Every week through the NFL playoffs, I've been asking if Eli Manning was capable of playing his best football and leading the New York Giants to victory. And, every week, Manning and the Giants kept right on winning. One more victory, and they'll be Super Bowl champions for the second time in recent memory. Surprisingly, Eli Manning would have more championship rings than his more celebrated brother Peyton if that happens.
Here's what Eli has done so far in the postseason:
23-32-277 vs. Atlanta, with 3 TD's and 0 INT's
21-33-330 at Green Bay, with 3 TD's and 1 INT
32-58-316 at San Francisco, with 2 TD's and 0 INT's
He's averaging over 300 yards passing against top competition. And, he has a stellar 8-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. It's true that the hardfought battle with San Francisco in the NFC Championship game saw 26 incomplete passes. He was facing a great defense that day on the road. And, he didn't turn the ball over even with those 58 passes!
The numbers against Atlanta and Green Bay were truly stellar considering what was at stake. Remember that New England's defense has been pretty soft this year. They were much worse than San Francisco, and ended the season neck-and-neck with Green Bay for worst yardage defense in the league. If Eli could go 21-33-330 outdoors in the cold at Green Bay...what might he do in much better conditions in a dome against New England?
It's hard to believe we're talking about a guy who was 9 of 27 passing against the crosstown rival New York Jets with two weeks to go in the season!
This is obviously reminiscent of the team's Super Bowl run a few years ago...when everything clicked at the right time...and the Giants ultimately edged the Patriots as big underdogs to win the Lombardi Trophy. Once again New York is peaking when they're supposed to. But, it's far from certain that we're going to see a replay of the last few weeks, or the last Super Bowl between these teams.
There's a lot more pressure on Eli Manning now because expectations are greater. He's not a BIG underdog with nothing to lose like he was in the Super Bowl victory, or even in the upset of Green Bay a few weeks ago. This Giants team seems to play at its best when nobody's giving them a chance, and at their worst when they're supposed to thrive.
Opposing quarterback Tom Brady is in a bounce-back spot after one of the worst playoff games of his career. There's no chance that New England will take Eli Manning too lightly, or will take the field overconfident. They know they're lucky to be here after Baltimore missed what should have been a game-tying field goal in the AFC Championship game.
And, there's a much different aura around this game here in Las Vegas too. New England usually gets a lot of respect in the betting markets. Not this time. The game opened around New England by 3.5, but was bet down to New England by 3 very quickly. The early money was on Eli Manning rather than against him. It will be very interesting to see if that holds up once the public floods Vegas sportsbooks on game day.
I can't post my official Super Bowl selections here in my web article. That wouldn't be fair to my clients. I can tell you that I've been studying this game from all possible directions. My trusted sources in New York have chimed in (remember, I was born in Mt. Vernon, NY as a real S.O.B...son of a butcher!). I've canvassed all the big players here in town to see what their thoughts are. I know this is the single most important betting game of the year for all of YOU...so THE KING OF LAS VEGAS has to win the game!
You can purchase my very strong Super Bowl ticket right here at the website with your credit card. You can also take care of business by calling my handicapping office at 1-877-766-8946. It's likely to be very busy throughout the full Super Bowl Weekend, so don't wait until the last second!
Maybe Eli Manning runs the table again, and the Giants will bring glory back to the Big Apple. Or, maybe the pressure gets to him this time, and Tom Brady wins the FOURTH Super Bowl of his storied career. And...maybe...the best betting option on the board is actually the Over/Under because too much attention is being paid to the game line....
