This could be an epic game just like the last time these two teams played in the Super Bowl, when the Giants ruined the Patriots’ bid at a perfect season by beating them 17-14.  The Giants are coming into this game red hot as they have played really well in the playoffs.  But, both teams needed a little luck to win in the Conference Championship Games, so I expect this to be a hard fought, outstanding game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots might just run the ball more than usual as the Giants have had issues stopping the running game this year.  If the Patriots can get BenJarvus Green-Ellis going early in the game, it will make the Giants pay for overplaying the passing game.  That doesn’t mean the Patriots aren’t going to pass the ball, because that’s their bread and butter.  For Tom Brady to be effective in this game, the offensive line is going to have to step up and keep DEs Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora away from him.  If Brady has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a field day as the Giants are not loaded with good cover corners.  WRs Wes Welker and Deion Branch could both have big games for the Patriots this Sunday as Brady is going to challenge Giants’ CBs Aaron Ross and Corey Webster quite a bit in this game.  The Patriots are also going to use TEs Rob Gronkowski (he has a high ankle sprain) and Aaron Hernandez a lot in this game, so Giants’ safties Kenny Phillips, Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant are likely going to have long days if Brady has time to throw the ball.  I see the Patriots scoring a lot of points this Sunday.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are likely going to try to stay somewhat balanced offensively in this game.  That means the front seven are going to have to stop the running game while getting a good pass rush on Eli Manning.  That will be easier said than done.  The Giants have two good RBs in Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.  The OLBs (Rob Ninkovich and Jerod Mayo) are going to have to keep the outside contained and force the Giants’ RBs inside to deal with Brandon Spikes and Vince Wilfork.  The Patriots are going to have to get a good pass rush on Eli Manning or they are going to be in big time trouble.  WRs Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham are going to cause big time matchup problems for the Patriots.  CB Kyle Arrington has been a big time player for the Patriots but he’s going to get challenged big time this weekend.  CBs Sterling Moore and Antwaun Molden are really going to have to step up this weekend as they will likely be matched up with Cruz and Manningham.  Safeties Devin McCourty and Pat Chung are going to have to give help over the top for the corners while also keeping an eye on TE Jake Ballard.  A lot of times Manning throws the ball up for grabs after he gets hit a few times early in games, so the secondary is going to have to win those jump balls this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 31, GIANTS 27

30-year old NT Vince Wilfork is going to have to have a big game for the Patriots this Sunday, if they are going to win.  He played in 16 games for the Patriots this year and he had 52 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  Wilfork has been a beast in the playoffs so far, and the Patriots are hoping that he dominates the middle of the field this Sunday.  He has played in both of the Patriots playoff games so far and he has 9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks.

28-year old linebacker Rob Ninkovich is the Patriots new version of Mike Vrabel as he is a playmaker.  Ninkovich played in all 16 games for the Patriots last year and he had 74 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  He has also played in 2 playoff games for the Patriots so far this year and he has 12 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 forced fumble.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Ninkovich makes a game changing play or two for the Patriots this Sunday.

22-year old TE Rob Gronkowski has a high ankle sprain and he wouldn’t be playing this Sunday if it wasn’t the Super Bowl.  That being said, the Patriots would have a hard time winning without him.  He played in 16 games for the Patriots this year and he caught 90 passes for 1,327  yards (14.7 avg) with an amazing 17 TD grabs.  He has also caught 15 passes for 232 yards (15.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs in the Patriots two playoff games so far this year.  If for some reason Gronkowski can’t go this Sunday, the Patriots will likely have a secret weapon up their sleeve like Chad Ocho Cinco or Matthew Slater.

28-year old kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been a pretty solid kicker for the Patriots over this career so far and they need him to be on target this Sunday in the Super Bowl.  Gostkowski played in 16 games for the Patriots during the regular season and he connected on 28 of 33 field goal attempts (84.8%) and all 59 of his extra points, good for 143 points.  He has now played in 88 games in his first six years with the Patriots.  He has made 141 of 167 field goals (84.4%) and 289 of 290 extra points good for 712 points.  Gostkowski has also been pretty good under the pressure of playoff football so far in his career.  He has played in 9 playoff games in his NFL career and he has made 13 of 15 field goals (86.7%) and all 28 of his extra points, good for 67 points.  The Patriots are likely very confident that Gostkowski will make a big kick if the game comes down to it this Sunday.

If 59-year old head coach Bill Belichick leads his team to victory this Sunday, he will join Chuck Noll as the only head coaches in the NFL with 4 Super Bowl wins.  Belichick has been a master since joining the Patriots as he learned from the lumps he took as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.  Incidentally, his only playoff win in Cleveland came against Bill Parcells, Drew Bledsoe and the New England Patriots!  The Patriots are 139-53 (72.4%) in Belichick’s first 12 years as the head coach during the regular season.  He is also 16-5 (76.2%) in the post-season with the Patriots.  The Patriots won Super Bowls in 2001, 2003 and 2004 under Belichick.  His only loss was to the New York Giants, so he likely has revenge on the mind.  The Patriots are 2-0 in the playoffs this year and they are outscoring the competition 68-30 so far.  To get his 4th Super Bowl win, Belichick is going to have to outcoach Tom Coughlin, who has had his number lately.

35-year old RB Kevin Faulk has made more big time plays than any RB I can remember for the Patriots.  In what could be his last game for the Patriots this Sunday, I think he could come up big if called upon.  Faulk has played in 18 post-season games for the Patriots in his career and he has carried the ball 88 times for 425 yards (4.8 ypc).  He has also caught 51 passes for 412 yards (8.1 ypc) with 1 TD grab in the post-season for the Patriots in his career.  Faulk is well rested as he only played in 7 games (3 starts) for the Patriots this year and he carried the ball 17 times for 57 yards (3.4 ypc).  He also caught 7 passes for 34 yards (4.9 avg) this year for the Patriots. Faulk has now played in 161 games (147 starts) in his career for the Patriots (13 years) and he has carried the ball 864 times for 3,607 yards (4.2 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He has also caught 431 passes for 3,701 yards (8.6 avg) with 15 TD grabs in his career the Patriots so far.  He didn’t stop there either as he has returned 101 punts for 943 yards (9.3 avg) and 181 kickoffs for 4,098 yards (22.6 avg) with 2 TD returns in his career.  Faulk is the all-time leader in kickoff return yards in Patriots’ history with 4,098 of them.  He is also #6 in punt return yards (943), #5 in rushing yards (3,607), #13 in rushing TDs (16), #5 in receptions (431), #11 in receiving yards (3,701) and tied for 22nd in receiving TDs (15) in Patriots’ history.  Faulk has had a very solid career for the Patriots and a win over the Giants this Sunday will be a cherry on the top for him.

When the Patriots traded for 34-year old WR Chad Ocho Cinco, they thought he would step up and start opposite of Wes Welker.  That isn’t how things worked out though.  He played in 15 games (3 starts) for the Patriots this year and he caught 15 passes for 276 yards (18.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Ocho Cinco has now played in 166 games (135 starts) in his first 11 years in the NFL and he has caught 766 passes for 11,059 yards (14.4 avg) with 67 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 24 times for 175 yards (7.3 ypc) and he has made it to six Pro Bowls so far in his career.  This will be Ocho Cinco’s first Super Bowl and he might be a secret weapon for the Patriots or he could watch the whole game from the sideline.

The Patriots nipped the Ravens yesterday due to a Billy Cundiff missed field goal (32 yards) with 11 seconds left in the game.  Tom Brady certainly didn’t play too well in this game for the Patriots.  Brady completed 22 of 36 passes for 239 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 2 yards (0.3 ypc) with 1 TD run yesterday.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the way on the ground for the Patriots yesterday with 15 carries for 68 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  TE Rob Gronkowski (5 rec, 87 yards), Aaron Hernandez (7 rec, 66 yards) and Wes Welker (6 rec, 53 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots.  The Patriots finished up with 96 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 36 passes (61.1%) for 234 yards as they had possession of the ball for 26:27.

The defense gave up a lot of yards yesterday, but they still played good enough to win.  LB Brandon Spikes (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), safety James Ihedigbo (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and LB Jared Mayo (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Patriots on D in this game.  NT Vince Wilfork pitched in with 6 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) yesterday.  The Ravens finished up with 116 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 36 passes (61.1%) for 282 yards.  The Patriots will have revenge on their minds in the Super Bowl as the Giants ruined their attempt at a perfect season the last time they matched up in the Super Bowl.

The Baltimore Ravens came up to Foxboro just two years ago and they sent the Patriots home with a 33-14 defeat.  The Patriots have been waiting for a shot at revenge and it will come this Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to come out passing the ball against the Ravens.  The key for the Patriots is going to be keeping DE/OLB Terrell Suggs away from Tom Brady.  If Brady keeps his uniform clean, I think he’s going to have a good game.  The passing game will likely be kept short with the idea of letting the WRs and TEs get yards after the catch.  TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are going to be a problem for the Ravens as Ed Reed is a little dinged up right now and Bernard Pollard’s game is defensing the run. WRs Wes Welker and Deion Branch are going to have tough matchups with CBs Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams.  The Patriots aren’t going to run the ball too much, but I see BenJarvus Green-Ellis getting most of the work as he protects the ball a lot better than rookie Stevan Ridley does.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are going to try to play smash mouth football with Ray Rice and Ricky Williams pounding away at the front seven of the Patriots.  That might backfire on them as the Patriots shut down the vaunted running game of the Broncos last weekend.  That being said, Joe Flacco is a much better QB than Tim Tebow is.  The Patriots’ corners will likely need help with coverting WR Torrey Smith deep as he is a blazer.  Anquan Boldin is still a good receiver and Lee Evans could be the Ravens’ secret weapon this weekend.  Flacco also likes to throw to his TEs alot on the short stuff and Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta are decent receivers.  The problem for the Ravens in this game is that Joe Flacco NEVER steps up in the playoffs.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 31, RAVENS 20