The New York Giants just won the Super Bowl for the second time under QB Eli Manning. But do the Giants 2013 Super Bowl odds justify backing them again? Check out the answer to the question: Will the Giants repeat as Super Bowl champions?

2012 New York Giants Offense
The biggest thing that the G-Men have going for them this coming season is that Manning has clearly jumped into that elite status of NFL quarterbacks. He has probably surpassed his brother, and really with the exception of perhaps Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees, there probably isn’t another quarterback that you would put on the list ahead of the younger Manning. He threw for 4,933 yards this year with 29 TDs against 16 INTs. Sure, the pick total was high, but Manning made up for it by having a knack for winning games at the end when all looked lost.

The emergence of WR Victor Cruz was key this year. That gave Manning a solid set of receivers to throw the pigskin to. He had 1,536 yards, while WR Hakeem Nicks had 1,192 yards, and WR Mario Manningham had 523 yards. TE Jake Ballard suffered a knee injury during the Super Bowl, but assuming that he is okay, he is going to one of the sneakier tight ends in the league next year. Ballard averaged 15.9 yards per catch and had 604 yards.

RBs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs were both hurt for pieces of the season, and the two only ended up rushing for a total of 1,230 yards with 16 scores. Both averaged under 4.0 yards per carry, and that shows that the offensive line is clearly going to need some work going forward.

2012 New York Giants Defense
Defensively, it is all about the pass rush. The play of rookie DB Prince Amukamara improved as the season went on, but he will look like a great starter next year as long as the trio of DEs, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul continue to be dominating. The questions that are to be asked of this defense, which ranked No. 27 in the league at 376.4 yards per game and No. 25 in scoring at 25.0 points per game in the regular season, are going to be at linebacker, where the team just isn’t all that great.

2012 New York Giants Contracts & Free Agents
Free agency shouldn’t be all that bad on the Giants this year. Ballard is a free agent, as is Manningham, and they will probably be the top priorities on offense to resign. OLs Stacy Andrews and Kareem McKenzie are both free agents to be. On the other side of the ball, DB Aaron Ross is sure to be in for a big payday from someone, while S Deon Grant is free as well. LB Chase Blackburn is likely in line for a new contract, and the team is also going to have to address the situation with at punter and backup quarterback if QB David Carr and P Steve Weatherford are not resigned.

2012 New York Giants Schedule
The schedule next year for the Giants is going to be brutal. The team is obviously going to have to play a first place schedule, meaning the Green Bay Packers will once again be on the slate. The other non-divisional home games are against the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The non-divisional road games are against the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Raven, and Cincinnati Bengals. Needless to say, it is going to be a heck of a lot different now that the Giants have to play against the NFC South instead of the NFC West, and those games against the teams in the AFC North are certainly not going to be easy.

2012-2013 New York Giants Super Bowl Odds
The Giants Super Bowl odds are 15 to 1 at Bovada.lv, making them the eighth favorite. They were never really the favorites at any point over the course of this season either, especially with the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles in the same division with them. In the end, this is a brutal schedule for New York to have to play, especially if it isn’t going to win games like the two against the Washington Redskins that it was defeated in this past year. We aren’t even all that sure that the Giants are going to make the playoffs next year, and at this point, we wouldn’t want to back a team at these types of 2013 Super Bowl odds, especially when the team was brutally inconsistent all season long.

It was four years ago that the New York Giants were lifting the Lombardi Trophy at the expense of the New England Patriots. This year, they are back in the big one once again, and if they are going to beat the Super Bowl betting lines in Super Bowl 46, these are the Giants keys to winning the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Matchup: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
Super Bowl Location: Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN
Super Bowl Date/Time: Sunday, February 5th, 6:30 p.m.
Super Bowl Television Coverage: NBC

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012 NFL Playoff Bracket And Other NFL Playoff Previews

Key #1: Eli Manning has to continue to get the job done in the clutch
Call it whatever you want to call it. Eli has guts. The younger Manning brother was sacked six times and nailed countless others by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, but even though he was in a position where he was absolutely brutalized, when his back was against the wall, he got the job done. In fact, that “back against the wall” mentality is what brought the G-Men their first Super Bowl in the Manning era, and it will be what has to happen again this year. It is clear that QB Tom Brady has the better passing game in our eyes with the flexibility at the tight end spot. However, in the end, when the going gets tough, it is Eli that is going to have a shot with the ball in his hands to make something special happen. It might be to lead a comeback. It might be to preserve a lead. It might be to make the big throw in a seemingly impossible position. Yet at some point, Manning is going to need to make a play, and regardless of how well or not well he has played in the game to that point, he is going to have to find some way, against all odds, to make the play that helps New York win this game.

Super Bowl 46 Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
New York Giants +3.5
New England Patriots -3.5
Over/Under 55.5
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Key #2: The ground game cannot be stuck in neutral
The first time that these two teams played this year, 25 carries combined from RBs Brandon Jacobs and Danny Ware needed 95 yards on the ground. It wasn’t enough to consider the New York offense even remotely balanced, as the team threw it 39 times on the day, but it was just enough to win the time of possession battle and give Manning the ability to throw the ball around the field. RB Ahmad Bradshaw was out of the lineup in that first meeting of the year, as was WR Hakeem Nicks. The addition of these two is crucial to say the least, but if Bradshaw and Jacobs can’t get the ball going on the ground, these three fantastic wide receivers that Manning has at his disposal could effectively be taken out of the game. These two had a combined 23 carries for 87 yards in the Super Bowl four years ago, but there was a lot more pressure on them to carry the offense with the very young Manning under the gun.

Key #3: Blitz, blitz, and blitz some more
Actually, we probably don’t have the right terminology for this. The Giants don’t necessarily need to blitz, but they absolutely have to get in the backfield on defense and get the ball out of QB Tom Brady’s hands in a heartbeat. If Brady can hold onto the football in the backfield for long periods of time, TEs Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski will have plenty of time to get open and find seams in the defense. That just isn’t going to cut it to say the least. All of a sudden over the course of the last few weeks, men like DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DE Osi Umenyiora are finding ways to get around the corner and into the backfield in a hurry. Penetration is going to have to come straight at Brady as well, as it was when the pass rush was in his face that he made mistakes all season long against some of the best defenses in the game. Sure, generating that pass rush with just four or five guys will make life a lot easier on some suspect corners, but running bump and run and getting guys in the backfield in a hurry will do wonders as well. If the Giants can’t dial up some blitz packages and knock down Brady, they aren’t going to have success in this game.

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The Super Bowl 46 odds are now out, and the New England Patriots are the decided favorites over the New York Giants. Check out the keys to the Super Bowl for the Patriots and see what they have to do to make sure that they beat the Super Bowl betting lines.

Super Bowl Matchup: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
Super Bowl Location: Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN
Super Bowl Date/Time: Sunday, February 5th, 6:30 p.m.
Super Bowl Television Coverage: NBC

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012 NFL Playoff Bracket And Other NFL Playoff Previews

Key #1: Tom Brady has to figure out how to beat a brutal pass rush
Some of the best teams in the game this year have had a remarkable pass rush this year, and the teams that have been able to beat the Pats have gotten to Brady and put him under some remarkable pressure. That includes the pair of sacks that the G-Men got in the first go around of these two teams. The Baltimore Ravens were able to get in his face last week, and though he was only sacked one time, Brady did throw two picks and only found the end zone one time, and that was on the ground. This is the same type of defense that the Giants are going to throw New England’s way again with some ferocious pass rushers like DE Jason-Pierre Paul. Whether it is more draws, more quick plays, extra blockers, or whatever the case is, Head Coach Bill Belichick and Brady have to design ways to be successful and to keep the likes of Pierre-Paul and these other remarkable defensive linemen out of the backfield.

Super Bowl 46 Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
New York Giants +3.5
New England Patriots -3.5
Over/Under 56
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Key #2: The threat of the big play has to be there
Brady threw for 5,235 yards this year, but the one knock that he has had about his passing game is that there really wasn’t all that much of a vertical passing game. WR Chad Ochocinco might have the ability to stretch the field, assuming that he is back in the lineup for the Super Bowl, while WR Deion Branch is probably the next best option. He caught a deep ball against the Denver Broncos in the Patriots’ first playoff game, but that was a severely different defense than what New England will see in this game. Brady has to be able to have the time to take some shots down the field, no matter who it is that is getting the passes thrown his way, and though we don’t think that he necessarily has to connect on those big time passes, he at least to have to have that threat to keep the New York corners from playing bump and run coverage. We have seen teams hit the deep ball against these defensive backs before, and the Giants have to be taken off the line of scrimmage with the threat of the long pass from one of the best quarterbacks in the game.

Key #3: New England has to become a hardnosed team
With apologies to the football players on the field, all of which have to be tough guys to a certain extent, this New England team is basically soft. The Patriots don’t run the ball right up the gut all that often and have to get cute running the ball with gimmicks and odd formations. They tend to get gashed when teams run hard at them, and their corners really don’t like playing bump and run coverage. Case in point for how soft this team looks: New England needed three shots to get into the end zone from 2nd and goal against the Ravens’ 1-yard line to get in the end zone, and in the end, it was just a jump from Brady got the ball in on fourth down. This is a tough New York team that has taken the emotion from its winning streak and its history of winning the Super Bowl in the past. New England has to match that intensity if it wants to avoid another terrible disappointment in the Super Bowl.

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There are a number of amazing Online Sportsbooks on the internet, and each of those books has their own set of Super Bowl lines and Superbowl props that they are offering. Check out some of the best Super Bowl props offered at each of our sponsor sportsbooks. Click on the links in this article to bet on the Super Bowl and take advantage of some great Super Bowl sportsbook bonuses! You can also check out the exclusive sportsbook bonus codes at these books that are only offered here at Bankroll Sports.

Longest Field Goal Of Super Bowl 46
Longest Field Goal Over 44.5 Yards +100
Longest Field Goal Under 44.5 Yards -120

Will There Be A Defensive Or Special Teams Touchdown In Super Bowl 46?
Yes +180
No -220

First Touchdown Scorer Of Super Bowl 46
Aaron Hernandez +650
Ahmad Bradshaw +65
BenJarvus Green Ellis +650
Brandon Jacobs +1000
Danny Woodhead +1500
Deion Branch +1200
Eli Manning +2500
Hakeem Nicks +650
Henry Hynoski +2000
Julian Edelman +2000
Mario Manningham +1500
Rob Gronkowski +650
Tom Brady +2000
Travis Beckum +1500
Victor Cruz +650
Wes Welker +800
The Field (Any Other Player) +500
No TD Scored In The Game +50000

What Will Tom Brady Do First?
Throw A Touchdown -300
Throw An Interception +240

What Will Eli Manning Do First?
Throw A Touchdown -200
Thrown An Interception +160

Color Of Madonna’s Hair During Halftime Show
Blonde -400
Any Other Color +250

How Long Will Kelly Clarkson Sing The National Anthem?
Over 1:34 -120
Under 1:34 -120

First Team To Be Penalized For Pass Interference
New York Giants -120
New England Patriots -120

Team To Have The Longest Punt Return In Super Bowl
New York Giants +110
New England Patriots -150

Will There Be A Score In The Last 3:30 Of The 4th Quarter?
Yes -180
No +140

Total Field Goal Attempts By Both Teams
Over 4 +150
Under 4 -190

Longest Score Of The Super Bowl Will Be A…
Touchdown -150
Field Goal +120

Total Number Of Penalties Called Against New England Patriots
Over 5.5 -110
Under 5.5 -120

Will Either Team Score Three Unanswered Times?
Yes -200
No +160

Team To Kickoff First In The Game
New York Giants +230
New England Patriots -290

Total Quarterback Sacks In Super Bowl
Over 4.5 +110
Under 4.5 -140

Will The Super Bowl Go Into Overtime?
Yes +650
No -1200

Total Touchdowns In The Super Bowl
Over 6.5 -110
Under 6.5 -120

Will The Team That Scores First Win The Super Bowl?
Yes -170
No +140

How Many Times Will Robert Kraft Be Shown On NBC?
Over 3.5 +120
Under 3.5 -160

Total Missed Field Goals In Super Bowl
Over 1 +320
Under 1 -430

Will New England Convert A 4th Down In The Game?
Yes +115
No -135

Total Number Of New England Patriots To Catch A Pass
Over 6.5 -145
Under 6.5 +125

Which Team Will Throw The First Interception?
New York Giants -125
New England Patriots +105

There are a tremendous number of ways to make money by betting on the Super Bowl, but here at Bankroll Sports, we are going to take some time to look at some of the props that you might find useful to bet on if you aren’t even a fan of football! Check out these Super Bowl halftime props and other exotic Super Bowl props that are available at SportBet Sportsbook!

How Long Will Kelly Clarkson’s National Anthem Be?
Virtually every single year, the ‘over’ is the right way to go on this one. These tremendous singers who are bona fide stars are still a bit struck by the whole situation of playing the national anthem at the Super Bowl, and as a result, there are a few more seconds tacked on to what should be a song that takes about 75-80 seconds to sing. However, after last year’s debacle with the Star Spangled Banner, there is no way that Clarkson is going to do anything out of the ordinary by her own standards. She has obviously sung the anthem before, and even though she is on a bigger stage than she was on American Idol, she won’t let this pressure get to her. In the end, she’ll turn in a relatively tame number that should stay under this 1:34 mark offered at virtually every single online sportsbook.

What Color Will Madonna’s Hair Be For The Halftime Show?
This is a tricky one because you never really can tell what Madonna is thinking. This is certainly the most “risqué” act that any of the Super Bowl halftime shows in recent years, ever since the whole “wardrobe malfunction” incident. The Super Bowl prop here insinuates that Madonna is going to have at least more than one color in her hair. She has gone blonde (or at least some blonde) for quite some time, but for this event, we could see just about anything happening. There is no way that we would want to lay -530 that Madonna does the “normal” thing and at least has half of her hair as blonde, so we would recommend taking the +350 that she comes out with at least a few goofy colors in her locks.

Will The Word “Tebow” Be Said In The First Quarter By Al Michaels Or Chris Collinsworth?
Super Bowl props are always tricky, and SportBet gave us a bit of a curveball here in that only the two men in the announcing booth, not an interviewee or any of the sideline reporters must say the last name of the Denver Broncos’ quarterback. If either one of these signal callers were even the least bit mobile, we would say that the comparison to Tebow would come up. However, unless the New England defense is really harassing QB Eli Manning enough to the point to go back and show just how good it was against the Broncos either in the regular season or in the playoffs on tape, we just don’t see how this is happening. There is far too much going on for the NBC booth boys to be discussing the almighty Tebow, especially in the first quarter of the game.

Robert Kraft Times Shown On NBC vs. Peyton Manning Times Shown On NBC
Again, we have to read between the lines here. The rules specifically state that only kickoff through final whistle count for this prop and that halftime does not apply. This could be crucial, as halftime really seems like the only logical time to discuss the whole Peyton Manning situation. Sure, we think that we will see big brother Peyton a time or two cheering on his little brother (or sulking that his arch rival is winning a Super Bowl on his field), but in the end, the stories for Robert Kraft are just so much greater than those of Manning. Kraft is directly involved in the game as the owner of the Pats, and the story with his wife passing this year and all of the players wearing the patches on their uniforms commemorating her passing is too good not to talk about at least once or twice. The New England owner just has to get more face time on TV than Peyton, or there is something seriously wrong with the coverage of the Super Bowl.

What Will Barack Obama’s Super Bowl Pick Be?
For the time being, President Obama seems to be taking the neutral corner about who is winning the Super Bowl. However, he has made picks for Super Bowls in the past, taking the New Orleans Saints in 2010 and these Patriots in 2008 in their game against these same Giants. Our dear president seems to have some problems with the Manning boys, huh?!?! That being said, if he took the Pats the first time around and they were beaten in the big game, we just can’t see Obama making the same mistake twice. Go with him to take the Giants in a prediction that will probably be ultimately made at some point between now and Sunday’s kickoff.

Bovada Sportsbook is one of our favorite sportsbooks, as it has some of the best football props that you will find on the internet. Check out our Super Bowl prop sheet for the New York Giants, as they get ready to try to get the job done in Super Bowl 46.

Eli Manning Pass Attempts Over/Under 39.5 Pass Attempts: The problem that the Giants have had this year is running the football. Neither RBs Ahmad Bradshaw nor Brandon Jacobs has really done all that much, and the end result has seen Eli have to put a heck of a lot more on his shoulders. Manning threw the ball at least 40 times in four straight games this season towards the end of the year, and he had at least 40 throws eight times including in playoffs. It’s not a great sample set to use in the end, but we just can’t ignore the possibilities that Head Coach Tom Coughlin are going use to try to take advantage of this questionable New England secondary, one which has given up oodles of yards this year at times. We have to think that Eli is going to wing it at least 40 times in this one.

Brandon Jacobs Over/Under 1 Reception: We just love it when we see Super Bowl props like this one. Seeing that “1” on the board looks too easy. It only takes one catch… just one play that could happen at any time to at least ensure a push in this one. However, when you really look back at it, Jacobs isn’t the better back between he and Bradshaw in passing situations, and he isn’t the better back when you think about goal line and short yardage carries either. Over the course of the last six games (including the postseason), Bradshaw has been on the field for almost double the plays that Jacobs has, and the bigger of the two backs only has five receptions in those six games. Jacobs went seven games this year without a single catch against having five games (three of which Bradshaw wasn’t in the lineup) with two or more receptions. Don’t get suckered into this one. The ‘under’ is the right play to make.

Osi Umenyiora Tackles + Assists Over/Under 2.5: We really aren’t all that sure why this prop is this low. Umenyiora isn’t really used all that much against the run because he isn’t all that effective with it, but he does do a great job rushing the passer, which means that he is going be on the field quite a bit harassing QB Tom Brady. Umenyiora has had a great postseason, picking up 5.5 sacks in three games, though those have basically been his only tackles. We aren’t so sure that just based upon sacks, Umenyiora might not reach this point. However, for as much as we are anticipating him being on the field in this game, we do think that more often than not, he will end up with at least three tackles in some form or another.

Lawrence Tynes Over/Under 1.5 Field Goals: Four years ago, Tynes had to be wondering whether he was going to be keeping his job or not. He had missed a slew of field goals on the season for the G-Men, including missing at Lambeau Field in the NFC Championship Game twice before redeeming himself and kicking the game winning three pointer in OT. He did well in the Super Bowl two weeks later and won his job in the offseason that year again and never looked back. Tynes really hasn’t done all that well this year too, especially down the stretch. He hasn’t kicked a field goal of longer than 40 yards in a game since December 18th, but he is still getting his chances. The Giants aren’t a good red zone team, which might leave for a bunch of opportunities to get the job done. He has attempted at least two field goals in nine straight games, including in all three postseason efforts. Of course, making those kicks and getting the chances are two totally different things, but we think that in the big one in the Super Bowl, Tynes will get his chance to be a hero and make at least two kicks at least half the time.

Over the course of a 16-game regular season and three weeks of the playoffs, players are bound to get hurt. Injuries have kept some of the best players on teams out of the Super Bowl in the past, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are going to be keeping up to date the Superbowl 46 injury report to keep you abreast of the most important Super Bowl injury news and notes leading up to the big game.

The New England Patriots came out of the AFC Championship Game in fairly good shape. They already have six players on injured reserve, most notably LB Jermaine Cunningham and DE Andre Carter. These two players were cogs on a defense that was a bit patchwork for the entire season, and they are surely going to be missed. However, the team’s leading sack man for the year, DE Mark Anderson played in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens in spite of a leg injury that had him listed as questionable, and we figure that two weeks’ worth of rest will make sure that he is capable in the lineup at full strength. Update 1/29: Anderson is no longer on the injury report for the Super Bowl for the Patriots and is considered good to go on Super Sunday.

On the offensive side of the ball, QB Tom Brady never appeared on an injury report last week, but we know that he missed some practice with a shoulder injury. Speculation was that perhaps the shoulder was the cause of some of the throws that just weren’t on target against the Ravens, but that was quickly dismissed in the postgame press conference. WR Chad Ochocinco missed the AFC Championship Game after the death of his father late in the week, but he should be back to play in his first ever Super Bowl. The news might not be as good for RB Shane Vereen and T Sebastian Vollmer. Vereen is one of the backs used in the stable for the Patriots, but he really hasn’t gotten all that many looks this year. The former Cal Golden Bear has a hamstring injury, and he starts the week listed as questionable. Vollmer has missed the whole postseason with a back injury and a foot injury. He is considered questionable right now as well, but only time will tell whether it is he or T Nate Solder that is going to be starting at right tackle in the Super Bowl.

Update 1/29: Both Logan Mankins and Vollmer were back in practice this week. Mankins has a slight MCL sprain that is so slight that he hasn’t even appeared on the injury report, while Vollmer has been out of the lineup for weeks. However, it must also be noted that Solder has still gotten his reps and will certainly be involved heavily, if not exclusive at right tackle for the Pats.

Update 1/29: The other injury of note to the New England offense is that of TE Rob Gronkowski. Gronk was seen in a boot last week after the AFC Championship Game, and there is some speculation that his ankle is in worse shape than the team is letting onto. He is still listed as probable on the injury report, though we know that he had missed some practices this week in the first of the two weeks of preparation for the Super Bowl.

The New York Giants have had their share of injuries this year, especially at wide receiver. WR Domenik Hixon and WR Michael Clayton are most on injured reserve, as are DBs Michael Coe and Justin Tryon. Up front along the offensive line, Stacy Andrews and William Beatty are on IR and have missed the entire postseason.

On offense, the only man that is on the initial injury report of any note is WR Hakeem Nicks. Nicks missed some time this year with a hamstring injury, but he was taken to the locker room in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers with a shoulder injury. He returned to the game, and we can only assume that he will be around for the Super Bowl, but it is definitely a situation worth watching after he logged 1,192 receiving yards this season.

Defensively, there could be some problems at linebacker. This is already a unit that isn’t all that fantastic. Little used LB Mark Herzlich hasn’t been in the lineup in two months, but the bigger injury of note is the shoulder injury suffered to LB Chase Blackburn. Blackburn only played in five games this year, but he is the starting middle linebacker for this defense, and if he couldn’t give it a go, it would be a huge loss, especially against the tremendous tight ends that the Patriots are going to throw at these linebackers.

Update 1/29: The Giants remain relatively healthy on the eve of Super Bowl 46. There were seven players that didn’t practice at times this week, most notably Nicks. Few are worried that Nicks won’t be ready to go on Sunday, and the only real notable doubt at this point is whether or not Blackburn is going to be able to give it a go on Sunday. He hasn’t practiced all week long.

For the second time this year, the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers are going to square off against one another, and the action should be intense. Here are the keys to the game for the NFC Championship Game, complete with our Giants vs. 49ers predictions and odds analysis.

NFC Championship Matchup: New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers
Giants vs. 49ers Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA
Giants vs. 49ers Date/Time: Sunday, January 22nd, 6:30 p.m.
Giants vs. 49ers Television Coverage: FOX

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012 NFL Playoff Bracket And Other NFL Playoff Previews

Key #1: The Giants have to take care of the football
It really seems as though the Giants keep good care of the pigskin when they are at their best. QB Eli Manning was picked off 16 times this season, including twice in the first go around between these two teams. That being said, the day that Manning had against the Green Bay Packers last week was remarkable. Sure, he threw that one INT on the day, but he also threw for three TDs and did a great job spreading the football all over the field. Green Bay might have had the worst ranked pass defense in the league, but it also led the league in forcing turnovers. San Fran played a game a lot like that against the New Orleans Saints last week. The Saints had almost 500 yards of total offense, but they turned the ball over five times in the teeth of a San Francisco defense that didn’t play nearly as badly as it seemed on the scoreboard. The 49ers have a nasty, nasty defense, and they picked off Manning twice in the first meeting of these two teams. That’s why the Giants were beaten by a TD the last time around.

Giants @ 49ers Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
New York Giants +1
San Francisco 49ers -1
Over/Under 41.5
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Key #2: The 49ers need to keep their attitude and their swagger
The 49ers have had a certain aura around them all season long. No one has really believed in them, and you can see that on the NFL betting lines as well. They were 1.5 point dogs against the Cincinnati Bengals, 9.5 point pups against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, were just 2.5 point favorites at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers… and the list goes on a on. Even last week against the Saints, they were catching 3.5 from the oddsmakers. That’s why San Francisco isn’t just a great SU team, but is a team that has 13 covers on the season including the playoffs as well. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh came to the Bay Area and was determined to make his team nastier on both sides of the ball. It was about working harder and believing that they deserved to beat the team on the other side of the field because of it. We tend to think that that attitude would have looked a heck of a lot better at Lambeau Field than at home against the Giants, as San Francisco is favored in this game and is largely expected to win. As long as that swagger that the Niners deserve to be here, they should be fine, but if they lose that swagger, they could be in some trouble against a New York team that is thriving off of the fact that few figure that it has the capability to win the Super Bowl for the second time under Head Coach Tom Coughlin.

Key #3: Alex Smith doesn’t have to be better than Manning, but he has to not be significantly worse
This has been the “Year of the Quarterback” in the NFL. Names like Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger are all out of the playoffs, while Smith is still here in the NFL’s version of the “Final Four.” He didn’t always run a pretty pass offense, as the 49ers only ranked No. 29 in the league in passing at 183.1 yards per game through the air. However, what Smith did this year was believe in himself, believe in his receivers, and take care of the football. What we saw last week is that he has the ability to win games if he needs to, as he stood toe to toe with Brees and the best offense, maybe in the history of the league. That being said, we don’t think that he has to do that again this week against the G-Men, but he can’t be significantly worse than Manning if the team is going to win this one.

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