Super Bowl XLVI

Congratulations to the New York Giants!

Last season's "If Real football Used Fantasy Scoring..." champions have shown they can do it on the real football field as well. How nice for Giants fans everywhere.


Team season recaps start on Monday, February 13th. Relive the glory (or misfortune) of your favorite team's 2011 campaign in the next few weeks...

Predictions of Creative Misfortune - Super Bowl XLVI

A rematch of Super Bowl XLII... and we have no clearly predicted winner. It should be a great game!


Super Bowl XLVI Predictions:

New York Giants vs New England Patriots
     Creative Misfortune's Pick: New England Patriots 27, New York Giants 23. The Patriots have not forgotten their loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. The sting of that defeat will never go away, but a bit of redemption can be had by a New England victory in Super Bowl XLVI.

     Scottie V's Pick: New York Giants 27, New England Patriots 23. Eli continues to emerge from Peyton's shadow snatching his second Lombardi Trophy with a brilliant 300-yard, no turnover performance.

     Vegas Lines Pick: New England Patriots 30, New York Giants 26. Patriots by 3, Over/Under 54.

     Best Record Wins Pick: New England Patriots 20, New York Giants 17. Patriots better at 15-3.

     Home Team Wins Pick: New York Giants 20, New England Patriots 17. The Giants play their home games in MetLife Stadium, just 711 miles away from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, whereas Gillette Stadium in Foxboro sits 975 miles away. New York gains home-field advantage by having slightly less distance to travel.


Next week, once the Super Bowl celebrations have wound down and the champion has been duly praised, complete season recaps for all teams will begin. Don't miss out on your chance to relive the glory (or misfortune) of your favorite team's 2011 season!

Super Bowl XLVI Preview - Franchise Comparisons - New England Patriots vs New York Giants

Two storied franchises are set to battle it out in Indianapolis on Sunday to determine which one will become even more storied. We’ve compared the offenses. We’ve compared the defenses. Now let’s compare the organizations as a whole and see how they stack up to each other.

Founded -

            New England Patriots: 1960

            New York Giants: 1925

            Comment of Misfortune: New York is older by 35 years and was part of the original National Football League.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 1-0

Stadium Capacity -

            New England Patriots: 68,756
            New York Giants: 82,566
            Comment of Misfortune: Since 82,566 is a few more drunken fans more than 68,756, I gotta rule in favor of New York.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 2-0

Uniform Colors -

            New England Patriots: All the colors of the great U.S. of A
            New York Giants: Blue and Gray

            Comment of Misfortune: The Patriots fly the colors of the greatest nation on Earth. How can New York's Civil War colors possibly compare?
            Team Advantage: New England
            Score: New York, 2-1

Nickname -

            New England Patriots: Patriots, Evil Empire, Homeland Defense, Patsies, The Pats

            New York Giants: Giants, Big Blue Wrecking Crew, Crunch Bunch, "Earth, Wind and Fire", G Men, Jet Blue, Thunder & Lightning

            Comment of Misfortune: The Giants have more nicknames and none of theirs have to do with long periods of ineptness, such as the Patsies, however, the Evil Empire is a cool way to refer to the Patriots of the Belichick era.
            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 3-1

2011 Record -

            New England Patriots: 13-3 (2-0)

            New York Giants: 9-7 (3-0)

            Comment of Misfortune: New England clearly stands apart from New York in this category at 15-3 vs 12-7... but they stood out four years ago when they were 18-0 as well.

            Team Advantage: New England
            Score: New York, 3-2

All-Time Regular Season Record -

            New England Patriots: 414-365-9 (.525 win %, since 1960)

            New York Giants: 645-531-33 (.534 win %, since 1925)

            Comment of Misfortune: Not only has New York played more games than New England, they've won a higher percentage of them, too.

            Team Advantage: New York

            Score: New York, 4-2

All-Time Playoff Record -

            New England Patriots: 23-15 (.605 win %)

            New York Giants: 23-24 (.489 win %)

            Comment of Misfortune: Come playoff time, however, New England has won a higher percentage of games than New York.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 4-3

2011 Touchdowns Scored -

            New England Patriots: 69 (regular season, 61; playoffs, 8)

            New York Giants: 56 (regular season, 47; playoffs 9)

            Comment of Misfortune: The Patriots offense has been quite prolific through most of the season and they have punched the ball into the end zone 13 more times than the Giants.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: Tied, 4-4

2011 Field Goals Scored -

            New England Patriots: 32 (regular season, 28; playoffs, 4)

            New York Giants: 25 (regular season, 19; playoffs, 6)

            Comment of Misfortune: In close, defensive battles, field goals can be of utmost importance. The Patriots, surprisingly, have a significant edge here.

            Team Advantage: New England
            Score: New England, 5-4

Super Bowl Titles -

            New England Patriots: 3 ~ Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX

            New York Giants: 3 ~ Super Bowls XXI, XXV, XLII

            Comment of Misfortune: They have each won three Super Bowls, but I can't overlook the value of New York's victory in Super Bowl XLII in this category.
            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: Tied, 5-5

 

Other Championships -

            New England Patriots: None
            New York Giants: 4 ~ NFL Championships in 1927, 1934, 1938 and 1956

            Comment of Misfortune: While their Super Bowls may need a tiebreaker, the Giants clearly win the Other Championships category by being older and more successful during the first half of the 20th century.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 6-5

All-Time Record vs Each Other -

            New England Patriots: 5-5

            New York Giants: 5-5

            Comment of Misfortune: The all-time series is tied up between these two, but only because the Giants defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Again, that victory cannot be overlooked when all other things appear to be equal…

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 7-5

Record in Last 10 Games vs Each Other (since October 1970) -

            New England Patriots: 5-5

            New York Giants: 5-5
            Comment of Misfortune: The Giants have won the last two meetings (this season and Super Bowl XLII), but prior to those games, the Patriots owned New York between 1996 and 2007.
            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 7-6

Biggest All-Time Victory vs Each Other -

            New England Patriots: 11 points (NE 17, NYG 6; October 12, 2003)

            New York Giants: 16 points (NYG 16, Boston Patriots 0; October 18, 1970)

            Comment of Misfortune: Neither team has ever been able to crush the other one. Looks like we are set up for another close game on Sunday, if the current versions of these franchises hold true to history.
            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 8-6

Total Franchise All-Pro Players -

            New England Patriots: 30 Players (named a total of 50 times)

            New York Giants: 58 Players (named a total of 110 times)

            Comment of Misfortune: When it comes to Pro's Pros, New York has had almost twice as many All-Pro players on their rosters as the Patriots.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 9-6

Total Franchise Pro Bowl Players -

            New England Patriots: 88 Players (named a total of 199 times)

            New York Giants: 117 Players (named a total of 258 times)

            Comment of Misfortune: When it comes to fan balloting, both teams have had a similar number of Pro Bowl players, but New York should have had far more than New England since they have been in existence 35 years longer.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 9-7

Pac-10 Players on Roster -

            New England Patriots: 10 - Josh Barrett (Arizona State), Andre Carter (California), Patrick Chung (Oregon), Christian Cox (Utah), Rob Gronkowski (Arizona), Bret Lockett (UCLA), Chad Ochocinco (oregon State), Matthew Slater (UCLA), Nate Solder (Colorado) and Shane Vereen (California)
            New York Giants: 2 - Spencer Paysinger (Oregon) and Terrell Thomas (USC)         
            Comment of Misfortune: What's with all the non-Pac-10 players, New York? Clearly only one of these teams suffers from an extreme case of East Coast bias. Left Coast Advantage - New England.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 9-8

Final Judgment:

            Both franchises are among the true elites of the National Football League, but history is on New York's side as they get the nod in 9 of the 17 franchise categories. Will their edge in intangibles lead to another surprising victory in Super Bowl XLVI? Only a few more days until we find out.

Check back tomorrow for the predictions of Creative Misfortune for Super Bowl XLVI…Will either team be a unanimous pick by all prediction systems?

Super Bowl XLVI Preview - New York's Offense vs New England's Defense

The New York Giants have been playing on a shoe-string and a prayer since their first victory in Dallas late in the regular season. Having to win out in order to win it all, the Giants are one win away from a championship run that seemed nearly impossible just a few months ago when this team was mired in their longest losing streak of the season. Eli Manning has won more playof games on the road than any other quarterback in NFL history and has a chance to once again lead his team against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Despite the weapons that Manning has at his disposal - a power running game, a deep receiving corps led by the breakout star of the season, Victor Cruz, and a strong offensive line - the Giants offense will be no match for New England if their defense can't slow down Brady and his talented offense.

The Patriots, for their part, have improved greatly on defense during the second half of the season. When the offense stumbled against the Ravens in the AFC Championship game, the defense picked up the slack and punched New England's ticket to the Super Bowl. The Patriots D will have to play better than average if they want to get Manning off the field and put the ball back into Brady's hands.


Super Bowl XLVI Statistical Matchup
            *Note: None of these stats “mean” anything, but let’s have fun with them anyway… Numbers include playoff games


            Stat Keys:
                        Passing Points = Total Passing Touchdowns + ½ Total Field Goal Points
                        Rushing Points = Total Rushing Touchdowns + ½ Total Field Goal Points


                        Points per Passing Yard = Passing Points / Total Yards Passing
                        Points per Rushing Yard = Rushing Points / Total Yards Rushing

Category	Giants Offense vs	Patriots Defense Allowed	When They Collide…
Rushing Values
Rushing Points	162	131
Rushing Yards	1779	2134	Each rushing yard worth
Points per Rushing Yard	0.091	0.061	0.076
At their Best (DEF worst)	172 yards	252 yards	212 yards = 16.1 pts = 16 pts
2011 Average	93 yards	119 yards	106 yards = 8.1 pts = 8 pts
At their Worst (DEF Best)	29 yards	73 yards	51 yards = 3.9 pts = 4 pts
Passing Values
Passing Points	295	229
Passing Yards	5596	5093	Each passing yard worth
Points per Passing Yard	0.053	0.045	0.049
At their Best (DEF Worst)	400 yards	393 yards	397 yards = 19.5 pts = 20 pts
2011 Average	295 yards	283 yards	289 yards = 14.2 pts = 14 pts
At their Worst (DEF Best)	204 yards	108 yards	156 yards =   7.6 pts =   8 pts
Projected Score Breakdown	Rushing + Passing	Combined Points
At their Best	16 pts + 20 pts	36
2011 Average	8 pts + 14 pts	22
At their Worst	4 pts +   8 pts	12

Projected Super Bowl XLVI Score for the New York Giants: 23 points

Based on the New England projections from yesterday versus the New York defense -

If both offenses come out blazing and the defenses stumble, expect New England to win a relatively close shoot-out, 42-36.

If both teams play as they have tended to play all season, expect another close game with New England coming out on top, 26-23.

In a knock-down, drag-out defensive struggle takes place, expect this to be the first Super Bowl that finishes in overtime as both teams battle to a 12-12 (or 14-14) draw in regulation. At that point, all bets are off on who will win the game.

Based on these statistical comparisons, if New York hopes to win, they will need to force some turnovers to give their offense extra help and break off some dynamic returns with their special teams. If any team can overcome the potential threat of an opposing offense, the Giants can.


Check back tomorrow to see how these two Super Bowl franchises stack up to each other both in history and intangibles…

Super Bowl XLVI Preview - New England's Offense vs New York's Defense

The New England Patriots are a team that crushes their opponent's spirit by scoring 35+ points a game. Few teams have won as often as the Patriots over the past decade - or by such outrageous, obnoxious numbers. Tom Brady can pick apart a defense like few other quarterbacks in NFL history. His ability to read a defense and know exacly where to go each and every play will force New York's secondary to stay with their coverages longer than normal. Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are among the many, versatile weapons Brady has at his disposal.

While the Patriots are not known for their ability to run the football, their offensive line has managed to stay reasonably healthy this season and has kept aggressive defenses from wrecking havoc with the timing of their passing game.

The New York Giants defense has played lights out football during their run through the playoffs. Just as versatile on defense as the Patriots are on offense, the Giants' defensive front seven look to completely disrupt the high-powered New England attack. If New York's defense can slow down the Patriots enough to hold them to field goals instead of touchdowns, they will be able to give Eli Manning a fighting chance to keep pace with Tom Brady. The Giants can win the game with their defense, but they will have a lot easier time containing the Patriots if their offense can give them a two-score lead.

Super Bowl XLVI Statistical Matchup
            *Note: None of these stats “mean” anything, but let’s have fun with them anyway… Numbers include playoff games

            Stat Keys:
                        Passing Points = Total Passing Touchdowns + ½ Total Field Goal Points
                        Rushing Points = Total Rushing Touchdowns + ½ Total Field Goal Points

                        Points per Passing Yard = Passing Points / Total Yards Passing
                        Points per Rushing Yard = Rushing Points / Total Yards Rushing

Category	Patriots Offense vs	Giants Defense Allowed	When They Collide…
Rushing Values
Rushing Points	188	144
Rushing Yards	2006	2301	Each rushing yard worth
Points per Rushing Yard	0.094	0.063	0.079
At their Best (DEF worst)	183 yards	205 yards	194 yards = 15.3 pts = 15 pts
2011 Average	111 yards	121 yards	116 yards = 9.2 pts = 9 pts
At their Worst (DEF Best)	43 yards	49 yards	46 yards = 3.6 pts = 4 pts
Passing Values
Passing Points	363	263
Passing Yards	5681	4684	Each passing yard worth
Points per Passing Yard	0.064	0.056	0.060
At their Best (DEF Worst)	516 yards	372 yards	444 yards = 26.7 pts = 27 pts
2011 Average	316 yards	247 yards	282 yards = 16.9 pts = 17 pts
At their Worst (DEF Best)	170 yards	101 yards	136 yards = 8.1 pts   =   8 pts
Projected Score Breakdown	Rushing + Passing	Combined Points
At their Best	15 pts + 27 pts	42
2011 Average	9 pts + 17 pts	26
At their Worst	4 pts +   8 pts	12

Projected Super Bowl XLVI Score for the New England Patriots: 27 points

Check back tomorrow to see how the New York Giants offense compares to the New England Patriots defense. Will the numbers for the Giants put them over the 27 points the Patriots are projected to score?