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Gametime: Patriots (15-0) at Giants (10-5)

Randy Moss and the Patriots could become the No. 1 regular season team of all-time with a win tonight against the Giants.(Courtesy of NFL.com)

The Game: New England Patriots (15-0) at New York Giants (10-5)
The Place: Giants Stadium, Meadowlands, NJ
The Time: 8:15pm
The Channels: NFL Network, simulcast on NBC, CBS and WCVB Boston
The Skinny: The time has come. Destiny has arrived. Whatever a perfect regular season means to you, it’s all on the line tonight for the Patriots. The Giants have clinched the fifth seed in the NFC and have nothing to play for, but so far it seems head coach Tom Coughlin will play his starters for at least a part of the game tonight. The Patriots have long locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and only have to play for a few records and a perfect regular season. It’s a good bet we will see Brady, Moss and the rest of the starters until the records are set and/or the game is in hand.

3 Keys to the Game:

1. SECURE A BIG LEAD BEFORE CONCENTRATING ON RECORDS: We all know the records that are out there: single season passing TDs, single season receiving TDs, most points in a season for a team, point differential and more. What’s special about the Patriots is they can go for the records while securing a lead because of the way their offense works. The seven points for the points in a season record is a given, and it’s very likely Brady will pass Peyton Manning’s single season TD pass record, but Moss’ bid for the receiving TD record is probably the most contentious. We saw a little last week of Brady forcing long balls to Moss with a big lead. Let’s hope the Patriots secure a two or three touchdown lead early on so they can focus on getting the ball to Moss.
2. KEEP MARONEY INVOLVED: Maroney has been stellar in the past two weeks running the ball and today should be no different. Even if the Giants play their starters, it’s unlikely they should be playing full bore and the Patriots should be able to win the battle in the trenches. If Maroney can further his running prowess, it will give defenses a whole new dimension to worry about come playoff time.
3. STAY HEALTHY: Everyone wants the perfect season, most of all the players. Belichick has been known to play his starters in meaningless games in the past and with the perfect season on the line he will play his starters long term tonight. Staying healthy should be the No. 1 priority tonight as the Patriots always say their No. 1 goal is to win the Super Bowl. The obvious best case scenario would be Brady to Moss for two TDs early in the game, a 21 point lead at half and Matt Cassell at QB for the fourth quarter. With Roosevelt Colvin being the only significant injury this season, the Patriots have been lucky thus far and have some control of keeping their starters out of harms way tonight.

Prediction:
There’s simply too much on the line for the Patriots to not get it done. The Giants can talk all they want about playing their starters and preparing for the playoffs, but I feel Tom Coughlin’s job may be on the line this season if the Giants can’t win a playoff game. With one eye already on next week, I can’t see the Giants starters playing more than a half unless – by some miracle – they have a lead. The Patriots should come out fired up as there are reports of thousands of Patriots fans buying up tickets in the Meadowlands. The veteran Patriots have a good comprehension of history and they will want to solidify the greatest regular season in history with a thumping of the G-Men tonight. To me it doesn’t seem real that the Patriots are thisclose to going undefeated, but let’s try to enjoy tonight as we’ll probably never see anything like it in our lifetime.

Patriots 35, Giants 17

Tags: Laurence Maroney, New York Giants, Patriots, Randy Moss