Sensei

Danny Sheridan of USA Today has already set Patriots as 13.5 favorites over the Giants. Then again NEP was supposed to be 10 and 13 point favorites over the Jaguars/Chargers and both of those games were close (well, at least through the 4th quarter). I think once again the Patriots will win but not by as much as the oddsmakers expect.

The Week 17 NEP-NYG was a great game but I don't see the first ever 19-0 season being prevented.

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Fotzlid

i'll take the Giants on that.
Pats will win, but not by 2 TD's.
might be Gostkowski's turn to be the hero.

highthief

Giants to beat that spread.

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ratbastid

Pats will win, but not by that spread.

I WANT the Giants to win, but the Patriots probably will win. Damn Patriots.

Ustwo

I want the pats to win so that the 1972 Dolphins go away forever.

I don't like the Pats so I wouldn't mind if the Giants win.

Win - win superbowl for me.

I too think the Pats will win, and I do think they will beat the spread, though I wouldn't bet any money on it.

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pan6467

NE has played and beaten NY twice. Preseason the score was 27-20, last game of the season when NY would have loved to beaten the "unbeaten" and made history as the team that did it.... NE wins by 3 and trailed 3 quarters.

If I could gamble and I saw these odds I'd have a nice sum on the Giants with the spread. But I can't gamble because it leads me to lose everything cause I can't stop and I make stupid ass bets just to run out of money so I can stop gambling.

I think the game will be close but that the Pats get the lead and keep it..... final score NE 34 NY 27 (maybe 30)

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roachboy

the pats will win, i think, but i wouldn't bet on the spread either.
last giants game was a bit like the pats-eagles game in that it wasn't so much that the pats won as it was that the giants (and eagles) lost. there's a difference.

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Average_Joe

I think the Patriots will win and cover. Most of the close games that the Pats have won were played in cold weather, which grounded their high-octane offense to some degree. The Superbowl in being played in Arizona, so chances are the weather conditions will be optimal for their offense. The Giants are playing good football right now, but I don't see them matching the production that New England can deliver in these conditions.

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Ilow

Bill B's record playing teams a second time in a season is incredible. Also some of Brady's best games have come after his worst, I would look for him and the O to rebound in the perfect AZ conditions in a big game. While a close game would not be surprising, neither would a blowout like the Pats Bears 1985 SB. Pats cover.

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Glory's Sun

I've learned to not bet against the Pats in the past few years..

That being said, I think they'll cover the spread as the 2 weeks will cool the Giants off a bit.

Tully Mars

SB's are often blow outs with the Ads proving to be much more interesting then the game itself. I think the Pats cover that spread, but after reading up on the cheating scandal I'd be happy if proved wrong.

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jorgelito

Tough call - as we all know in football, anything can happen (it's why I love the game). So many upsets these past few weeks.

I am a Patriots fan but I am a fan of the game of football first. I think it will be close. Too close to call, especially the spread. Giants are on a roll with nothing to lose so no pressure. It's a great Cinderella story in that sense. But the Pats have a lot of pressure. 18-0 so far, age and weather have take a toll. Maybe the 2 weeks will help them but it's better if they are in a rhythm.

I'm not sure how well the Giant's secondary matches up but I do think Burress, Toomer, and Jacobs should be able to do some damage. I expect at least on long bomb to connect from Manning to Burress and for Jacobs to break off a few good runs. If the Pat's D can hold, and if the front 7 can rattle Eli, then I think the edge should go to the Pats.

Bear Cub

I think the same goes for the Pats though with Brady. If you can pressure Brady into mistakes, you've got a much better shot of taking them out. The Chargers took Moss virtually out of the game as well. The Giants kept it close last time, maybe they've learned enough from that game to make the necessary changes and pull the upset. Maybe.

jorgelito

Yep. That's the crux of the strategy. If you can get to Brady early and often AND keep it up too, preferably the whole game. Pit blitzed Brady alot. Brady got sacked on the first play by Indy and Jax (I think). Even taking away Moss you still have a bunch of damn good receivers or whomever to get it done too yeah? But the problem is, Pats hang around and still beat you. None of those teams could keep it up. The Chargers played great defense but couldn't get it done on the other side. 4 field goals could/should have been TDs and it's a different story right?

So even trying to keep Brady down, is really hard. Sacks, blitzes, interceptions - and he still finds a way to win. Correction, the TEAM, still finds a way to win. I think Giants will play a great game but Pats should emerge victorious even if they just scrape by. Looking forward to a great Superbowl.

yellowmac

From a pure gambling perspective, take the points and bet on the Giants. The Pats haven't covered in a long, long time (once in the past 8 weeks i think from what i read earlier). It seems that Vegas hasn't really figured out how to process the Pats towards the end of the season. I'd take the Giants and bet the over as well. I have a feeling that the Pats will win in a close shootout game.

QuasiMondo

As much as I want Big Blue to win, I think the magical ride ends here. After all, they are up against the one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

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laconic1

I hope the Giants end the Patriots perfect season, just like the Giants ended the Broncos perfect season in '98. I have a bad feeling it won't happen though.

Redlemon

What he said.

I'm not looking forward to watching the game -- I'm a lifetime Pats fan, and my wife is a lifetime Giants fan. We have a small anti-wager on this game: loser receives oral sex, because everyone should get something out of the night.

I can only hope that the week off means that the Giants cool down. I'm sure that the Pats won't underestimate the Giants. Also, I trust the Pats coaching staff to get more useful analysis out of the last game than the Giants do.

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ironpham

I'm calling a Giants win. I feel like we're going to see both Manning brothers with a Superbowl victory over the Pats.

Strange Famous

Anyone but the Hatriots.

Cant see them losing though... but no one expected to beat the cold and Green Bay either I guess

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matthew330

Baltimore, among others, beat them this season. keep hope alive.

grumpyolddude

Pat to win, but no cover... haven't covered much in 2nd half or playoffs

Ilow

They did? News to me.

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troit

I can't believe as a Dallas fan I just voted for the Giants - they will cover.

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djtestudo

Yeah, I wish we did

Once teams like the Ravens and Eagles showed that you could pressure the offense and run over the defense (to a point), the Patriots haven't played in a blowout against a quality team.

However, they have enough flaws that their luck (not that they are lucky to be undefeated, but that they have had things go their way more often then not) could easily run out.

They could get an officiating crew that allows more contact in the secondary. Or worse, one that has spasmy flag-throwing wrists when it comes to questionable actions (I'm looking at you, Rodney Harrison. And Vince Wilfork. And Richard Seymour...). They could have Brady get hurt. Or Moss.

(Or Mike Vrabel, so they can't score any TDs inside the five-yard line )

My head says the Patriots will win, but I will be rooting hard for the Giants. When they beat the Packers, I thought they didn't have a chance, but the more I think about it, the more I think they can very easily pull the upset (which might be the biggest in Super Bowl history).

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Redlemon

Here's the list of the Super Bowl Officiating Crew. No idea how lenient they are.
According to the line, this would only be the 2nd biggest upset. The biggest was Super Bowl III - New York 16, Baltimore 7, which had a 20 point line.

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Ilow

Well the oddsmakers in Vegas have admitted to having difficulty handicapping the Super Bowls over the years, and have also had trouble with the Pats this year (10-8 versus the spread). One oddsmaker recently said that the opening SB line his year was not a reflection of the quality of the teams, but rather a guess about what line would draw an equal amount of betting on both sides.

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yellowmac

Exactly -- that's precisely the point of being an oddsmaker... determining the line that draws equal action. I think though there are two forces at play for this game: a "Patriots tax" that lays an extra point or two for NE, 'cause people are afraid to bet against the Pats juggernaut, and the fact that typically Vegas seems to like the Giants a lot, cause it seems that they know that they'll get a lot of action on NY from the huge NY fan base.

As for the ref, Carey will be a solid official and it's doubtful that the reffing will influence the game much. Coincidentally, he reffed the Week 17 game between these 2 teams...

Fotzlid

Tully Mars

I love The Onion. Classic.

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Sion

fixed it for ya

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fixed it for ya

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