In the week leading to the Super Bowl I asked former NFL players for their prediction and why they think the New England Patriots or the New York Giants are going to win. Here are their picks:

Blaine Bishop (former safety with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans and four-time Pro Bowler) predicts a New York Giants win because their front-four can get to QB Tom Brady and New England’s secondary is not good.

Kevin Mawae (former center with the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, and eight-time Pro Bowler): "I think Tom Brady is the x factor in today's game. Both teams are well coached. A lot has been made of New York's talent level on defense vs the Pats. I give the edge to Patriots and [Bill] Belichick.

Bill Schroeder (former wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers): “I think this will be a great game and a close game … I’m picking the Giants as they knocked off the Packers at home.”

Reggie Givens (former linebacker and special teams captain with the San Francisco 49ers): “I predict that the Giants will beat the Patriots. The front seven for both teams is the key. The Giants’ front seven will get pressure on [Tom] Brady and disrupt the Patriots offense. The Patriots’ D-line will not be able to get enough pressure on Eli [Manning] to stop their passing game. That will open up the Giants thunder & lightning run game.”

Willie Williams (former cornerback and Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers) predicts the New York Giants to win. “Their defense is solid and Eli [Manning] is playing at a high level. The Patriots’ defense is young and some are not experienced in playing in a game at this calibre. It will be a close game but the Giants will come out on top.”

Damon Denson (former offensive lineman with the New England Patriots) “I’m choosing the Patriots to win the Super Bowl this year because their defense is solid and I believe their offensive line will give [Tom] Brady the time he needs to be effective.”

Jorge Diaz (former offensive lineman with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers): “I believe the team who has the best balanced attack will win this year’s Super Bowl, and that team would be the New York Giants. They have been playing great football in all three phases of the game and have the best balance out of the two teams still standing. Some say offense, some say defense wins championships, but really it’s the best teams that do and I believe this year it’s the Giants.”

LB Tavares Gooden (27) and LB Larry Grant (26)

The situation is very similar for both players. They mainly play on special teams and don’t see much playing time apart from this as Patrick Willis’ and NaVorro Bowman’s backups. If they stay they will primarily be used on special teams. Reggie Givens, former 49ers linebacker and special teams captain suggests to re-sign one player, if not both. Larry Grant came up big last week, when he had to stand in for an injured Patrick Willis and recorded a team-leading 6 tackles and 1 sack, and should be in the driver’s seat.    

WR Josh Morgan (26)

The young wideout was just coming into his own, when he sustained a season-ending leg injury in week 5. After week 12 he was still 5^th among San Francisco’s receivers with 15 caught passes, one more than Braylon Edwards, 3^rd in receiving yards with 220, 48 yards more than Braylon Edwards, and 1 touchdown. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said that re-signing Morgan in the offseason is a priority. Considering that he only makes $555,000 in 2011 the 49ers will have to be more generous though.

FB Moran Norris (33)

It is obvious that Norris’ days in San Francisco are numbered. He was a healthy scratch once he returned from a fibula injury and lost the starting job to rookie Bruce Miller. Norris has become expendable and will be gone in the offseason.

TE Justin Peele (32)

Justin Peele is the number-three tight end and plays roughly three to five snaps a game. There is no way to move past Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker on the depth chart. The Niners could look into drafting a blocking tight end, who they could slowly transition into their tight end heavy system.

G Chilo Rachal (25)

Fact is that the offensive line got better after Adam Snyder replaced Rachal as the starting right guard. Fact is that the running game got better after the change. Fact is that QB Alex Smith is safer when Rachal is on the sidelines. Offensive linemen usually need more time to develop than players at other positions and he has yet to show that he belongs in the NFL. It is very possible that the 49ers and Chilo Rachal are going to part ways in the offseason.

CB Carlos Rogers (30)

It is hard to imagine that the 49ers knew what they would actually get when they signed the former Redskin to a one-year contract before the season. He leads the team with a career-high 5 interceptions and can hold his own against the league’s top receivers. The only free agent worth considering is Atlanta’s Brent Grimes but the Falcons will try to re-sign their cornerback. Rogers earned a contract extension and the 49ers should give it to him.

San Francisco’s winning ways haven’t changed, even after a bye week. Dominating defense, stellar running game and remarkable receptions were the foundations for the 5^th consecutive win.

LOLB Ahmad Brooks sacked Colt McCoy on the second play of the game and DT Isaac Sopoaga recovered the fumble at Cleveland’s 20-yard line. RB Frank Gore rushed for a 4-yard touchdown five plays later to score the first points of the game.

On San Francisco’s second possession Frank Gore and RB Kendall Hunter each had a run for over 20 yards and LT Joe Staley caught a pass for 17 yards. Kicker David Akers completed the 88-yard drive with a successful 29-yard field goal attempt to give the Niners a 10-0 lead after the first quarter.

The 49ers opened the second quarter by marching down the field once again, seemingly unstoppable. At Cleveland’s 1-yard line head coach Jim Harbaugh made the call to run the ball into end zone three times but Cleveland’s defense stopped each attempt and the 49ers turned the ball over on downs.

I don’t blame Harbaugh for trying to score a touchdown on a 4^th and goal with 1 yard to go. The 49ers were outplaying the Browns up to this point and were trying to break Cleveland’s will, but I wonder why he didn’t select RB Anthony Dixon for the attempted one-yard conversion.

The 49ers were more successful on their next drive, though, when QB Alex Smith connected with WR Michael Crabtree on a 2-yard pass for the wideout’s first touchdown of the season.

With 1:23 left in the half Colt McCoy managed to move the chain, helped by a 15-yards penalty on FS Dashon Goldson for unnecessary roughness, and Phil Dawson scored a 52-yard field goal for a 17-3 half time score.

The third quarter did not deliver any scoring drives but Ahmad Brooks recorded his second sack of the game and Dashon Goldson redeemed himself by intercepting a pass at San Francisco’s own 20-yard line. “As a player you think of those type of things.” Reggie Givens said, who once again offered his insight as a former NFL player on http://schoolofthelegends.com during the game. “Make-up plays get the coach off your back.”

The 49ers failed to turn this contest into a three-possession game and in return the Cleveland Browns cut their deficit to 7 points. Colt McCoy passed to WR Joshua Cribbs for a 45-yard touchdown with 6:17 left in the game.

The Niners needed to respond and they did. The 49ers overcame 68 yards in 11 plays, ran down the clock to 1:56 and left the Browns without any timeouts. On 3^rd & 3 at Cleveland’s 32-yard line Alex Smith threw a pass to Isaac Sopoaga for 18 yards and a new 1^st down. Four plays later David Akers hit the game-winning field goal from 26 yards for the final score of 20-10.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 177 yards and 1 touchdown. His passer rating was 98.8.

It was Frank Gore’s fourth consecutive game with 125+ rushing yards and a touchdown. He now has 7,089 rushing yards and moved past Roger Craig into second place on the 49ers career rushing list. He needs 256 more yards to surpass Joe Perry.

LILB NaVorro Bowman finished the game with 11 tackles and is on pace for 123 tackles.

P Andy Lee’s first punt came in the third quarter. His longest punt went for 65 yards.

The 49ers outsacked the Browns 4-1.

The defense committed a 15-yard penalty in the final two minutes of each half. “That’s a very big deal,” according to Reggie Givens. “They have to correct that if they want to become an elite team and go deep into the playoffs.”   

Two linemen, Joe Staley and Isaac Sopoaga, each caught a pass for a first down.

It was the game of the week and it may well have been the birth of a new rivalry. The game was extremely intense and this intensity transferred to the head coaches, which culminated in an altercation after the game. Regardless, the 49ers remain unbeaten on the road and solidify their position at the top of the NFC West.

The game didn’t start well for San Francisco. QB Alex Smith got sacked on their first play and lost the ball. Detroit’s Kyle Vanden Bosch recovered the fumble for a first down at San Francisco’s 17-yard line but the Lions had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Jason Hanson.

After some three-and-outs, which in San Francisco’s case weren’t helped by a couple of false starts, Lions QB Matt Stafford drove the offense 69 yards downfield for a 16-yard touchdown pass to TE Brandon Pettigrew and a 10-0 score after the first quarter.

This time the 49ers responded immediately. A 47-yard run by RB Frank Gore set up San Francisco’s first points of the game. Lined up at Detroit’s 1-yard line, RB Anthony Dixon couldn’t carry the ball into the end zone but Frank Gore was more successful on San Francisco’s second attempt.

After a few more three-and-outs OLB Aldon Smith, a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, made his presence known. He sacked Matt Stafford for a safety and the Niners were only trailing by 1 point.

Detroit got one more chance to score before half time but Jason Hanson missed a field goal from 52 yards. The Niners got the ball back with 0:55 on the clock and finished the first half with a 55-yard field goal from David Akers. San Francisco was up 12-10 at half time.

The most striking statistic of the first half: San Francisco committed 11 penalties for 99 yards.

Detroit’s only points of the third quarter came from a 24-yard field goal from Jason Hanson but once again the 49ers responded straight away. Another great run by Frank Gore, this time for 55 yards, brought the Niners to Detroit’s 14-yard line, from where they had to settle for a field goal attempt. The reliable David Akers made it and the 49ers took a 15-13 lead into the final quarter.

The Detroit Lions capitalized on San Francisco’s second turnover of the game. Amari Spievey intercepted a pass intended for WR Michael Crabtree and returned it 30 yards to San Francisco’s 49-yard line. 8 plays later Nate Burleson caught a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Lions went for a 2-point conversion but couldn’t convert.

It took the 49ers three drives to regain the upper hand. In desperate need of a touchdown Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt for 40 yards to Detroit’s 35-yard line. Thanks to efficient rushing from Frank Gore and RB Kendall Hunter the 49ers got one first down after the other and entered the red zone, where Alex Smith connected with TE Delanie Walker for a 6-yard touchdown pass. San Francisco was leading 22-19 with 1:51 left in the game.

The Lions got the ball back at their 20-yard line with 3 timeouts left but turned the ball over on downs. The 49ers received the ball again at Detroit’s 25-yard line and the Lions had to use up all their timeouts. David Akers hit a 37-yard field to make it 25-19 and the 49ers handed the Lions their first loss of the season.

Reggie Givens, former Niners linebacker and special teams captain, offered his expertise on http://www.schoolofthelegends.com throughout the game and summed it up best. “Defense & Special Teams won their battles today!! At the end the 49ers won all 3 phases today Offense, Defense & Special Teams!! That’s why they are 5-1.”

After the game head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz had an altercation and staff as well as players had to separate them. A pumped up Harbaugh shook hands with Schwartz and slapped him on the back. Schwartz took offence to this and chased after Harbaugh. San Francisco’s head coach took the blame. “That’s totally on me,” he said. “I shook his hand too hard.” The NFL will look into the incident.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 17 of 32 passes for 125 yards and a passer rating of 60.0. He had 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

Frank Gore ran for 141 yards on 15 carries and 1 touchdown.

WR Michael Crabtree had a career high 9 receptions but is still waiting for his first touchdown of the season.

Rookie Aldon Smith had 2 more sacks and leads the team with 5.5 sacks.

The 49ers are the only team to deny Detroit’s Calvin Johnson a touchdown this season.

Detroit’s Ndamukong Suh did not have a single tackle in the entire game.

Both teams had a combined third down efficiency of 4 out of 29 but converted 2 of 3 fourth downs.

The 49ers ran for 203 yards and limited the Lions to 66 yards on the ground.

The Niners sacked Matt Stafford 5 times. Before this game Matt Stafford had been sacked 6 times in 5 games.

After committing 11 penalties for 99 yards in the first half the 49ers had only 4 more penalties for 21 yards in the second half.