INDIANPOLIS Everyone has been walking around all week here in the host city for Super Bowl XLVI wondering two things — how the New York Giants can lose this game and how the New England Patriots can win.
Analysts see the Giants as the hot team, beating Atlanta, Green Bay and San Francisco to get to Indianapolis.
They see the Giants with the hot quarterback, Eli Manning, completing 76 of 123 passes during this playoff run for 923 yards, throwing eight touchdowns and just one interception.
They see the Giants with three dangerous receivers — Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, who have caught a total of 43 passes this postseason for 695 yards.
They see a healthy and frightening defensive pass rush with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Here’s what else they see — the Patriots gliding into the playoffs facing a host of easy opponents. They beat the Colts, Redskins, Broncos, Dolphins and Bills in the final five weeks of the season, then were handed a gift by facing the Broncos again in the playoffs, this time at home.
They beat a bumbling Baltimore Ravens squad to win the AFC Championship and get to Indianapolis.
They see the Patriots with a legendary but struggling quarterback, Tom Brady, who played so poorly against the Ravens that he declared after the game he stunk. He was right.
They see a New England defense that was ranked 31st in the league, giving up an average of 411.1 yards a game.
And they have no answer for how the Giants can lose this game and how the Patriots can win.
Here’s how: Bill Belichick.
The Patriots coach, with three Super Bowl titles in four appearances, is on the brink of locking arms with Vince Lombardi as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
It is the reason why oddsmakers, even with all the evidence of a Giants win in front of them, made the Patriots the favorite going into this game.
The Belichick genius factor will be put to the test because of the limitations of the Patriots’ best receiver, tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has an ankle sprain. Belichick will have to come up with another way to attack New York that nobody expected.
It could be bulking up the running game, going with an unbalanced line and trying to run the ball against a Giants defense that doesn’t stop the run well.
It could be going to Chad Ochocinco and saying, “This is your moment. This is why we brought you here,” and have the receiver become a viable target for Brady and free up Wes Welker.
The Patriots win because this has a chance to be Belichick’s finest hour. He won’t blow it.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
