The kicking game
New England’s Adam Vinatieri vs. Carolina’s John Kasay
Edge: Patriots
Vinatieri established himself as one of the game’s best clutch kickers when he connected on a 48-yard field goal on the final play to give the Patriots a 20-17 victory over the Rams in the Super Bowl two years ago. He has kicked well in the cold of Foxboro, Mass., which won’t be an issue Sunday. He was a modest 25 of 34 during the season, but made all five field-goal attempts in tough conditions in the AFC title game vs. Indianapolis.
The knee on Kasay’s kicking leg is held together with pins, screws and wires thanks to a series of injuries, but don’t underestimate him. At 33, he had to fight for his job in training camp, but Carolina decided to keep the last original Panther. Kasay made 32 of 38 field-goal attempts this season, including three game-winners.
Coaching
New England’s Bill Belichick vs. Carolina’s John Fox
Edge: Patriots
Belichick is a proven commodity in the playoffs, having won six of seven games as a head coach. In the Super Bowl two years ago, Belichick opened with a three-man line to frustrate the Rams and Kurt Warner. Will he do the opposite Sunday, stacking eight men near the line to dare Jake Delhomme to beat him with the pass? Belichick will do something different, that much we know.
The job Fox has done in two years can’t be underestimated. True, he inherited decent personnel on defense, but it still was a 1-15 team. His roots are on defense, the strength of the team. His challenge will be to come up with something creative on offense. The Panthers scored their touchdowns in the NFL title game against Philadelphia on a lob into the end zone and a short drive after a turnover. That won’t be enough Sunday.
The punting game
New England’s Ken Walter vs. Carolina’s Todd Sauerbrun
Edge: Panthers
Sauerbrun is headed to his third straight Pro Bowl after finishing second in the NFL with a gross average of 44.6 yards. However, he still has the tendency to go for the booming kick when a positional kick would be more beneficial. His net average-the more telling figure-of 35.6 yards was 11th in the league.
Walter has had a tough year. After he averaged 27.3 yards on three punts at Indianapolis on Nov. 30, he was cut. The Pats brought him back after one game, but he finished with a 37.7 gross average. He’s not likely to kick the Pats out of trouble. His net average was a middle-of-the-pack 33.6.
Coverage and return teams
Edge: Patriots
New England rookie Bethel Johnson is the man to watch. He averaged 28.2 yards per kickoff return, but will face a Carolina coverage team that was fifth best at covering kicks, allowing an average return of 20.4 yards. The other strong unit in the game is New England’s punt coverage team, which allowed only 6.3 yards per return, second in the NFL.
