Capitulation

OK, let’s just get it over with and hand the Lombardi Trophy over to the Dark Side.

The Last Great Hope, Brett Favre, gun-slung his way out of the Super Bowl by throwing a pick on the second play in overtime. After watching Lawrence Tynes woefully shank the winning field goal as regulation expired, I knew that the Packers were destined to play the role of Good to New England’s Evil. When Green Bay won the OT coin toss, there could be no doubt: Brett Favre would march his team the requisite thirty yards for the game-winning field goal. All appeared lost as Favre’s weak out pass floated into the waiting arms of the enemy, but still hope sprung. The Packers defense held and forced a 47 yard field goal attempt. Coach Tom Coughlin had to forcibly remove Lawrence Tynes’ hands from their clutched position around his own neck before sending the Scotsman out for the game-winning try. Surely after missing two relative gimmies from 36 and 43 yards, Tynes would wilt before the Manifest Destiny awaiting Brett Favre and company. But, alas, it was not to be. After briefly appearing to hook right, the kick self-corrected in mid-air and sliced right between the middle of the goalposts.

New England is currently installed as a two touchdown favorite over the New York Giants. True, the Giants gave the Patriots their toughest challenge of the year (apologies to Indianapolis and Baltimore) but you got the feeling that the Giants played as well as they possibly could in that game. They converted on 60% of their third downs. Eli threw only one interception to four touchdown passes. The Giants’ defense forced New England into three first half field goals, when it seems like the Patriots are always scoring touchdowns. However, Bill Belichick started to figure out how to beat the Giants somewhere in the middle of the third quarter. After falling behind by 12 points midway through the third quarter, the Patriots scored 22 unanswered to take a 10 point lead. The Giants were able to score a last-minute touchdown, but after a failed onside kick, the game was over.

Eli has looked good this post-season. Good, not great. True, he hasn’t thrown an interception in three straight road games, but he has also surpassed 200 yards only once in that stretch. And don’t forget, this is the guy who tied for the lead league in interceptions. The sentiment that he’s due for a bad game doesn’t seem completely unreasonable. The Giants seemed to have decent success running the ball in their season finale against New England, although they didn’t go to the run game very much. Brandon Jacobs averaged 4.5 yards per carry, but on only 15 carries. I was surprised that the Giants didn’t try to power the ball down New England’s throat in the fourth quarter, and then they got into trouble with the passing game, as Manning was sacked and pressured into his few mistakes of the game. You can be sure that Bill Belichick will once again keep the heat on Manning by putting more people in the box, which will both pressure Manning and limit the rushing attack.

The bottom line is this: I have more belief that Belichick will craft a winning recipe than I do in Coughlin, given that both have seen the same game footage and know (somewhat) the other’s tendencies. Maybe fourteen points is a little high on the Vegas line, but the odds against New York have to be overwhelming at this point.