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If the New England Patriots didn’t go into Super Bowl XLII four years ago with much respect for Eli Manning, they won’t be making the same mistake this time around. Manning’s postseason run leading up to the previous championship showdown between the two teams came somewhat out of the blue, as he had led the league in interceptions (20) during the 2007 regular season, and had just a 73.9 quarterback rating before turning it on in the playoffs to the tune of a 95.7 rating.

That is certainly not the case this time around, however, as Manning is coming off the finest season of his career with 4,933 passing yards, 29 TDs to 16 INTs, and an NFL record 15 fourth quarter TDs. And he’s been even better in the playoffs, leading the Giants to huge wins over Atlanta, Green Bay, and San Francisco, putting up the third best rating of all playoff QBs with a 103.1 mark, behind just Drew Brees and Tom Brady. And it certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by his Super Bowl opponents.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Brady said. “He does everything you’re looking for as a quarterback. I’ve seen it first-hand, what he can do in the fourth quarter of these games. He’s done a great job of bringing his team back. He’s a great leader. You always hear that coming out of New York; the guys really have a lot of respect for him, and so do I.”

The New England defense has noticed the same things as they prepare to try to stop Eli and the Giants’ offense in Indianapolis. “I think Eli is probably playing some of the best football of any quarterback in the game,” said Vince Wilfork. “He can always be compared to some of the greats in the game now because of his production. He took that team over.”