Redskins at giants

Posted: December 18
Updated: Today at 3:30 AM

TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After grabbing first place in the NFC East from the Dallas Cowboys with yet another fourth-quarter comeback, the New York Giants head into the final three weeks of the season in control of their playoff fate.

All they have to do is finish, which has been Tom Coughlin’s rallying cry from Day 1 of training camp after late-season collapses cost New York trips to the postseason the past two years.

The playoff scenario for the Giants (7-6) is simple.

Win three games and they are in. Win two of three, and make sure one of the victories is Dallas (7-6) on the final weekend, and that also leads to the postseason.

It all starts today with Washington (4-9), a team that has nothing to play for but the usual non-contender laments of a job next season, pride and just the desire to win.

However, this also is the same team that made the Giants and Eli Manning look miserable in a season-opening 28-14 victory.

Rex Grossman threw for 305 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and Washington’s defense held New York to one third-down conversion in 10 tries.

“We are not overlooking the Redskins,” said safety Antrel Rolle, who recently said the Giants would beat the Redskins 99 out of 100 times.

“We have respect for each NFL opponent that we face but at the end of the day, I know what we bring to the table and how good we are. I know what the outcome of the game should be come Sunday. It is up to us to go out there and put it on film and make sure the outcome is what we plan.”

Former Giants and current Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield expects more from New York this time around.

“I think they may have been confident going into the first game, but I know we shook that confidence by beating them the way we beat them,” Cofield said. “And I think they’ve got a lot of respect for us now, especially the way we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks.”

While they have lost 8 of 9 games, the Redskins have played hard during most of that span.

Last week was no different in a 34-27 loss to the New England Patriots. Washington posted a season-high 463 yards despite playing without tight end Fred Davis and left tackle Trent Williams. Both were out because of season-ending suspensions for violating the NFL’s drugs policy.

An apparent late game-tying touchdown was called back because of an offensive pass interference call against Redskins receiver Santana Moss.

Grossman isn’t interested in playing the role of a spoiler.

“I play this game to win,” he said. “You put so much energy and effort into each week that winning the game and feeling good after the game each Sunday and being proud of what you accomplished, that is plenty of motivation. You are playing for pride and going out there and trying to win and that’s really all the motivation you need as far as I am concerned. If we are spoilers in the process, it doesn’t give you any gratification. It is good to go win.”

In facing the Giants, Grossman will be going against a defense that has given up 121 points and 1,498 yards in its past three games against New Orleans, Green Bay and Dallas.

Grossman downplayed the big numbers.

“They didn’t play as well as they normally do, but those offenses present problems to everybody,” Grossman said. “We have to go out and execute our offense and be the best that we can be and focus on our execution. I really don’t worry about how well or how good the defense is. I just worry about how I can execute our plays the best that I can.”

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Guess who just threw his hat in the ring for the NFL’s
single-season passing mark? Those who selected New York Giants quarterback Eli
Manning should give themselves a pat on the back.

Many weren’t convinced when Manning said he deserved consideration as one of
the top quarterbacks in the league this past offseason. Several skeptics
argued his bold claim after Manning threw 25 interceptions and failed to lead
the Giants to the postseason last year. What a 180-degree turnaround it has
been for the gunslinger, however, who’s not only aiming to break Dan Marino’s
single-season passing record but is also trying to will New York to the
playoffs.

Manning and the Giants’ quests continue Sunday against the NFC East-rival
Washington Redskins at the MetLife Stadium. The Giants control their own
destiny for division supremacy, but only winning out would avoid any headaches
within the playoff scenarios. Though they may be able to afford losing one of
their final three games, the team still has the Dallas Cowboys chasing its
coattails for NFC East bragging rights with the two rivals currently tied in
the standings.

The Giants just defeated Dallas on the road this past Sunday night behind
another strong performance from their offensive MVP. Manning threw for exactly
400 yards on 27-of-47 passing with two touchdowns and an interception, marking
the third straight game in which he surpassed the 300-yard mark and third
time this season he hit 400 yards. He is 979 yards shy of matching Marino’s
passing record of 5,084 yards set during the 1984 campaign, but is also one of
four quarterbacks aiming for the former Miami star’s mark, along with Drew
Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

Manning is more focused on keeping the Giants on course for the playoffs and
said the win over the Cowboys would matter little if the team fails to take
care of business the rest of the way.

“It won’t mean anything if we don’t finish the season strong and win these
next games,” Manning said after the win. “That’s the mindset. We can’t relax
now. We can’t start feeling great about ourselves. We have three big games.
[This] week, Washington is coming to New York and we have to win that game and
go from there.”

The Redskins, New York Jets and Cowboys remain on the upcoming schedule for the
Giants, who were able to stop a four-game losing streak and avoid dropping five
in a row for the first time since the 2004 campaign. New York now has to put
the brakes on a two-game home losing streak this week in order to keep hope
alive. The last time the Giants lost three in a row as the host was a four-game
slide at the Meadowlands in 2007, a year in which they went on to win the
franchise’s third Super Bowl title.

Washington will finish the season with a record at .500 or below for a fourth
straight campaign, and the losing ways continued with last Sunday’s hard-fought
34-27 loss to the New England Patriots at FedEx Field.

The Redskins took Brady and the Patriots to the limit, but like many of their
games this season, the ultimate result was not achieved. Quarterback Rex
Grossman, who stated during the shortened offseason that the Redskins had a
chance to win the NFC East, played fairly well with 252 yards passing, two
touchdowns and an interception. The offense mustered just one touchdown in the
second half, however, clearing a path for the Patriots and opening the door to
possible changes under head coach Mike Shanahan.

“It’s not just one person, it’s everybody playing together,” Shanahan said
this week. “There aren’t many quarterbacks who can be the quarterback without
their supporting cast. You can’t put all the pressure on one guy. Part of it
is having that cohesive offensive line…running backs, wide receivers, tight
ends.

“It gives the quarterback a chance to be pretty good. Sometimes, when those
pieces aren’t there, you go from looking at least pretty good to looking
average.”

Washington has been below average in losing two straight and eight of nine
games since storming out of the gates with a 3-1 record. The Redskins headed
into their bye week on Oct. 9 looking pretty good in keeping Grossman’s
prediction true, but a mixture of blowout losses and close defeats has the team
peering down a 4-9 hole with the Giants, Minnesota and Philadelphia remaining.

The Redskins defeated New York in Week 1 by a 28-14 score thanks to 305 passing
yards and two touchdowns from Grossman. Running back Tim Hightower was healthy
back then and posted 72 yards and a score on 25 carries.

Grossman is still the quarterback after the Redskins had a brief experiment
with John Beck at midseason, but now it’s rookie running back Roy Helu’s show
now with Hightower done for the season with a torn ACL suffered in October.

SERIES HISTORY

The Giants have a 91-62-4 advantage in the all-time regular-season series with
Washington and had won six straight meetings in the set prior to the Redskins’
previously-noted victory in the 2011 opener. New York had recorded home-and-
home sweeps of Washington in each of the previous three years, and the
Redskins are 1-6 in their last seven games against the Giants as the visiting
team, with the only positive result over that span a 22-10 decision behind
then-backup quarterback Todd Collins during Week 15 of the 2007 campaign.
Washington, which hasn’t bested New York twice in the same season since 1999,
was dealt a 31-7 defeat at MetLife Stadium in December of 2010.

These storied rivals have also split two postseason matchups, with the Giants’
17-0 triumph in the 1986 NFC Championship countering a 28-0 Washington win in
a 1943 NFC Division Playoff.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is 12-6 against the Redskins all-time,
including a 1-2 mark while with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1995-2002.
Shanahan is 2-4 versus New York over his head coaching career, having gone 1-2
while in charge of Washington and 1-2 during his 14-year run with the Denver
Broncos from 1995-2008.

Shanahan and Coughlin have a significant shared history, with their respective
teams opposing one another five times between 1995 and 1999 when Coughlin’s
Jaguars and Shanahan’s Broncos were regularly near the top of the AFC.
Shanahan was 3-2 against Coughlin in those games, including a loss to
Jacksonville in the 1996 AFC Playoffs and a win in the 1997 postseason.
Coughlin has gone 3-1 in head-to-head bouts with Shanahan since, with the
Giants following up a 24-23 verdict over Denver in 2005 with last season’s
series sweep of the Redskins and the above-mentioned Week 1 loss.

WHEN THE REDSKINS HAVE THE BALL

Grossman (2,426 passing yards, 12 TD, 16 INT) hasn’t enjoyed a rating of 100 or
better since the Week 1 victory over the Giants (110.5), but has gotten close,
having amassed a rating of 90 or higher in three of the past four weeks. The
New York win was the only time this season Grossman did not throw an
interception, as he has been picked off in every game he’s played in since for
a total of 16. He has thrown four interceptions in the past three games and has
been sacked twice in each of the last two contests as well. Grossman also lost
a fumble in the end zone last Sunday that New England recovered for a
touchdown, while recovering another fumble in the recent setback. He hopes to
get some solid protection this week. Sean Locklear and Willie Smith will battle
for the starting left tackle spot much like they did before the New England
game, with Locklear earning the starting nod before giving way to Smith. Tyler
Polumbus started for Jammal Brown at right tackle last week and will get the
nod again if Brown can’t shake a groin injury. Helu (582 rushing yards, 2 TD)
has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the past three weeks and had
a career-best 126 yards on 27 carries versus New England.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (61 tackles, 13 sacks) is most likely
headed to the Pro Bowl and has been a force along the interior line. He was the
defensive hero in last Sunday’s win at Dallas, as the athletic pass rusher led
the Giants with eight tackles (six solo) and had two sacks, one of which
resulted in a safety. Pierre-Paul also forced a fumble and secured the victory
by blocking Dan Bailey’s 47-yard field goal attempt with one second left. He
has the most sacks by a Giants player since injured end Osi Umenyiora had 13 in
2007, and registered two of the team’s four sacks against the Redskins in Week
1. Tackle Chris Canty (38 tackles) has two sacks this season, with one coming
against the Redskins and the other generated last week in Dallas. New York’s
stop unit isn’t that stout statistically, as evidenced by its 22nd-rated run
defense, No. 27 ranking in points allowed and 29th-rated pass defense. The
Giants are also 30th in total yards allowed (391.6 ypg). Washington hasn’t been
that tough running the football, but is 12th in passing (237.9 ypg). Dallas’
Tony Romo threw four touchdown passes against New York in Week 14, and that
could pose as a problem with Washington in town this week.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

New York amassed 315 yards of offense in the first matchup with the Redskins
and Manning (4,105 passing yards, 25 TD, 12 INT) was held in check. The ground
game suffered as well, as evidenced by the 75 yards on the ground the team had
in that loss. Leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw (490 rushing yards, 5 TD) was
healthy then but had just 44 yards and a score on 13 carries. While Bradshaw
has dealt with injuries, Brandon Jacobs (480 rushing yards, 7 TD) picked up the
slack in his absence, though he totaled just 29 yards on six touches against
the Redskins in the opener. Jacobs has enjoyed success throughout his career
against Washington, however, compiling 667 yards and five touchdowns on 150
carries — his most against any single team. He powered his way to 101 yards
and two scores on 19 touches last week in Dallas, and had the game-winning
touchdown on a one-yard run with 46 seconds remaining. Manning helped the G-men
record 510 yards of offense — the team’s most in a game since 2009 — and was
not sacked for the third time this season. He has been sacked a total of two
times in the last three weeks, and the Giants have won their last six games in
which they did not give up a sack dating back to last season. Manning has also
thrown 14 fourth-quarter touchdown passes this season, tying the NFL record set
by Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas in 1959 and tied by his brother, Peyton, in
2002.

In order for the Redskins to play spoiler, the defense will have to keep
Manning under control much like it did back in Week 1. The Giants’ quarterback
was held to 268 yards passing with no touchdown throws and an interception
returned for a score by rookie outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (57 tackles, 7
sacks). Washington also kept the pressure on Manning, who was sacked four times
in that one. The Redskins’ defense has played much more poorly since then, but
is decent against the pass (13th overall) and stands 10th in total yards
allowed. Linemen Barry Cofield (23 tackles, 3 sacks) — a former member of the
Giants — and Stephen Bowen (33 tackles, 5 sacks) combined for one sack of
Brady last week, while cornerback Josh Wilson (52 tackles) posted the team’s
lone interception. The team’s core players of Kerrigan, linebackers Brian
Orakpo and London Fletcher and cornerback DeAngelo Hall were all kept silent by
New England, though Fletcher (134 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT) led the way with 10
stops. Hall can expect a lot of work this Sunday against Manning and the
Giants’ passing attack, and he and Fletcher are both tied for the team lead in
interceptions with two apiece. Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe (45 tackles, 1 INT) had
his playing time cut short Sunday in favor of rookie DeJon Gomes (24 tackles).

KEYS TO THE GAME

The Redskins will have a pulse in this matchup if they can get Helu to run
wild against a New York defense that is 22nd against the rush. Cowboys running
back Felix Jones took over for an injured DeMarco Murray last Sunday and
collected 106 yards on 16 carries.

New York must tighten up in the secondary and is 29th in pass defense, allowing
263.7 yards per game. It doesn’t help that safety Kenny Phillips is bothered by
a knee injury. He had started 28 straight games and was replaced in the lineup
by Deon Grant last week. Washington still has Santana Moss as a deep threat and
Grossman had a good game when these teams met one another in September.

Manning can move closer to Marino’s single-season passing mark this week with
another 400-yard performance. That sounds too much to ask for, but it would
help Manning’s cause as well of that of his team. He has passed for a career-
high 4,105 yards, eclipsing Kerry Collins’ team mark of 4,073 yards set in
2002. Those numbers have allowed wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz to
both reach 1,000 yards on the season — the first time the Giants had a pair of
1,000-yard receivers in the team’s history. The Redskins will need to slow
those three down to have their best chance of winning.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Giants are on a mission right now and look to gather the same steam that
led them to a Super Bowl title back in 2007. Things haven’t gone as planned at
home recently for them, however, and now’s the time to start playing well with
all of their last three games scheduled at MetLife Stadium (though they’ll be
the visitor against the Jets). New York will have some trouble defensively
against a Redskins team that has nothing to play for, but in the end Big Blue
will send Washington back home with another loss.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Giants 20, Redskins 13

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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It was a repeat of Super Bowl XLII as Eli Manning(notes) charged the New York Giants into Foxboro Stadium and defeated the New England Patriots 24-20 on Sunday, November 6, 2011. Even though the first half remained scoreless, the New York Giants pulled out five spectacular plays that led to their last minute victory over Tom Brady(notes) and the Patriots.

Mathias Kiwanuka(notes) Interception

After five punts and no score, it looked like the Patriots were going to reach the Giants end zone at the start of the second quarter. Snapping off the Giants 29 yard line, Brady dropped back and sent a pass down the middle.

A quick deflection by Michael Boley(notes) placed the pass into the arms of Mathias Kiwanuka. The result of the turnover led to another punt for the G-Men, but keeping the Patriots scoreless helped keep the momentum in the Giants favor.

Forced Fumble on Tom Brady

Boley continued his charge on the Giants defense as the second half started. With the Giants leading 3-0, Boley rushed behind Brady, knocked the ball out of his hands and caused a fumble which would be recovered by Giants Jacquian Williams(notes).

The very next play a delayed run by Brandon Jacobs(notes) led to a walk-in touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

Manningham touchdown

A Patriots field goal put them in the lead 10-13, but the Giants spent much of the fourth quarter killing the clock and driving up the field. The drive ended with a pitch-perfect pass to Mario Manningham(notes) in the corner of the end zone.

Ballard Back to Back

Eli Manning found himself in another comeback position as the Patriots led 17-20 with only a minute and a half left to play. Driving 80 yards up the field, Manning managed to find his new tight end Jake Ballard(notes) twice in the top two plays of the game.

The first play was a 28 yard pass up the middle of field. After the catch Ballard powered through the Patriots defense for extra yardage.

The second play was set at the 1 yard line after a Patriots pass interference penalty. With only 19 seconds left, Manning ran a play-action and threw a 1 yard pass to Ballard in the end zone. The Giants ended up with a 24-20 lead and as all the fans know, the final score of the game.

This was not the best game offensively for the Giants, but it was their best game this season as they went into the nearly unbeatable turf at Foxboro Stadium and came out with pride and a first-place lock on the NFC East heading into NFL Week 10.

Alan Donahue has been published on Yahoo! Sports numerous times and is a life-long New York Giants fan. He has written hundreds of articles on the NFL, WWE, and other sports.

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BOSTON (CBS) – The CBSBoston sports team makes their predictions for the New England Patriots showdown with the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium.

Andy Gresh, 98.5 The Sports Hub

The Patriots will have their hands full with the Giants three wide receivers set, and if they don’t get pressure on Eli Manning they’ll have issues.

But I expect the New England defense to be way better than last week. They’ll run for at least 125 yards offensively and win 31-17.

Scott Zolak, 98.5 The Sports Hub

The Patriots will have to start fast on offense giving the way the last two weeks have have gone.

Gresh & Zo Whiteboard: Stopping The Giants Pass-Rush

They need to mix the run in more to help keep their pass rush off Tom Brady. Look for the tight ends to be big on seam routes against a depleted secondary. The defense should have confidence if Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw are out.

Pats by 10

Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports

After last week’s loss, the Patriots not only need to bounce back but they need to bounce back with authority.

Let’s start with the defense. Can anybody sack the quarterback besides Andre Carter? Eli Manning can be rattled, so less zone coverage and start blitzing!

Steve Gives His Prediction On WBZ NewsRadio 1030 

More pressure on the QB should help the secondary as well. Receivers have been too wide open, especially over the middle of the field. You know things aren’t good when your nose tackle has more interceptions than your cover guys…

Stats: Patriots-Giants Head to Head

As far as the offense goes, Kevin Faulk is back and looks like he hasn’t lost a beat. He’s still strong, hungry and smart. But just because the savvy vet is back doesn’t mean he should take the ball away from BenJarvis Green-Ellis or Stevan Ridley. Both have run well, just not so much in the last few weeks.

The offensive line will have their hands full again, so they need to worry about more protection and less penalties. Stop jumping offsides! If you give Tom Brady the time he can pick apart any defense, even with receivers that can’t get open.

And Ocho, it’s Week 9. Do Something!

Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports

I think this will be a tough game for the Patriots for two reasons:

1) The Giants have the ability to pressure Tom Brady by simply using their 4 down linemen. Jason Pierre-Paul(8.5 sacks), Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and crew can give Brady fits within the pocket. You just hope Brady has time to find Welker, Branch or the tight ends. If he doesn’t, it could be another frustrating day.

2) Eli Manning. He’s played at an elite level this season as he’s fourth behind Rodgers, Brees, and Brady in passing yards per game with a 304 yd/gm average. He’s seventh in the NFL with 13 TD’s and has thrown only five picks. If he can pick apart the Pats secondary like Ben Roethlisberger did, then watch out.

With that said, I still like the Pats to bounce back. Per the Pats PR staff, New England is 26-2 since the beginning of the 2003 season in games following a loss and they’ve lost back-to-back-games just twice, once in 2006 and once in 2009.

Not to mention they are at Gillette, where only one NFC team has won since it opened.

Final: Pats 24-21

Dan Roche and Levan Reid Break Down The Giants

Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports

It would be easy for me to say the Pats are going to win this game because they are playing at home.  That seems to be the easy finish when New England takes on anyone at Gillette Stadium.  But coming off a loss, that I thought would happen but did not have the mustard to predict, I think they are going to bounce back.

All week-long in that locker room, the defense has had to hear it.  They are getting killed nationally and for good reason, right now they are not that good defensively.  This week I expect them to take some of that pride back.  It would be nice to see the Pats blitz and mix up coverages.  The focus this week will also be for that defense to get off the field.  This will be a good test because Eli Manning is having a very good season.

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

Tom Brady gets a chance to go up against another team that thinks they have the blueprint to beat he and the offense.  He beat the Jets and Dallas and here come the G-men with their strong front four.  As long as the offense is on the field more than 20:38, they should win this game.

Walt Perkins, WBZ NewsRadio 1030

The New England Patriots, under the direction of Bill Belichick, do not lose back-to-back games very often. This week will be no different.

Although the Patriots were brought down a peg in Pittsburgh, they still were in a position to pull out a victory if they had made a few more plays.

The Giants bring a pass rush that leads the league (one more sack than the Steelers). It is the same pass rush that swamped Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII and kept the Patriots from completing an undefeated season.

Justin Tuck and his teammates will be looking to make this Sunday a living hell for Brady and his offensive line.

The Patriots  may try to off-set that pass rush by establishing a running game. The Giants have struggled this season trying to contain the run, giving up 130 yards per game.  This could be a big game for BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley and Kevin Faulk.

One thing the Patriots cannot afford to do is fall behind, forcing Brady into passing situations. That’s when the Giants front is at its fearsome best.

For the Patriots to succeed on Sunday, draws and screens may be the order of the day.

As for that Patriots defense, it is getting better, despite giving up 365 yards through the air in Pittsburgh. I don’t think a banged-up Giants offense will do too much damage.

New England 27, NY Giants 17

Tune in to the Patriots-Giants game on 98.5 The Sports Hub Sunday at 4:15pm. Pregame coverage kicks on WBZ-TV at 11:30am with Patriots Gameday, with the Hub’s coverage beginning at 1pm. After the game, tune in to the Hub for the Patriots Postgame show, and to MY TV38 for Patriots Fifth Quarter.

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(Sports Network) – When the New York Giants and New England Patriots take the
field Sunday at Gillette Stadium in one of the marquee matchups of this week’s
NFL schedule, the game will serve as an opportunity for one quarterback to back
up a headline-grabbing statement and one team to gain retribution for a
memorable loss it’s waited four years to avenge.

Though this Week 9 showdown certainly carries plenty of significance for the
two participants, both of whom currently sit at the top of their respective
divisions, the stakes still won’t nearly be as high as the last time the Giants
and Patriots squared off in a meaningful contest. That took place at Arizona’s
University of Phoenix Stadium in February of 2008, when New York spoiled New
England’s attempt at an unprecedented 19-0 season by rallying for a thrilling
17-14 victory in Super Bowl XLII.

The Patriots’ chance at revenge still isn’t the primary storyline of this key
clash, however. Instead, most viewers will be focused on the two quarterbacks
that will be leading their offenses on Sunday, thanks to some comments made by
Giants signal-caller Eli Manning during the preseason that drew a flurry of
attention and debate.

Manning created a small controversy by stating in a radio interview over the
summer he considered himself in the same class as New England counterpart Tom
Brady, a player who’s garnered six Pro Bowl citations, three Super Bowl titles
and two NFL Most Valuable Player Awards during his glorious career.

Though New York’s triggerman doesn’t possess that amount of accolades, he was
able to get the better of Brady in their most recent head-to-head encounter.
Manning helped the Giants pull off the upset in Super Bowl XLII by engineering
a long touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, highlighted by an
unforgettable third-down play in which he eluded a heavy rush and connected
with David Tyree for an improbable 32-yard completion, and was named the game’s
MVP.

Manning has actually compared favorably with Brady through the first eight
weeks of this season. The former No. 1 overall draft pick has produced a
career-best 102.1 passer rating during New York’s 5-2 start, which trails only
the Patriots’ star and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers for tops in the league in that
category.

While that individual battle has brought some additional intrigue to this
already compelling tilt, Manning said his goal this week won’t be to prove he
belongs in the league’s upper echelon of quarterbacks.

“I think when you go against New England, that’s all I’m thinking about,” he
stated this week. “They’re always a talented team, always a team that finds
ways to win games, whether it’s through their offense or defense. We understand
that we have to play solid football.

“I’m focused on this game, this team and what we have to do this week.”

Likewise, the Patriots’ goal this week won’t be getting payback for that
stinging Super Bowl defeat. New England is presently engaged in a three-team
fight for AFC East supremacy, with the defending division champions tied with
surprising Buffalo for the top spot, and returns home off its worst outing of
the season after being stymied by Pittsburgh in a 25-17 loss last Sunday.

“That’s a distant memory,” said Brady of the Patriots’ last skirmish with the
Giants. There’s not much you can take from that. This is an entirely different
team that we have and that they have. There are so many players on our team
that were obviously not a part of that game, or any game against the Giants.”

New England’s powerful offense was held to 213 total yards by the Steelers,
less than half of its season average coming into the game.

Coming back to Gillette Stadium could help the Pats get back on track. New
England owns a 20-game regular-season winning streak at its home venue, and
hasn’t lost there in its last 31 non-playoff tests in which Brady has started.

The Giants have opened up a two-game advantage in the NFC East by winning their
last two games, including this past week’s 20-17 triumph over stumbling Miami
in which Manning threw for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

SERIES HISTORY

The Patriots hold a 5-3 edge in their overall regular-season series with New
York and have bested the Giants four straight times in games not involving the
postseason. The teams also faced one another in the 2007 regular-season finale,
with New England capping a 16-0 campaign with a hard-earned 38-35 victory at
Giants Stadium. New York has left with defeats in its last two trips to
Foxborough, which occurred in 1999 and 2003, and hasn’t topped the Pats in the
regular season since a 13-10 road decision on Dec. 30, 1990.

New York’s comeback win in Super Bowl XLII stands as the only postseason
meeting between the clubs.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who served 12 years as a Giants assistant
from 1979-90, is 2-3 against his former employer for his career and 2-1 during
his tenure in New England. His first two losses to New York came while the head
coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991-95.

The Giants’ Tom Coughlin has a 2-4 record versus New England as a head coach,
including a 1-3 mark during his time in charge of Jacksonville from 1995-2002
that contains a win over the Pats in a 1998 AFC First-Round Playoff and a loss
in the 1996 AFC Championship. Coughlin is 3-1 lifetime in head-to-head bouts
with Belichick, with the first two victories coming for his Jaguars against the
Browns in 1995.

Belichick and Coughlin also worked together for three years (1988-90) on Bill
Parcells’ staff with the Giants, with the former then the defensive coordinator
and the latter the team’s wide receivers coach.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

Manning (2127 passing yards, 13 TD, 5 INT) is in the midst of the best season
of his eight-year career, with the formerly-erratic quarterback having
completed a personal-high 64.7 percent of his throws and ranking second only to
Rodgers in yards per attempt (8.8), and he’s also drastically cut down his
turnovers one year after leading the league with 25 interceptions. The Giants
have needed him to step up and shine as well, since a running game that was
once an integral part of the team’s offense has been close to non-existent this
season. New York has generated the third-fewest rushing yards (85.6 ypg) in the
NFL and was held to just 58 yards on the ground by the Dolphins last week, and
top back Ahmad Bradshaw (440 rushing yards, 24 receptions, 6 total TD) is
dealing with a possible stress fracture in his foot that could sideline him on
Sunday. The Giants do have a two-time 1,000-yard rusher in reserve in Brandon
Jacobs (126 rushing yards, 3 total TD), but the unhappy veteran is averaging a
meager 3.0 yards per carry on the year. Manning’s No. 1 target, wide receiver
Hakeem Nicks (38 receptions, 575 yards, 3 TD), has also been bothered by a
hamstring injury, though he’s tentatively believed to play this week. If he’s
unable to go, New York does have some outside depth in the young combo of
Victor Cruz (28 receptions, 497 yards, 4 TD) and Mario Manningham (24
receptions, 1 TD), who combined for 13 catches, 162 yards and two touchdowns
against Miami, and oversized tight end Jake Ballard (19 receptions, 2 TD) has
also made contributions to the club’s fourth-ranked aerial attack (287.6 ypg).

The Giants figure to take to the air early and often come Sunday, considering
the game has the makings of being high-scoring and the Patriots have been
dreadful in preventing enemy passers from piling up yards at will. A secondary
littered with marginal talents other than cornerback Devin McCourty (49
tackles) and safety Patrick Chung (50 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) has permitted a
league-worst 323.1 passing yards per game, and all but one quarterback the team
has faced this year has eclipsed the 300-yard mark. Pittsburgh’s Ben
Roethlisberger torched the group for 365 yards and two scores a week ago. New
England did register a season-high five sacks in the loss, including two by
veteran end Andre Carter (28 tackles, 4.5 sacks), and both he and situational
rusher Mark Anderson (10 tackles, 4.5 sacks) will be counted on to bring the
heat upon Manning. The Patriots are in the top 10 in run defense (101.0 ypg),
though that’s partly because they’ve been thrown on so much, but do possess
three proven stoppers up front in three-time Pro Bowl tackle Vince Wilfork (19
tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 INT) and linebackers Brandon Spikes (39 tackles) and
Jerod Mayo (27 tackles), who returned last week from a two-game absence caused
by a knee sprain.

WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL

Despite being held in check by Pittsburgh’s formidable defense last week, the
Patriots still boast one of the NFL’s most potent and dangerous offenses that
tops the league in first downs (25.7 avg.), stands second in passing yards
(324.7 ypg), third in total yards (437.1 ypg) and fourth in third-down
conversions (50.6 pct.). The key to it all is obviously Brady (2361 passing
yards, 18 TD, 8 INT), who’s enjoying another stellar season even though he’s
had twice as many interceptions as he did during his MVP campaign of 2010. The
standout quarterback has four quality options to throw to, led by prolific slot
receiver Wes Welker (57 receptions, 824 yards, 6 TD), the league’s leader in
both catches and receiving yards per game. Former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch
(30 receptions, 3 TD) provides a reliable outside presence to the mix, while
second-year tight ends Rob Gronkowski (36 receptions, 495 yards, 5 TD) and
Aaron Hernandez (29 receptions, 4 TD) are both lethal inside the red zone and
often Brady’s preferred choices in that area. New England also has an
interesting collection of running backs, with leading rusher BenJarvus Green-
Ellis (400 rushing yards, 5 TD) a physical and sure-handed performer between
the tackles and 13-year vet Kevin Faulk now back from an ACL tear to reprise
his longtime role as the team’s third-down specialist.

Brady and his cast of receivers will be taking on a New York defense that’s
played quite well against the pass in recent weeks, albeit the Pats do
represent a step up in class. The Giants have yielded just four touchdowns
through the air and bagged eight interceptions over their last five games, with
cornerbacks Corey Webster (26 tackles, 3 INT, 9 PD) and Aaron Ross (24 tackles,
3 INT, 8 PD) each recording three picks during that stretch, and allowed a
scant 101 net passing yards to Miami’s anemic offense last Sunday. The duo is
backed by an excellent pass rush that’s amassed a league-best 26 sacks thus far
and is now at full strength now that valued end Justin Tuck (7 tackles, 2
sacks) is over neck and groin injuries that have limited him to three games.
The 2010 All-Pro honoree teams with two-time Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora (12
tackles, 6 sacks) and second-year phenom Jason Pierre-Paul (35 tackles, 8.5
sacks) to give New York an outstanding collection of pressure-creators.
Umenyiora has racked up six sacks in just four games since returning from
early-season knee surgery. The Giants haven’t fared well in containing the run,
however, having allowed at least 145 yards on the ground in five straight
outings and owning an unwanted 28th overall ranking in rush defense (130.1
ypg).

KEYS TO THE GAME

Control the clock. The Steelers may have revealed the blueprint for keeping New
England’s high-powered offense at bay last week, as Pittsburgh held the ball
for over 39 minutes by mixing Roethlisberger’s efficient passing with an
effective running game. Dallas utilized a similar approach two weeks prior in
its near-upset of the Patriots, with the Cowboys also owning a sizeable edge in
time of possession. New England may actually benefit from employing that
philosophy as well when factoring in New York’s struggles in stopping the run
and its own deficiencies on the defensive side.

Pressuring the quarterbacks. Brady has been sacked 10 times over New England’s
past three games and the offense experienced a noticeable drop-off against both
the Cowboys and Steelers because both teams were able to continually harass the
reigning league MVP. The Giants certainly have the pass rushers in place to
make an impact as well. It’s also important for the Patriots to create pressure
on Manning, as New York isn’t much of a threat running the ball and the durable
field general is capable of shredding New England’s shaky secondary if he isn’t
under duress.

The fourth quarter. This could very well be a game that’s decided by which team
has the ball last. Manning has been marvelous in the final period this season,
having thrown for six touchdowns and earning an NFL-leading 119.3 passer
rating, while Brady has orchestrated 24 fourth-quarter comebacks over his
decorated career and is considered one of the all-time greats with the game on
the line.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

This Super Bowl rematch may turn out more like the 2007 regular-season meeting
between these teams, an all-out shootout in which Brady and Manning combined
for over 600 yards and six touchdowns, as opposed to the defensively-oriented
nail-biter that took place in Arizona. Both quarterbacks will have their
moments, as will a Giants defense that has the potential to disrupt New
England’s aerial assault with its pressure. The offenses should have their say
in the end, however. If that’s indeed the case, the Patriots’ better balance on
that side of the ball and sustained success at home could be the determining
factors in a hard-fought contest that won’t have a shortage of thrills.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Patriots 35, Giants 31

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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning throws a pass during the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford. / AP

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New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin greets cornerback Corey Webster (23) at the side line during the fourth quarter of the Oct. 16 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford. The Giants won the game 27-24. / AP

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