I’ll be in Las Vegas this weekend, to watch and waste money on the Super Bowl, likely from the theater at The Las Vegas Hilton.
But going into the weekend, I still have no idea who to put my money on.
My gut tells me the New York Giants have a better team and the momentum.
The New England Patriots are beat up, but they have Tom Brady … and I literally can’t bet against Brady.
How do you bet against the modern day Joe Montana, even if Joe Montana doesn’t think he’s Joe Montana?
So rather than go round and round and flip flop like my name was Mitt, I’ll just go against my fellow BallHyped contributors and go with Brady and the Patriots:
New England 28, New York Giants 24
With Rob Gronkowski limited, Aaron Hernandez is going to be the player of the game. He won’t win MVP honors, because Tom Brady is on his team, but he’ll be the reason the Patriots offense gets it done.
If the media doesn’t give all the credit to Brady afterward, Tim Tebow will get it, for giving his former Florida Gators teammate a pregame text or pep talk.
But we’ll all know who the real hero is.
- B.Milne
Other picks from the BallHyped peeps:
Giants 37, Patriots 27
The only shocking ending in this East Coast match-up would be a low score. After all, both teams feature weak defenses and high-powered offenses.
In its 18 games this season, the Patriots have scored 30 or more points 13 times. Meanwhile, the Giants have lit up teams like Green Bay and Dallas, twice.
The Giants were looking good this year through week 8, when it beat the Patriots in New England. But what followed was a 4-game skid that nearly cost them a head coach. The Patriots? Well, they’re the Pats — and Tom Brady’s fifth Super Bowl solidifies his status among the great NFL QBs.
I expect Indy — home of Peyton Manning (for now) and arch rival of the Patriots — to be a home field advantage for the Giants. More importantly, this championship is all about the quarterbacks. While Eli is not as good as brother Peyton, he has fared better in the playoffs. And while Brady is the most effective playoff QB since Joe Montana, his team simply isn’t as good as past New England Super Bowl teams, allowing Manning an edge in what should be an impressive shootout in the Circle City.
- P. Pemberton
Giants 30, Patriots 27
As a hardcore Charger fan this game pains me to no end. I’ll throw my fandom bias out the window and throw my hat in the ring for the Giants.
Their defensive line is playing out of its mind and it’ll put a ton of pressure on Brady, which is essential for beating the Patriots. Welker has been Brady’s primary weapon in the past and with Gronkowski hobbled he’ll fill that role again. A crippled Gronk spells doom for the Pats.
On the Giants side, Victor Cruz is having a monster rookie year and look for that to continue against a bad Patriots secondary. As long as Eli doesn’t screw this up he should have a huge passing day. Defense is the name of the game and that’s not a strong point for New England.
- Erick Smith
Giants 28, Patriots 17
I’m not giving you even one full paragraph, that’s how easy this one is. Giants and I’m not sure why they’re underdogs. Aren’t the playing the best of any team in the NFL? Isn’t Gronk hurt? Hasn’t Brady come up small the last few weeks? I don’t care about any rematch type of stuff, the Giants just look better on both sides of the ball.
- B. Greenaway
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