The Patriots reached the Big Game by fully leveraging their home field advantage. They easily beat the Broncos, and then advanced to the Super Bowl when the Ravens’ kicker, Billy Cundiff, missed a 32-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game. The Patriots were excellent on offense during the regular season, as they have the #2-ranked offense in terms of total yards in the NFL. Their defense was next to last, though. They were especially vulnerable to passing, giving up almost 300 yards per game. The only team that was worse was Green Bay.

The Giants reached Super Bowl 46 by first beating Atlanta at home, then won on the road at Green Bay and at San Francisco. In the regular season, the Giants were also a strong offensive team, as they ranked #8 in terms of total yards. Their defense was also suspect, giving up the 6th-most yards in the NFL.

Here’s how I see the matchups:

Patriots Offense vs Giants Defense

Patriots boast a strong offense, and they were able to score enough to get by the Ravens, arguably the best defense in the NFL. On the other hand, the Giants defense had two things in their favor: they were able to slow down the Patriots offense when they met in the regular season, and they were able to slow down the Packers in Green Bay (which I didn’t think was possible) in the playoffs. Based on this, I’d say this is an even matchup.

Giants Offense vs Patriots Defense

One can argue that the Patriots defense has yet been truly tested in the playoffs en route to Super Bowl. The Giants offense, on the other hand, was one of the few good offenses that were balanced between run and pass. Eli Manning is a good passer, but they also have a strong ground game. Given how susceptible the Patriots defense has been against the pass, I’d expect the Giants to find success passing. Edge to the Giants offense.

Intangibles

The argument for the Patriots is that since the Giants have already beaten them once during the regular season, the Patriots would win this time because it’s really difficult to beat a good team twice in the same season. The argument for the Giants is that since they had to win on the road to get to the Super Bowl, it seemed like they were destined to win. Both coaches and both quarterbacks have been to the Super Bowl before, so it’s a wash on that end. Overall, I’d say the intangibles are even.

Prediction

I predict the final score to be Giants 24, the Patriots 21. The Giants defense will do just enough to slow down Tom Brady & Company. The Patriots defense will play better than their stats indicated, but it won’t be enough against the balanced attack of the Giants.

For a long-suffering Southern California hockey fan like me, this has certainly been a very long wait. I’ve waited for this moment since McSorley’s illegal stick in 1993. Sure enough, since that time, the Kings never again made it to the Finals, and the Ducks made it once, in 2003, only to lose to the Devils in 7.

From the time the Ducks-Senators series was set, I thought this would be the year of the Ducks. The key reason was the opposing goalie — no disrespect to Senator’s goalie Emery, but the last two times a Southern California team made it to the Finals, the opposing goalies were Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, two future hall of famers, and as we all know, in the playoffs, defense and goaltending wins games. Sure enough, the Ducks won in part because of superior goaltending.

I must also give credit to Wayne Gretzky for the Ducks winning the Stanley Cup. Without Gretzky going to the Kings in 1988, the Ducks (and a host of other warm-weathered teams) would not even exist, let alone winning the Cup. I remember first hearing about the trade when I was driving on the freeway, and my first reaction was “The Kings will win a Stanley Cup!” Well, it still hasn’t happened for the Kings, but at least it happened to the Ducks.

Are we seeing the beginning of a Colts dynasty? It’s a distinct possibility, as long as they are able to keep the core of their team. They have a very good offense and a good defense, so it’s a safe bet that they’ll be in the playoffs for the next several years. Once you are in the playoffs, anything is possible.

How about the Bears? One thing this game exposed is that they really need a quarterback. Of course, with that defense, they’ll be in most games. I still believe the Bears will be in the playoffs for the next several years as well, as NFC is currently in a down period, but unless they do something with the quarterback position, they won’t go too far in the playoffs.

The marquee matchup for this game is the Colts offense vs the Bears defense, Manning & Co. vs Urlacher & Co. The Colts offense, though one of the best in the league, can be slowed against good defenses, as evidenced in some of the late-season games as well as the Baltimore game. I look for the Colts to be able to pass on the Bears some, but unable to get the run game going.

On the other side of the ball, Chicago’s offense, especially its quarterback, Rex Grossman, has been much-maligned. The defense of the Colts, on the other hand, has not had a good regular season (though they have picked it up in the playoffs). The conventional wisdom says that the Bears will use the run predominantly during this game. I do expect, though, that the Bears will come out passing in the first series, because they know the Colts will be set up to stop the run initially. If the Bears have success with the passing game early, they will gain control of the game and be able to keep Manning & Co. on the sidelines.

One area the Bears have the advantage is the return game, where Devin Hester has returned 5 kicks for TD during the season. I look for at least one big play from Hester during this game.

One thing I haven’t heard mentioned is the University of Florida factor. The school has won the last NCAA basketball championship and the football championship, and that leads me to believe that Rex Grossman, who is a Florida graduate, will win this Super Bowl.

Bears 30, Colts 21.

- Both are joining a Los Angeles sports team.

- Both are the most recognizable name in that particular sport.

- Both sports are not considered a major sport in the U.S., or even in Los Angeles.

Gretzky’s trade turned out to be the best the NHL could have hoped for. Los Angeles quickly became a hockey town, and the entire U.S. started to follow hockey. As a result, NHL was able to expand into western and southern states. It can be argued that teams such as the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers, Nashville Predators, and Dallas Stars would not exist had Gretzky not been traded to Los Angeles.

Will Beckham have the same influence as Gretzky and transform Major League Soccer into a prominent league? I am doubtful of that. I am saying this because

1) Soccer is really not a popular spectator sport in the U.S., and the current MLS fan base is much smaller than the existing fan base in the U.S. when the Gretzky trade occurred.

2) An American professional soccer league has tried luring the most famous names in the sport before (with Pele and Bechenbauer in the mid- to late-70′s). Even though there was a temporary increase in the fan base, it did not last long.

3) Gretzky was still in his prime when he was traded, while Beckham is already past his prime.

4) Even though Beckham is probably the most recognizable athlete in the world, chances are that his popularity in the U.S. is far below Gretzky’s popularity when he was traded to the Kings.

I believe MLS will draw more fans (and potentially even get some TV money) because of Beckham, but unless the game itself is modified in some way to draw the fans (U.S. fans like offense and exactness — every 10th of a second counts in NBA, for example), fan interest would not last long.