Superbowl Betting: Which Team Is The Better Bet?
by Bodog Sportsbook Staff | Feb 1 2012
The New England Patriots and New York Giants are almost finished their preparations as Super Bowl Sunday is just days away. The game will be a highly-anticipated rematch of Super Bowl XLII where the Giants thwarted the Patriots attempted at a perfect season with a 17-14 Super Bowl victory.
While both teams have similar casts from that game, we'll only find out on Sunday if history has a tendency of repeating itself. The Giants sure hope it does but
NFL betting fans know their hopes will once again be pinned on their defensive line's ability to jostle Patriots All-World quarterback Tom Brady.
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OffenseWhile the New York Giants have been effective on offense in recent weeks, there's no question that the New England Patriots had the better offense throughout the season. The Patriots finished second in the league in total offense and third in scoring offense while averaging 32.1 points per game. As for the Giants, they ranked ninth with 24.6 points per game.
Both teams rely heavily on the pass as the Giants finished with the league's worst rushing offense (89.2 rushing yards per game) while the Patriots weren't much better, ranking 20th (110.3). So without question, the two offenses are led by two elite passing games, but the Patriots again are ahead by a nose.
Eli Manning and the Giants passed for plenty of yards this season (296.0 per game, fifth in the NFL) but they weren't particularly efficient. They only ended up with 29 passing touchdowns (seventh in the NFL) while throwing 16 interceptions. Meanwhile, the Patriots averaged the second-most passing yards per game (318) but threw for 39 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. The Patriots get the slight edge on offense.
Superbowl Betting Edge: Patriots
Defense Many
NFL betting fans are quick to label the Giants as the better defensive team but the numbers might suggest otherwise.
The Patriots defense allowed 411.1 yards per game, which was the second-most in the NFL and 293.9 passing yards per game, which was also second-worst in the NFL. But the Giants weren't much better as they ranked 27th in total defense and 29th in passing defense. Furthermore, when the points allowed per game are examined, the Giants actually allow more per game (25) than the Patriots (21.4).
The reason why the Giants get the edge here is the play of their defensive line. Their ability to generate pressure on the opposing quarterback has been evident in the playoffs as they made Pro Bowl quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan look very ordinary. They finished third in the NFL with 48 sacks and have registered nine more in their three playoff games so far. One way to stop the Patriots passing game is to get to Brady and while the Giants are capable of that, it's unclear whether the Patriots are.
Superbowl Betting Edge: Giants
Special TeamsIf the game comes down to special teams, the battle will be about even in that space. The Giants made more field goals this season but converted them at a lower clip (25-of-31) whereas the Patriots only connected on 20-of-23. Both place kickers Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots and Lawrence Tynes of the Giants have kicked in the Super Bowl before, so they are both experienced and comfortable with the stage.
As for punting, the Patriots posted the better punting average on the season (45.6) but their coverage units were weaker (net of 39.7 per punt). As for the Giants, their net average (42) was stronger even though they averaged less per punt (44.3).
Overall, these are two evenly matched special teams units.
Superbowl Betting Edge: Even
X-Factor: Giants Defensive LineThe x-factor in this game will be the play of both defenses.
For the Giants, they won the first Super Bowl meeting between the teams because their defensive line constantly pressured Brady and kept him out of rhythm. If that's again the case, the Giants will likely come away with another ring.
For the Patriots, they lost Super Bowl XLII because their defense couldn't get stops in the fourth quarter and their offensive line couldn't protect Brady. If the Patriots can keep the Giants sack artists at bay and give Brady time to throw, they are likely to win the battle.
As they say, defense wins championships and that will be the case once again on Super Bowl Sunday.
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