Our Super Bowl pick is the team that is 7-0 as postseason underdogs
BY MARK POTASH mpotash@suntimes.com February 2, 2012 7:36PM
New York Giants' Eli Manning tosses the ball during practice, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Giants will face the New England Patriots in the NFL football Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Article Extras
Updated: March 4, 2012 8:19AM
Giants vs. Patriots
Time: 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 5, 670-AM.
Line: Patriots by 3.Total: 54.
Records (overall/ATS): Patriots 15-3/10-7-1. Giants 12-7/11-7-1.
Fast fact: The Giants are 7-1 ATS in their last eight; The Patriots are 3-4 ATS in their last seven.
Outlook: Since winning their first Super Bowl as an underdog in 2002, the Patriots are 7-11 ATS in the postseason — 5-8 as favorites and 0-3 in the Super Bowl. The Giants are on the other end of that spectrum — 8-2 ATS in the postseason under Tom Coughlin, 7-0 as underdogs. When the Giants beat the Patriots 24-20 on Nov. 6 in New England, the game was scoreless at half but turned into a shootout in the final 3:03, with Eli Manning throwing two TDs and Tom Brady throwing one. The Patriots had four turnovers (three by Brady), missed a 27-yard FG and had two pass interference penalties that led to Giants TDs. When the Saints had two weeks to prepare for the Giants this season, they scored 49. The Patriots are the better team, but they’re not what they used to be. And even when they were what they used to be, they struggled to cover.
Mark Potash’s pick: Giants 34, Patriots 31. Marc Silverman’s pick: Giants. Doug Buffones’s pick: Patriots.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment