Matchups to Exploit - Week 21
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January 31, 2008 @ 23:01:37
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By Hot off the Wire Network Contributors
Edited by Nicholas Minnix
Giants QB Eli Manning vs. Patriots pass rush
Manning has to keep defensive end Richard Seymour and that aging set of 3-4 linebackers from getting to him so he has time to spot wideouts Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer downfield. Not so easy. He'll have to slide and move to keep Super Bowl-hardened vets like linebackers Mike Vrabel, Junior Seau and Adalius Thomas from putting him on his seat. They may not be as quick as they once were, but they have gotten the job done: They compiled 22.5 of the Patriots' AFC-leading 47 sacks this year. Manning comes off a third straight playoff game without a turnover, however, and he's playing more confidently than ever - even more than he did when he went 22-for-32 for 251 yards with four touchdowns and an interception against the Pats the first time around.
Giants RB Brandon Jacobs vs. Patriots run defense
Jacobs and his backfield cohort, Ahmad Bradshaw, will be big keys to keeping New England passer Tom Brady and that potent offense off the field. The Giants controlled the ball for 40 minutes against the Green Bay Packers; they need to win the possession battle again by using Jacobs to pound it outside and Bradshaw to slash inside. The Pats have a strong front, with defensive linemen Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork joining Seymour in the 10th best run defense in the league. The Giants, though, have the fourth best running game in the league, averaging 134.3 yards per game.
Patriots QB Tom Brady vs. Giants DEs Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan
Brady said it himself: "I have to keep Umenyiora and Strahan off me." If they can bounce him around like they did in the season finale, when they hit him eight times and sacked him once, they could force him into a mistake or three as the San Diego Chargers did in the AFC title game. That's a big IF, though. Brady actually made a 20-yard completion to receiver Randy Moss as Strahan was sending him to the ground in the 38-35 Pats win. If Moss gets loose behind the secondary, it's almost a sure bet Brady will find him. The only real way to stop Brady is to pressure him from up front, let the linebackers sink back into coverage and have whichever cornerback is covering Moss match him step for step.
Patriots WR Wes Welker vs. Giants CB R.W. McQuarters
With Moss sure to draw extra attention, Welker may be free to do what he has done for much of the season – come open on an underneath route for an eight- to 10-yard pickup. Against the Giants in the regular season finale, Welker had 11 catches for 122 yards; in the playoffs, with Moss totaling just two catches, he has had 16 grabs for 110 yards, along with a touchdown in each game. But nickelback McQuarters has been opportunistic in the playoffs, with an interception in each of New York's three games.
Patriots offensive line vs. Giants defensive line
This is the key matchup for New England's success. With the warmer weather in Arizona, Brady will be free to air it out again as he had earlier in the season, and keeping him upright is the only way for that to happen. In the Dec. 29 game, Pats right guard Stephen Neal (shoulder) and right tackle Nick Kaczur (foot), both starters, did not play. Although the Giants' D-line pressured Brady, he was sacked only once. The New York defensive line combined for more than 35 sacks during the regular season.
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