Super Bowl XLVI
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind.
New England Patriots vs. New York Giants
Sunday, Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m. EST on NBC

New England Patriots

Super Bowl betting — and prop bets, in particular — attract sharks and suckers alike who can’t afford a $3.5-million, 30-second commercial spot on NBC’s telecast or a $2,500 nosebleed seat at Lucas Oil Stadium, but do have a some lunch money to wager on Super Sunday.

There has been a major trend in sports media over the last 10-15 years to give quarterbacks singular credit for team success. The signal caller that is probably the most debated in this fashion is Tom Brady of the Patriots. Some people believe he is an all-time great, while others believe that New England’s three Super Bowl titles were much more due to Bill Belichick’s scheming and a nasty defense than QB play.

By RALPH VACCHIANO

The underdog New York Giants surprised the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, a memorable 17-14 decision to complete the 2007 season.

When the New York Giants and New England Patriots kick off Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the game won’t be just a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, it will be a renewal of the greatest sports town rivalry and culture clash in the country — New York vs. Boston. Which city has the edge heading into Super Sunday? The following is a tale of the tape:

— by Mark Ross

Tom Brady the greatest quarterback of all-time in NFL history? Believe it or not, this may not be as far-fetched a statement as it may have seemed.

The Final Four has been set, and it might not have been the one you were expecting. The AFC did get its top two seeds through to the championship, but over in the NFC the two best teams – or what everyone thought were the two best teams (the Packers and Saints) are gone.

That leaves this: The Baltimore Ravens (13-4) vs. the New England Patriots (14-3) on one side, and the upstart New York Giants (11-7) vs. the San Francisco 49ers (14-3) on the other. On Feb. 5 two of them will meet in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis.

A quick preview of both the AFC and NFC Championship Games, along with the consensus picks of Athlon Sports editors Mitchell Light, Rob Doster, Nathan Rush, Patrick Snow and Steven Lassan:

Ravens (13-4) at Patriots (14-3)
Sunday, Jan. 22, 3:00 pm ET, CBS