The online betting year has already reached one of its biggest points with the kickoff of Super Bowl XLVI. People from all over the world will be placing their bets in Las Vegas on either the New England Patriots or New York Giants. The media has been hammering the point that these two teams met in Super Bowl XLII back in 2008 for the 2007 season. Aside from quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady, these two teams are nothing like they were four years ago. The Giants took the same road to Super Bowl XLVI that the Green Bay Packers took to Super Bowl XLV. The Giants had to win its last game of the season to get into the playoffs, and then the Giants followed the wild card route to the big game. The one difference between the Giants and the Packers is that the Giants entered the playoffs as a division champ and the Packers were the number eight NFC seed last year.

We have waited long enough to see what developments will occur that could force us to change our minds about the big game. Now is the time to analyze this contest and see exactly who has the better chance at taking it all for the 2011 NFL season.

SUPER BOWL XLVI

New York Giants @ New England Patriots (-2 1/2) - held in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN

New York Giants

A Manning will play a Super Bowl in the "house that Manning built." It just won't be the actual Manning that built the house. Little brother Eli gets to play in the Super Bowl played in his big brother's house. If Eli can pull this win off, then many observes give Eli an excellent chance at eclipsing his brother's legacy. The Giants definitely have a lot going for it on offense, but the biggest New York weapon is the deep ball. The New England Patriots cannot cover the deep ball, and the New York Giants love to throw the deep ball. That gives the advantage to the New York offense.

The New York defense is also a little suspect in the secondary, but there is no deep threat with the Patriots. The Giants play the contain game very well and are very good at keeping all of the moving parts of an offense in front of them. The New York defensive line will be able to put pressure on Tom Brady and the New York linebackers can stay with those dangerous tight ends of the Patriots. But with Rob Gronkowski hampered by an injury, that gives the Giants one less thing to worry about.

New England Patriots

How the Patriots continue to score points without ever running the ball or throwing the ball deep is a mystery. The Patriots' offense was able to out-think the Baltimore defense in the AFC Championship game, but not necessarily able to out-play the Ravens. The Giants are too smart to fall for the things that the Ravens fell for, and the Patriots will have to completely adjust its game to accommodate the loss of Rob Gronkowski. Look for running back Danny Whitehead to get more involved in the Patriots' offense with Gronkowski unable to go at 100 percent. But that may not be enough to get past the Giants' defense.

The Patriots are awful on defense, but it has managed to find a way to get all of its parts working in the playoffs. But New England has not faced a dangerous offense in the playoffs yet. Shutting down Joe Flacco and Ray Rice of the Ravens was simple compared to the complex threat that Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and Ahmad Bradshaw pose. There may not be enough guns in the Patriots' defensive arsenal to keep the Giants under control.

The Outlook

Never count Bill Belichick and Tom Brady out of a Super Bowl, but this Patriots' team just does not have as much to offer as the 2008 team did. This Giants team seems to be a bit more balanced and better than the 2008 team. This game could still be close, but the Patriots will have to play flawless football to win Super Bowl XLVI. While it is well within the range of possibility that Brady and the offense could be flawless, the New England defense is a different story.

Pick: New York Giants