SUPER BOWL REPORT

GIANT RUN OFFENSE VS. RAVEN RUN DEFENSE

Coming into the game, the Giants knew it would be no picnic running against the Ravens’ top-ranked run defense. New York abandoned the run early in the game despite trailing by only a touchdown. Tiki Barber did manage to run for 39 yards on two draw plays, but New York had very little success elsewhere, gaining only 27 yards in their 14 remaining running plays. After rushing for more than 700 yards during the regular season, rookie running back Ron Dayne did not touch the ball.

GIANT PASS OFFENSE VS. RAVEN PASS DEFENSE

Kerry Collins was sacked four times, threw four interceptions, was harassed into poor reads, and knocked down repeatedly by a smothering Raven defense that gave him no room to operate. After Raven linebacker Jamie Sharper drilled Ike Hilliard over the middle in the second quarter, Giant receivers were less than enthusiastic about going over the middle and started cheating on their routes. This led to Duane Starks’ 49-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

RAVEN RUN OFFENSE VS. GIANT RUN DEFENSE

The Ravens were all too content to pound rookie running back Jamal Lewis behind guard Edwin Mulitalo and all-pro tackle Jonathan Ogden. While unimaginative, the strategy worked, as Lewis was especially effective late in the game when the Ravens were sealing their victory by running out the clock. The Raven ground game rolled for 111 yards against a defense that gave up an average of only 72.3 during the regular season.

RAVEN PASS OFFENSE VS. GIANT PASS DEFENSE

While the Giant receivers got the all the publicity, the Raven receivers made all the plays. Jason Sehorn did not look to be on top of his game as Brandon Stokley blew right past him for a 38-yard touchdown which set the tone for the Ravens early in the game. Sehorn and the rest of the Giant secondary was lucky that Dilfer didn’t convert on deep routes to Pat Johnson and Qadry Ismail or it could have been worse.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Raven return specialist Jermaine Lewis broke the Giants’ spirit with an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown moments after Ron Dixon had brought New York back to life with 97-yarder of his own. In a game that had a Super Bowl record 21 punts, the Ravens’ Kyle Richardson proved to be a formidable weapon by pinning the Giants deep within their own 20 four times. Lewis also had a 43-yard punt return.

COACHING

Two weeks after being proclaimed boy genius for his masterful play-calling against the Vikings in the NFC championship game, Giant offensive coordinator Sean Payton was left clueless by a Baltimore defense that pitched a shutout. Raven defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis had an answer for everything the Giants attempted, even a gimmicky double reverse pass that Collins ended up throwing into double coverage.

INTANGIBLES

Baltimore came into the Super Bowl with a swagger reminiscent of the old Raider Super Bowl teams. The Ravens grabbed turnovers and talked trash while thoroughly snuffing out any opportunities the Giants might have had. New York committed five turnovers, went two for 14 on third down, and gained a measly 149 total yards of offense.