The saying goes that games aren't won on paper. They aren't won on computers, either. But if they were, the Patriots would be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.
According to the award-winnng WhatIfSports.com simulation engine, the Pats will take down the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. New England won 55 percent of the simulations by an average score of 27-25.
Tom Brady, who would earn his fourth Super Bowl ring with a victory, threw for an average of 312.5 yards, 2.2 touchdowns and one interception during the 1,001 simulations. His counterpart, Eli Manning, meanwhile, tossed for an average of 278.9 yards, two touchdowns and 0.8 interceptions.
There's been some debate as to what tight end Rob Gronkowski's status will be for Sunday's game, but according to the simulations, he'll still have an impact. Gronk caught an average of 4.7 passes for 64.8 yards, while Wes Welker proved to be the team's most productive receiver, hauling in an average of 5.6 catches for 79.9 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.
New England currently sits at 3.5-point favorites for the big game, meaning the Pats wouldn't cover if the actual result was to reflect that of the simulations. The over/under is set at 55, and the simulation came out to under 60.3 percent of the time.
Again, games aren't won on paper or computers. But if they were, New England fans probably wouldn't have any complaints.
Click here to see the complete simulation results from WhatIfSports.com >>
