Rainman Suite

It’s like Bill Parcells said, “If you can’t get ready to play this game, you oughta take a hike.” The Giants and Pats are ready. These are two great teams about to play for perhaps the highest stakes there’s ever been. It’s the Rematch of the Century for a reason. A Patriots win eases the pain of Super Bowl XLII, while a Giants win vindicates the 2007 World Title. Brady and Belichick enter the Greatest of All-Time discussion with a fourth Championship, while another Lombardi Trophy make Eli and Coughlin Hall of Famers and the best quarterback and coach in New York football history. Hell, Eli would even have to be mentioned when you’re talking about Ruth, Messier, Mantle, Reed, DiMaggio, Clyde, and Gehrig. Past, present, future. Nothing will be the same after February 5th.

GIANTS AT PATRIOTS (-2.5)

Stone’s Take: I am going to have a heart attack. There’s no way this game doesn’t come down to the final minutes. Both teams are flawed but both teams are also excellent at certain facets of the game. The Giants went into Foxboro in WEEK 9 and closed out the Pats twice without Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks. In my eyes, it was their best game of the year. The Giants have played their best all season when they are challenged. While they may have strayed a bit from their “Talk is cheap, play the game” mantra and exerted supreme confidence, I don’t get the feeling that they think this is a done deal. Led by Eli Manning, the entire team appears extremely focused. If they play with the confidence they’ve been speaking of, the NYPD better start barricading the Canyon of Heroes. Prediction: Giants 28, Patriots 21

Rory’s Take:

I’m going with Plaxico on this.  I feel stupid confident about this game.  And, to be fair, the games this season I’ve felt stupid confident about were the Seahawks game, the home game against the Eagles, and the home game against the Redskins.  So my confidence is making me nervous.  Go figure.  What I love about this game is that, even if the Giants lose, the “series” is still 1-1.  And you know what that means?  Giants-Patriots, 2014, in the new Giants stadium.  Awesomeness.  Prediction: Giants 21, Patriots 17

Last week’s picks