Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup will pit evenly matched foes

The last time they met in the Super Bowl, one of the greatest games in NFL history took place.

It’s hard to go out on a limb and say the second go-round will be as good as the first n I’m not here to be that bold.

But I am here to tell you that this weekend’s Super Bowl truly should be another treat for sports fans.

The New England Patriots and New York Giants n round two.

Super Bowl XLVI hanging in the balance.

Let’s go!

Start with the Giants n the ultimate Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team in the NFL.

Some weeks, they are up and truly look to be All-World.

Other weeks, they are down, limping and struggling before ultimately crashing and burning to inferior competition.

Just ask the people in my survivor pool (of which I am a co-champion) if they like the Giants. Their unpredictability cost several innocent bystanders a shot at loser pool glory.

But in recent weeks, the Giants have been blazing hot.

New York enters this game with playoff wins against the Falcons, Packers and 49ers n three teams the football world expected to make postseason runs.

Experts like to tell you the Giants have made their run on the strength of their defensive line, which has really simmered in recent weeks.

I’m not denying those claims n the Giants’ defensive line has been beastly good.

But I have two other things I’d like to point to as my factors for the team’s success.

The first is quarterback Eli Manning, who has been nothing short of superb and who has firmly established himself among the best in the world at his craft.

Take stats and emotion out of arguments because those things can be skewed. Has there really been anyone head and shoulders better than Manning this year? Forget the yards that come when one is running up the score on another team. Forget the touchdowns n Manning doesn’t play in perfect throwing conditions.

This guy is just tough. And from that toughness is a great leader.

Love him, hate him, give this widely under-respected man his due.

The second reason the Giants are rocking so hard is because of their own plight. Because they struggled early, they’ve been in playoff mode for weeks, having to win their final few regular season games to even reach the field.

From that, confidence was built.

We all know confidence is a powerful thing. In this case, powerful enough to win the NFC.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s New England n the distinguished, seasoned veterans of the party.

Most years, New England is the favorite going into the season n the team everyone wants to beat.

This year, the Patriots have sort of been an afterthought.

Why?

Truthfully, I’m not fully sure.

Critics will point out that the Patriots don’t have a very good defense.

OK. I understand that.

But the same critics were also labeling the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers as Super Bowl favorites.

The Saints haven’t played defense since 2009 and Packers defenders Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji have been known more for their Discount Double Check dance moves in recent weeks than for their on-field ability to keep teams from pay dirt.

So instead of focusing on what the Patriots don’t have, let’s talk about what they do have n Tom Brady.

Brady is the best quarterback of our generation.

The dude has won three Super Bowls and has won the AFC Championship four times.

He is doing Joe Montana things during a parity-driven era when Joe Montana things aren’t supposed to be possible.

Brady, now 34 and three seasons removed from a playoff win, had to even hear the criticisms of a handful of wise-Alec’s who said the team’s window had closed.

Others went so far as to hint the quarterback was past his prime.

I think it’s safe to assume those worries have been silenced after the Hall of Famer’s 39 touchdown, 12-interception and 5,000-yard season.

But take Brady out of the mix for a second n something that’s asking a lot when one considers the remarkable impact he has on his team.

The real reason one should fear the Patriots is because of their head coach Bill Belichick.

This guy’s a wizard.

There’s really no other way to say it n the dude’s a wizard.

Let’s be real n the Patriots’ roster has no business being in the Super Bowl.

They have no deep threat in the passing game. They have little to no running game. Heck, their running backs are so putrid that they give tight end Aaron Hernandez carries every game.

On top of that, they have very little pass rush defensively and one of their best cornerbacks is actually a wide receiver.

Sound like a Super Bowl roster to you? It sounds more like a high school roster to me.

But Belichick makes it work and his greatness is undeniable.

So with that said, the big game is here and the two teams really have taken different paths to Indianapolis.

I know you all want a prediction n something I’m weary to do given my track record.

After all, what do I know? I picked the Chargers to win the Super Bowl in the preseason and I said if the 49ers won a playoff game, I’d cut myself a mullet hair cut and grow a Fu Manchu mustache (a promise I seek to keep).

But with that said, I think it’s just Eli’s year.

The guy’s been so good for the better part of two months that I can’t see the Patriots’ porous defensive backs slowing him down, even if given two weeks to prepare.

So let’s go Giants 34, Patriots 28.

Either way, I expect it to be a thriller.