Let me preface this by saying that I don’t think they’re going to. As a fan of football (and not commercials or halftime shows featuring old white guys chosen because they have virtually no chance of getting undressed on national television), I hope this game is closer than it has the potential to be. I wouldn’t read too much into the last game of the year when the Giants came three points from beating the Patriots. This game has the potential to be a rout.

To win the game, the Giants will have to do a couple of things really well. The first is rush the passer. The teams that have faired the best against New England have been able to get in Brady’s face and not give him time to find any of their 6,000 receivers. You certainly don’t beat the Patriots by rushing four. New York defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is going to have to roll the dice, bring a variety of blitz packages and bet that his pass rushers can get to Brady before he can find a receiver. If you give Brady time, you’ll end up losing by 35 points.

Secondly, the Giants have to find their rushing game, meaning that Brandon Jacobs can’t be the non-factor he was in the NFC Championship game. The Patriots aren’t terribly strong up the middle and the linebacking corps is just younger than John McCain so it is a unit that can definitely been had.

Last but not least, Plaxico Burress cannot, at any point in the game, do his Pre-Patriots Randy Moss impression and pout when he’s not getting the ball and not finish routes. Without a mentally stable Burress, the Giants have no chance.

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