New England - Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead
NY Giants - Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, DJ Ware
2011 Stats
Benjarvus Green-Ellis 667 yds, 3.7 avg, 11 TD
Ahmad Bradshaw 659 yds, 3.9 avg, 9 TD
Both of these teams struggled on the ground last year. Neither of them possessed a RB on their roster that gained over 700 yards rushing. The two-headed monster of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs in the Giants backfield has picked up over the last month, and the Giants offense has been much more balanced because of it. The Patriots were able to run the ball effectively on the Ravens which was surprising. The Patriots' ability to run the ball may have been what allowed them to win last week. Despite the improvement in both teams' running attacks, don't expect earth shattering numbers on the ground during the Super Bowl.
New England's running game has played second fiddle to their marvelous passing game in recent years. Benjarvus Green-Ellis is the team's leading rusher with 667 yards on the season. Green-Ellis is used to keep the defense honest and pound the ball in the end zone. Stevan Ridley has become the backup and gets a handful of carries each game. And Bill Belechick still tries to get creative with Danny Woodhead from time to time. The Patriots ranked 20th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 110 yards a game on the ground. The only reason New England will be running the ball in Super Bowl XLVI is to keep the Giants honest and potentially open up playaction.
The Giants were dreadful on the ground for much of the regular season. They battled injuries in the backfield and on the offensive line that hurt them immensely. Bradshaw and Jacobs have come alive lately though. When they are healthy and on their game, this can be one of the best RB tandems in the league. Bradshaw has big play capability, and Jacobs is a man that is bigger than most Linebackers. The G-Men ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing during the regular season. They will need to run more like they have throughout the postseason if they want to win their 2nd Super Bowl in 5 years.
Neither of these teams are going to dominate on the ground. Neither one of them want to dominate on the ground. They want to run well enough to make the opposing defense respect the run, and pop a big play either by running or on playaction. Despite ranking last in the NFL in rushing, the Giants have more talent in their backfield. The G-Men will probably be a little bit more diligent with the ground game to try and keep Tom Brady off the field. Though I don't expect Bradshaw or Jacobs to garner any Super Bowl MVP support, I think they have more firepower than Benjarvus Green-Ellis and the other Patriots RBs do.
Advantage - NY Giants
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