Tom Brady (No. 12) of the New England Patriots hikes the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during their AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 22, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass.
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Edelman, No. 11, is a throwback who plays on both sides of the ball: he's a wide receiver, punt returner and because of injuries to New England's secondary, was forced to assist with pass coverage this season. Edelman often covers the receiver in the slot, the spot on the field between the offensive line and the wide receiver closest to the sideline. And if he's matched up with Cruz one-on-one, the Giants feel they have a decided advantage over Edelman, who doesn't have much experience on defense. "I hope he's out there when we play them," Manningham told the Boston Herald. When asked if he thought the Pats would double-team him, Cruz replied: "I hope not. But it would be natural, coming off the game where you did the positive things I did. You almost have to kind of expect it."
5. The Big Man
It's hard to miss big Vince Wilfork, the 6 ft.-2 in., 325-lb. defensive lineman for the Patriots (No. 75). Wilfork is the most dangerous defensive player on the Pats, whose defense has struggled this season: New England finished last in the NFL in pass defense and total yards allowed. Despite his size — Wilfork's neck is wider than those of most nuclear families combined — he's not just an immovable mass. "Vince is a very good athlete," says Belichick. "He takes a lot of pride about not coming off the field, which I love in a defensive lineman."
Wilfork even has two interceptions this year; picks are rare for beefy lineman. Pats love sharing tales about Wilfork's versatility. At Monday's practice, Belichick said, Wilfork was running sprints up and down the field while the offense was working out. "There is a week to go in the season," Belichick says, "and I think that's indicative of his competitiveness." Belichick recalled that during training camp in 2004, Wilfork's rookie year, he made a bet with the team: if big Vince could catch a punt, Belichick would call off a night practice. The rook gave his teammates some rest. "I made a big mistake," Belichick says. "He has soft hands, and you can't hear the ball hit his hands."
Harrison swears Wilfork throws a tighter spiral than Tom Brady does. "Vince is one of those guys that the good Lord put on this earth to play football," says Pepper Johnson, New England's defensive line coach and a two–Super Bowl winner as a player with the Giants. "It's his being, mentally and physically." Three years ago, Wilfork's teammates and coaches ribbed him for skipping some upper-body exercises. Wilfork responded. "He pretty much threw up the whole weight room," says Johnson. "We got the dumbbells out, and he kept going down the rack and they didn't have any more weights for him."
Stopping Wilfork presents a serious challenge for the Giants offense. So how do you do it? "Besides eat food this week and get as heavy as you can?" asks Giants offensive lineman David Diehl. "You're talking about a guy who can do everything." You can call on two offensive lineman to block Wilfork, but Giants line coach Pat Flaherty anticipates that the Patriots will play "five down lineman" — meaning, the team will line up five defensive lineman, instead of the usual three or four, against the Giants five offensive lineman, in order to create one-on-one matchups. And expect Wilfork, who the Patriots often shift to different spots on the defensive line, to spend most of his time matched up against the man snapping the ball for the Giants, center David Baas (No. 64). Baas struggled in the championship game against the 49ers. So if you spot five Pats lined up at the line of scrimmage on defense, and see big No. 75 facing the center, explain this strategy, and ask whether Baas is up for the challenge.
Gregory is a staff writer at TIME. Keeping Score, his sports column for TIME.com, usually appears on Friday. Follow him on Twitter at @seanmgregory. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.