Somebody's getting another one: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (left) could win his fourth Super Bowl trophy, while New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be aiming for his second when their teams face off in Super Bowl XLVI. Kickoff will be at 7:30 am Monday Beijing time.

Red-hot Giants will face red-hot Patriots in Super Bowl that figures to go to wire

INDIANAPOLIS - In their four previous trips to the Super Bowl with Bill Belichick as coach and Tom Brady at quarterback, the New England Patriots threatened to go into overtime.

They eked out wins in 2002, 2004 and 2005 and lost by three points to the New York Giants in a 2008 classic.

When New England and New York face off again on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium - kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 am Monday, Beijing time - the Patriots will be favored by three points.

And there's a even a chance that margin will be decided in an unprecedented overtime.

Each team is on a roll, with the Patriots winning all 10 games since a home loss to the Giants in November.

New York went into a funk after that victory, losing four straight and five of six before turning it around with closing victories against the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East division.

The Giants have won five in a row, including over Atlanta, defending champion Green Bay and San Francisco in the playoffs.

In 2008, the Patriots were unbeaten and seeking the NFL's first perfect season in 35 years until the Giants stunned them. Again, New England has the better record and the Giants took the long route to the big game.

"It's the same teams, but in our mindset, a lot of new players," said Giants quarterback Eli Manning, one of the heroes of the 17-14 win four years ago. "We had 16 guys and New England only has seven guys who were on that team. A lot of guys who are going to be key factors in this game did not play in that last Super Bowl.

"We have the mindset that this is a new game. It's the same teams, but a lot of different makeup. What happened in the last Super Bowl doesn't matter. What happened in the last game of the season doesn't matter. It's about what we do on Sunday and what we do in this game."

What the Giants must do is get a pass rush on Brady.

They had five sacks and at least nine hits on him in the 2008 game, and they pressured him throughout the regular-season win last November. If they can make Brady uncomfortable and rush his throws, it ruins the tempo of New England's no-huddle offense.

"They can force the quarterback into some bad decisions and some bad throws," Brady said. "We had too many of those the last time we played them, and we're not going to be able to win the game making mistakes.

"It wouldn't be the Super Bowl if they weren't talking about coming to knock me down and trying to knock me out. That's what I expect. And you know what? Our offensive line gets paid to keep those guys out of there."

With Brady virtually no threat to run, the Giants will try to condense the passing pocket so much that Brady can't step into his throws. If that doesn't happen, receiver Wes Welker and dynamic tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez could be tough to cover; New York's secondary isn't strong enough to prosper without the big pass rush.

Gronkowski's high left ankle sprain is problematic for New England, although everyone expects him to play. But if he's limited in gaining yards after the catch, a particular strength, it also can hurt the Patriots.

Where New England truly has stepped up recently is on defense, and the Giants will test that improvement. Manning's three wideouts - Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham - can't all be double-teamed, and each is capable of game-breaking plays. Belichick will come up with something creative to slow them.

"For every team you play, I think our coaches do a great job as far as scouting them, breaking them down, and then we get our game plan," said Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington, who tied for the league lead with seven interceptions. "They make a specific game plan for that team. You definitely want to try to take away their strengths in every game plan that they make up. We're going to go out there and fly around. I can't say enough about how talented they are, how much of a challenge it's going to be."

Associated Press

(China Daily 02/05/2012 page8)