Defense will carry Giants over Patriots again

INDIANAPOLIS — In this new NFL age of throw first and throw again, it's easy to forget to first rule of football: Defense wins championships.

Sorry Eli. Sorry Tom. There's no doubt you're both among the league's elite quarterbacks.

The Super Bowl, however, is going to be decided by defense, and the Giants are better than the Patriots right now. The proof is in the performance.

Take a look at the five-game winning streak that's carried the Giants (12-7) from a .500 team to a second Super Bowl in four years. The defense has given up only 67 points during the streak, not allowed more than 251 yards passing in any game, recorded 20 sacks and forced 11 turnovers.

And that's against some very good offenses, including the high-powered one in Green Bay.

To say the defense is confident heading into the Super Bowl would be an understatement.

"I feel like we're going to play our best game, so whoever is facing us better play theirs," defensive captain Justin Tuck.

There is no secret to the Giants' game plan: Stop the run, put the Patriots in passing situations and knock Tom Brady on his you-know-what.

Then do it again.

It's the game plan the Giants used four years ago in Phoenix in embarrassing the Patriots' offensive line, and the same one they used with a little less effectiveness in Foxborough, Mass., early in November during a 24-20 win.

In that more recent game, the Giants sacked Brady twice and had two interceptions. One sack led to a fumble recovery that set up a score.

Get to Brady and good things happen.

"We did some things that disrupted his timing," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "We caused him to stay jittery in the pocket. Hopefully we can do that again."

Brady and the Patriots will be facing an even better defense in the rematch. The Giants' front four is healthy and peaking.

Tuck has overcome the shoulder and groin injuries that bothered him in November. Osi Umenyiora is as healthy as he's been all season, and the defense has suddenly found itself after needing a rescue party for the first 14 games.