Battle in the trenches
Super Bowl will be decided on performance of Pats’ O-line
NFL. It’s the battle that will likely tell the tale of Super Bowl XLII.
On Sunday, the Patriots’ offensive line — which allowed just 21 sacks in the regular season, the fifth-lowest total in the league — meets a New York defensive line that’s one of the best in the business, finishing the regular season with 53 sacks, the most in the NFL.
“I think they present a lot of problems,” Patriots left tackle Matt Light said of the Giants’ front four. “When we played them [in Week 17], we had a lot of negative-yardage plays in the run game. They obviously got to Tom [Brady] more than we’d like, and they are very good at what they do. There is a reason why they are here and in this game.”
“They’re talented, they’re tough, and they take great pride [in their job] because when you have a player the quality of a Tom Brady, it brings the level of play around him to a higher level,” Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin said of the New England offensive line. “All you have to do is look at the numbers.”
In their first matchup, the Patriots held New York to just one sack. However, this time around, there’s a reason to think things might be different.
In that game, the Patriots had two-fifths of their starting offensive line missing in that one, as Russ Hochstein (right guard) and Ryan O’Callaghan (right tackle) started in place of Stephen Neal and Nick Kaczur. As a result, the New England running game was unable to get on track much of the night, finishing with just 44 rushing yards.
Neal and Kaczur have returned for the Patriots’ two postseason games. And with their starting offensive line playing in back-to-back games for the first time in over a month, New England has averaged 147 rushing yards per game in the postseason.
The success that comes with that level of continuity is no surprise to Giants lineman Michael Strahan.
“[Brady] has a great offensive line. Those guys do a great job,” said Strahan, who was held sackless in the first meeting between the Patriots and Giants. “They all know each other very well because they have played together for awhile.”