Super Bowl Sunday- The Prediction

Move over Clayton, Mortensen, Bradshaw and all of the other pundits. It's my turn.

What do the Patriots need to do to win?

They can't make mistakes like Favre and the Packers did. Favre threw a key pick in OT (sound familiar?) and cost Green Bay the game. Tom Brady needs to make sure the offense executes, whether it's short passes dissecting the defense or big plays to Moss. The Packers offense was not good in the second half, and they really didn't play a complete game. The Patriots offense cannot go into a lull like Green Bay because the Giants have shown they can chip away and take advantage.

Defensively, they have to pressure Eli Manning. I've already said that several times, but hitting him and putting your hands up makes him make poor throws. He also tends to fumble, so it can be a great way to collect turnovers and give the dangerous Patriots offense a short field. They also need to play physical with Plaxico Burress. He's going to be healthy enough to play like he has all year, but the ankle could still be tender.

What do the Giants need to do to win?

What people have said 18 other teams need to do to beat New England. They have to play a perfect game. You can live with one turnover, maybe two, but Eli and the offense cannot give the ball back to them over and over again. Look at A.J. Feeley and Kyle Boller as examples. They played efficient, they completed a lot of passes, and they kept their offense on the field. However, they each threw at least one critical interception that took points off the board and hurt their teams' chances of winning.

Tom Brady has to be hit. Over and over again. For the Giants, this shouldn't be a problem. They racked up a ton of sacks in the regular season, and they have a lot of guys that can put great pressure on the QB. The only question about the Giants' defense is their gameplan. In the regular season, they were an aggressive blitzing team. In the postseason, they've preferred to hang back and help out their banged up secondary in coverage. That won't fly against the Patriots if their front four cannot sustain pressure. They need to blitz early and often and disrupt the timing of the Patriots.

With all of that being said, I'm not expecting a close game. I'll go with 35-17 Patriots, with Brady claiming his 3rd Super Bowl MVP. In his acceptance speech, he'll announce that his ankle has never been better and the boot was just a ploy to create more hype.