Patriots Relishing Overlooked Status Against Giants

(New York Post) - The Patriots went 13-3 this year and are a three-point favorite, according to the folks in Vegas.

So why exactly does it feel like they are underdogs entering Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI against the Giants? It seems as if everyone in Indianapolis is picking the Giants to win the game.

Sure, the Giants have been hot since their Christmas Eve victory over the Jets. But the Patriots also have not lost since beating the Jets -- in November.

Yet the sentiment among analysts, fans and the so-called experts is heavy on Big Blue.

The biggest criticism of the Patriots centers around their secondary, which featured 16 different defensive backs this year, including a wide receiver. The first stat thrown out is the Patriots were 31st in pass defense this season. No one mentions the Giants were 29th.

"We'll be the underdogs and that's fine," Patriots safety Patrick Chung said. "We're just going to keep playing. You play with those guys for a number of games, you're going to develop camaraderie and family. You are going to play by just making eye contact. People can say what they want to say. I think we're good."

The Patriots have deflected questions regarding the Giants' brash talk this week about getting to quarterback Tom Brady or Chris Canty predicting a parade up the Canyon of Heroes.

You get the feeling, though, that if the Patriots win Sunday night, the postgame quotes will all be about how everyone disrespected them all week.

"They're a confident team," Brady said this week about the Giants' talk. "They've always been a confident team. They should be confident. They're a damn good football team that has won some pretty tough games down the stretch. We're pretty confident, too. I think that's why we're going to show up [Sunday] and give it our best."

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