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Inside the matchup: Patriots vs. Giants
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Who has the edge
at this position?
Who has the edge
at this position?
The Patriots play the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch of their famous 2008 meeting in Super Bowl XLII.
They’ve played twice already this season, and the Giants won both a preseason meeting and regular-season matchup in November.
Take a look at how they compare at each position, and cast your vote for the team you think has the edge at the position.
Patriots
Giants
The Patriots ranked second in the NFL in passing offense, although Brady was less than stellar in the AFC Championship. Still, he passed for more then 5,000 yards in 2011.
While his brother Peyton, the Colts' quarterback, missed all of the regular season, Eli Manning has stepped into the spotlight and lived up to his candid preseason remarks. Manning had the seventh-best passer rating and threw for nearly 5,000 yards. Manning has a 103.1 passer rating in the postseason.
By the numbers
| Com. | Att. | Yards | TD | Yards/pass | Rating | Int. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | 401 | 611 | 5,235 | 39 | 9 | 106 | 12 |
By the numbers
| Com. | Att. | Yards | TD | Yards/pass | Rating | Int. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Manning | 359 | 589 | 4,933 | 29 | 8 | 93 | 16 |
Patriots
Giants
Rob Gronkowski set an NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end and gave opponents all they could handle. Aaron Hernandez has also been used out of the backfield in the playoffs, making a dangerous tandem even more potent.
Jake Ballard is not in the same class as either of New England's tight ends, but he scored in Week 9 against the Patriots and had three other scores during the season.
By the numbers
| Yards | TD | Rec. | Yards/rec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Gronkowski | 1,327 | 17 | 90 | 15 |
| Aaron Hernandez | 910 | 7 | 79 | 12 |
By the numbers
| Yards | TD | Rec. | Yards/rec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Ballard | 604 | 4 | 38 | 16 |
Patriots
Giants
The Patriots rushed enough to keep defenses honest. They ranked 20th in the NFL using a running back-by-committee approach that saw three players pass 350 yards on the season, but none reached 1,000.
The Giants ranked last in the league in rushing with 1,427 yards and have stuck with their passing offense in the playoffs. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are red zone threats, though, as they combined for 16 touchdowns.
By the numbers
| Yards | TD | Rushes | Yards/carry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BenJarvus Green-Ellis | 667 | 11 | 181 | 4 |
| Stevan Ridley | 441 | 1 | 87 | 5 |
| Danny Woodhead | 351 | 1 | 77 | 5 |
By the numbers
| Yards | TD | Rushes | Yards/carry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmad Bradshaw | 659 | 9 | 171 | 4 |
| Brandon Jacobs | 571 | 7 | 152 | 4 |
Patriots
Giants
Wes Welker set a franchise record for receiving yards and Deion Branch had his moments in 2011, but Chad Ochocinco was a disappointment with his worst year since his rookie season.
The Giants had two 1,000-yard receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Nicks was injured for Week 9's matchup with the Patriots, and both Nicks and Cruz have made big plays in the playoffs.
By the numbers
| Yards | TD | Rec. | Yards/rec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wes Welker | 1,569 | 9 | 122 | 13 |
| Deion Branch | 702 | 5 | 51 | 14 |
| Danny Woodhead | 157 | 0 | 18 | 9 |
| Chad Ochocinco | 276 | 1 | 15 | 18 |
By the numbers
| Yards | TD | Rec. | Yards/rec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Cruz | 1,536 | 9 | 82 | 19 |
| Hakeem Nicks | 1,192 | 7 | 76 | 16 |
| Mario Manningham | 523 | 4 | 39 | 13 |
Patriots
Giants
The Patriots were tagged as a bend-but-don't-break unit throughout the season, but the defense was the reason they won the AFC Championship game. Giant tackle Vince Wilfork ruins offensive lines, and has been a vocal leader as well.
New York's defense ranked near the bottom of the league in most categories, but it hasn't allowed more than 20 points since Week 16.
By the numbers
| Int. | Tackles | Sacks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerod Mayo | 2 | 95 | 1 |
| Kyle Arrington | 7 | 88 | 0 |
| Devin McCourty | 2 | 87 | 0 |
| Rob Ninkovich | 2 | 74 | 7 |
| Vince Wilfork | 2 | 52 | 4 |
| Kyle Love | 0 | 33 | 3 |
| Mark Anderson | 0 | 29 | 10 |
| Antwaun Molden | 2 | 36 | 0 |
| Sterling Moore | 2 | 7 | 0 |
By the numbers
| Int. | Tackles | Sacks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antrel Role | 2 | 96 | 0 |
| Michael Boley | 0 | 93 | 1 |
| Jason Pierre-Paul | 0 | 86 | 17 |
| Mathias Kiwanuka | 1 | 84 | 4 |
| Kenny Phillips | 4 | 82 | 0 |
| Jacquian Williams | 0 | 78 | 1 |
| Deon Grant | 1 | 64 | 1 |
| Aaron Ross | 4 | 60 | 0 |
| Corey Webster | 6 | 51 | 0 |
Patriots
Giants
Stephen Gostkowski has been solid all season, and went 10-for-13 on field goal attempts of 40 yards or longer.
Lawrence Tynes missed one kick from inside 39 yards during the season, made 3 of 5 from 40-49 yards and 1 of 3 from 50 yards or more.
By the numbers
| FG | FGA | Long FG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Gostkowski | 28 | 33 | 50 |
By the numbers
| FG | FGA | Long FG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Tynes | 19 | 24 | 50 |
Patriots
Giants
Zoltan Mesko played a key role in the field position battle, and 24 of his 57 punts pinned opponents inside their own 20. He was not blocked all season.
Steve Weatherford had 25 punts that pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line and his longest punt traveled 62 yards.
By the numbers
| Punts | Long punt | Avg. punt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoltan Mesko | 57 | 65 | 47 |
By the numbers
| Punts | Long punt | Avg. punt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Weatherford | 82 | 62 | 46 |
Patriots
Giants
Bill Belichick is 9th on the NFL's career wins list, and has three Super Bowl rings. His choices in recent drafts have provided him with some of the NFL's best young talent, including Rob Gronkowski at tight end and Zoltan Mesko at punter.
Tom Coughlin has some history with Bill Belichick. The Giants beat the undefeated 2007 Patriots, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII. Coughlin has a .578 win percentage and is 7-3 in the postseason with the Giants since 2004.
By the numbers
| Wins | Losses | Playoff record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Belichick | 175 | 97 | 16-6 |
By the numbers
| Wins | Losses | Playoff record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Coughlin | 139 | 110 | 10-7 |
Patriots
Giants
By the numbers
| Patriots | Patriots' opponents | |
|---|---|---|
| Total first downs | 399 | 370 |
| First down breakdown (rush-pass-penalty) |
107-262-30 | 101-245-24 |
| Third-down conversions | 89/194 | 87/202 |
| Fourth-down conversions | 7/11 | 8/19 |
| Offense plays-avg. yards | 1,082-6.3 | 1,064-6.2 |
| Total rushing yards | 1,764 | 1,874 |
| Rushing plays-avg. yards | 438-4 | 405-4.6 |
| Total passing yards | 5,084 | 4,703 |
| Passing comp-att-int-avg. | 402-612-12-8.6 | 386-619-23-8 |
| Sacks | 40 | 32 |
| Field goals | 28/33 | 20/23 |
| Touchdowns | 61 | 40 |
| TDs rush-pass-returns-defense | 18-39-1-3 | 13-26-0-1 |
| Average time of possession | 28:47 | 31:12 |
| Turnover ratio | Plus-17 | n/a |
By the numbers
| Giants | Giants' opponents | |
|---|---|---|
| Total first downs | 331 | 338 |
| First down breakdown (rush-pass-penalty) |
84-216-31 | 103-210-25 |
| Third-down conversions | 77/206 | 84/220 |
| Fourth-down conversions | 4/13 | 10/18 |
| Offense plays-avg. yards | 1028-6.0 | 1072-5.6 |
| Total rushing yards | 1,427 | 1,940 |
| Rushing plays-avg. yards | 411-3.5 | 435.4.5 |
| Total passing yards | 4,734 | 4,082 |
| Passing comp-att-int-avg. | 359-589-16-8.4 | 361-589-20-7.5 |
| Sacks | 48 | 28 |
| Field goals | 19/24 | 25/31 |
| Touchdowns | 47 | 46 |
| TDs rush-pass-returns-defense | 17-29-0-1 | 15-28-0-3 |
| Average time of possession | 29:29 | 30:30 |
| Turnover ratio | Plus-7 | n/a |
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