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Guess what... One of the most exciting Patriots'' games of the year came at the end of the season when they played against the NY Giants in that historical game 16 where the Pats played the Giants for a full 60 minutes, a game where some critics of QB Eli Manning say he turned the corner as a starting quarterback, but some of us truly know where the recent success of Eli has come from, and I plan to break it down for you after reviewing this past weekend's games.

Last Weekend's Games

Green Bay Packers 20

NY Giants 23

The Packers had everything in their favor; a home crowd, Packer Bikini Girls (click to see photos), cold weather, and QB Brett Farve. But guess what? There were a few things this past Sunday night that wasn't in their favor; a gritty team that had the benefit of playing the best in the league just three weeks previous, crucial penalties from a defensive line that played as if they were in an away game, an aging QB that once again threw the season away in one pick, and a rookie kicker who's head was on the chopping block after missing two from outside the 30 yard line, but hit one from 47 yards out for the win in OT. Now the Giants will make the trip to Arizona to face a team that they had on the ropes for one half of eternity.   

New England Patriots 21

San Diego Chargers 12

What a satisfying victory against a team who has talked so much about every team they faced over the past few weeks. A team who completely forgot they were almost dead in the water, and finger pointing at each other earlier in the season. The Chargers were almost written off until a trade came from the Dolphins giving them WR Chris Chambers. A trade that led to one of the reasons why Parcells cleaned house in Miami, and a player that turned a two dimensional offense into a three dimensional offense. Karma is a beeyatch though, as this team loses two of it's dimensions before the match up, and the game has to be won on the legs of a guy who was thrown into the mix just last weekend. No chance for that against a vaunted defense with guys like Wilfork, Bruschi, and Seau staring you in the face. Turner couldn't pull off another miracle, and LT sat on the sideline bench wearing his helmet as if he was watching the game on his Vizio. The Patriots won this game for the masses at Gillette that afternoon, and got much help from guys on a day where QB Tom Brady throws two picks. RBs Kevin Faulk and Lawrence Maroney became real estate brokers as they torched the Chargers defense for over 150 yards combined, and WR Jabar Gaffney gleefully watched Shawn Merriman eat his foot as he waltzed into the end zone untouched for his scoring strike. It was also a comeuppance for the fans as the Chargers had three Yankee Buses (how funny is that?) of their fans (family and friends I suppose) that made the trip to the Razor, and came through the gates talking a lot of smack and humming that damn song which I'm sure will fade from YouTube existence now.  

New England Patriots vs. NY Giants (6 p.m. ET February 3rd)

The best coaching decision head coach Tom Coughlin ever made came in week 17. Other than the 16-0 record the game was meaningless, and with the Buccanneers waiting in the wings getting healthy the last thing Coughlin wanted was to come out of this game with a player lost, and he had legitimate concern since he had lost his start TE Jeremey Shockey the week previous to a broken leg. I'm sure he thought about sitting his guys, especially when the game was only going to be seen on the NFL network, and the Boston and NY market as areas outside these were going to be blacked out, until the politicians got involved, and within two weeks the came went from one cable network to four networks making it the biggest match up of the season. Now Tom Coughlin could have sat his players, and let the Pats cakewalk into history, but he knew two things...

1) The NFL didn't want a "preseason" game for a match of this magnitude when it came to coverage.

2) His team was going to the playoffs, but they hadn't had the type of game he wanted to build momentum, and confidence within themselves, and fans.

Well Coughlin made his decision, and it paid off... 60 minutes of football, and a game that will be played for years to come on the NFL network and ESPN Classic. Despite losing the NY Giants had something they truly didn't have previous, and that was confidence. This team learned a lot from this game, and I truly believe it gave them the tools necessary to beat Tampa Bay, the Cowboys, and the Packers, but will it be good enough to finish the job they started that Saturday night?

You want some emotion? Ask any person involved with fantasy football that had Eli Manning as their QB how their season went, and watch their face. You'll hear it all, and when they are done you won't believe that this was the same guy you've watched from week 17 up to now. Well here's why...

Eli has been going to obedience school, and Coughlin is the guy holding the leash. Over the past few weeks Manning's pass attempts have been limited, and when he passes he's making better decisions where to put the ball, but it's bound to happen, and those who are familiar are wondering when will the "REAL" Eli will show up. He's due, and if it does it will be a repeat from last year's performance by QB Rex Grossman of the Chicago Bears. Rex finished the season on a tear, yet his chariot turned into a pumpkin during the big game with Rex throwing for only 165 yards and 2 picks. Eli's success has come from a majority of short passes, and very successful tandem running game, and this is where they can bet the Pats. A successful tandem running game to the outside with several dump and screen passes will test OLB Adalius Thomas, and force the older guys from the interior into pursuit, because going up the middle will not be an option for the Giants as other teams have found out this year. If Coughlin can do this without his team turning the ball over or settling for field goals then the Giants could be the team to "shock the world" this time around. Unfortunately, I don't see it that way no matter how objectively I look at the game, and here's why...

The Pats opened up the season, and beat teams with the pass, leaving a fresh RB in Lawrence Maroney who exploded for yardage once the weather changed, and the running game mattered. Teams have yet to find a way to stop him as he is now allowed to run the ball as he did at University of Minnesota. Get him to the outside, and allow him to break on his defenders eating up valuable yards, and clock. He has been successful and the Giants will be respecting him this time around. Which brings me to the passing game. WRs Randy Moss, and Wes Welker have been somewhat silent over the past two weeks, and that is due to defenses double covering Moss, and keying up on Welker which is why Stallworth had such a big game against the Chargers. The Giants may risk coverage on Welker and Stallworth, but I doubt that Moss will be going man to man, and this is what the Pats have to change to put the Giants defense back on their heels. One way the Pats may keep the Giants defense busy is come out with a 4 wide set, or open the game by hitting the TE to the out meaning Pats TEs Benjamin Watson or Kyle Brady would have to have a solid game to open up the game for Moss. Some may wonder why Belichick hasn't made adjustments like this over the past few weeks, and it could be for the same reason why they didn't concern themselves with the running game earlier in the season. The run has been the best weapon over the last three games, as defenses have been stubborn with the passing game giving the Patriots coaching staff a lot to study about defensive pass coverage over the past three weeks.

So which team has the biggest advantage heading into this game? The Patriots would be the team, this is their 4th time so it's easy for them to deal with the hoopla surrounding the game. As for the  coaching staff, the Pats win this one hands down, the Pats other big advantage is the fact they are so deep on the roster with guys who can make plays like Jarvis Green, Randall Gay, Chad Jackson and hopefully Troy Brown. Lastly, the Pats will need a big game from their special teams, and for the most part they have been pretty clutch this season when needed.

Winner: Patriots

So there is my winner, and don't forget to check me out Thursdays (8 p.m. to midnight) & Fridays (1-3 p.m. during the "On the Mark PI Show" and on "Krashing into the Bigfield" Saturday afternoons on 1460 WXBR AM out of the Boston area, or the LIVE stream on http://www.1460wxbr.com/ or http://www.talkradiox.com/ (noon to 2 p.m. NY ET). You can also call the show at (508) 586-1460 to talk chime in at anytime.