New York Giants Odds to Win the Super Bowl

Written by Jack Jones

The New York Giants are following the footsteps of the Green Bay Packers from last season. They snuck into the playoffs by winning their final game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys in an elimination game where the loser went home, while the winner got to play on. New York has ridden that momentum all the way to the Super Bowl with three impressive victories along the way.

The Giants topped the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 at home in the wild card round behind a dominant defensive effort. They would go on to knock off the defending champion Green Bay Packers 37-20 on the road in the Division Round behind 330 passing yards and three touchdowns from Eli Manning. In the NFC Championship, New York knocked off the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in overtime after taking advantage of a fumbled punt by the 49ers on special teams, their second of the day.

While the Giants are riding high, they still find themselves as a 3-point underdog to the New England Patriots according to the latest Super Bowl odds.

I’m sure that is exactly how New York players want it. They can simply use it as a motivational tool to get up to beat the Patriots once again. It’s actually kind of surprising that they are listed as an underdog considering they have New England’s number. Manning has orchestrated two game-winning drives in their last two meetings. The Giants rallied to beat the Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII, and they would go into Foxboro and knock off the Patriots 24-20 on November 6th earlier this season.

New York came into their Week 9 road meeting with the Patriots as a 9-point underdog. Few gave them much of a chance, but they overcame expectations again thanks to some late heroics from Manning. Rob Gronkowski caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady with 1:36 remaining to give New England a 20-17 lead. Manning would respond, moving his team down the field and hitting Jake Ballard on a game-winning 1-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left. Manning finished 20 of 39 passing for 250 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, while Brady went 28 of 49 for 342 yards with two touchdowns and two picks.

Manning has been one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the league. He set the record for most 4th quarter touchdown passes in a season with 15 this year. Manning threw for 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns to 16 interceptions during the regular season. He has been even better in the playoffs. In three postseason games, the star quarterback has thrown for 923 yards and eight touchdowns to only one interception. Not surprisingly, his two favorite targets in the playoffs have been Hakeem Nicks (18 receptions, 335 yards, four TD) and Victory Cruz (17, 244). Mario Manningham (8, 116, three TD) has also been a key weapon.

While this game will likely come down to how well Manning can move the ball through the air, it has to be reassuring to see the Giants improve their running game in the postseason. This team ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing during the regular season at 89.2 yards/game. In three playoffs wins, the Giants are rushing for an average of 117.3 yards/game. Ahmad Bradshaw has carried the load with 200 yards on 46 carries, while Brandon Jacobs has chipped in 127 yards and a score on 28 attempts. I don’t expect the Giants to abandon the running game unless they fall behind by a couple scores early.

Perhaps the biggest reason the Giants are on the Super Bowl right now is because of their defense. Dating back to their Week 16 win over the New York Jets, the Giants have not allowed more than 20 points in any of their last five games. New York is yielding an average of only 13.4 points/game during this stretch. They have a whopping 20 sacks while forcing 11 turnovers during this span as well. This defense is playing almost up to the level that it did during their last Super Bowl run. Considering they’ve held the Patriots to just 17 points/game in their last two meetings, the Giants certainly have something figured out when it comes to stopping New England that other teams do not.

If you are looking for the winning side in this game, then turn to expert handicapper Jack Jones.

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