

But I’m not going to totally disregard Tom Brady. He’s an amazing quarterback and is considered to be one of the elite. He’s already won three Super Bowls, alongside his head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots currently have a 15-3 record. While their passing game and tight-ends may be their bread and butter of their offense, they still have a weakness. Brady is not able to connect the ball to his teammates when playing against good defense. As I previously stated, the Patriots lost three games this season. Each of their opponents in those games were able to put pressure on New England’s offense. The Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Giants all had a strong enough defense to force Tom Brady to throw the football much quicker than what he’s usually used to doing. And as the old saying goes, “Defense wins championships.”

The Patriots may have gotten away with a win against the tough D of the Baltimore Ravens during the Conference Championship. But it was a close game, and the final score was 23-20. Tom Brady’s only interceptions that were thrown in the post season were during that game. His receivers weren’t playing as freely because of the pressure that was placed on the whole team overall. It’s just not possible to throw the ball as well, especially when a great defense is there to interrupt the momentum. And that’s where the New York Giants come in. Names like Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Osi Umenyiora should sound familiar. There’s something special about this defense. They have a great front four, are able to stop the run, and their secondary can cover. The Giants D forces QB’s to miss their targets and confuses the offense. When this happens, mistakes are made, and the Giants have been able to capitalize on those mistakes.

Not only does the New York Giants have an amazing defense, their offense isn’t too shabby either. Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Jake Ballard, and the salsa-dancing Victor Cruz are weapons that the Patriots must consider. At the same time, the Giants got pretty lucky with Rob Gronkowski’s high ankle injury. With one of New England’s star players having to perform with a sprain, it’s inevitable that his play time and performance will be limited.

At the end of the day, there’s only so much Tom Brady or Eli Manning can do. From the looks of all the stats, players, and past performances, it’s not a surprise that it’ll be a defensive game. That doesn’t mean that these quarterbacks won’t make some jaw-dropping passes, it just means that they’re going to have to be more accurate in order to keep the ball moving. How can I say this without sounding like a broken record? Defense wins championships. And frankly, the New York Giants have the upper hand. New England can’t win. Not with the Giants’ defense on the field.

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• Giants vs. Patriots Predictions: Tom Brady Will Win His 3rd Super Bowl MVP (bleacherreport.com)
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• Giants vs. Patriots: Final Super Bowl XLVI Predictions (bleacherreport.com)