It took them until the end of the season for them to hit their stride, but since then the New York Giants have been on fire. They held the Atlanta Falcons to a mere 2 points last week in their 24-2 Wildcard round defeat of the team last week. If it is that same New York Giants team who hits the field on Sunday for the NFC Divisional Playoff, then be prepared for quite a game.
Even as the Giants are on a roll, they face a Packers team who has been, with rare exception, been on fire since the latter half of the 2010 season. Green Bay has shown signs of being mortal in 2011, and with El Manning playing at an elite level as quarterback this season, anything can happen.
It’s worth noting that the last time Manning the younger showed such precision he led his team past Brett Favre and the Packers in the playoffs and to a Super Bowl victory.
On offense, Green Bay has been virtually unstoppable this season, rated 3rd in the league for total offense with 405.1 yards per game with Aaron Rodgers, the likely MVP for the season, at the helm. With Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley and Greg Jennings as targets, New York’s defense will have their hands full.
In addition, Green Bay will have the advantage of its home field and having an outdoor stadium in Wisconsin’s notorious winters.
Eli Manning has no shortage of weapons himself, including Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, as well as Ahmad Bradshaw in the running game. Green Bay CB Charles Woodson is used to matching wits with wideouts at their best and will be asked to do so once again this game.
The defense in this matchup will be critical. The Packers D allowed 411.6 yards overall during the regular season, with the Giants allowing an average of 376.4. New Yor will lean heavily on Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul to try to neutralize Rodger’s passing attack.
The edge in this game goes to Green Bay, but the Giants have shown that, despite an unimpressive performance by the NFC East in the 2011 season, they deserve to be in contention. And if anything can be said of this year in the NFL, it is that the unexpected has become expected.
Brandyn Campbell is Senior NFL Editor for Aerys Sports and Philadelphia Eagles reporter for Philly Sports Muse. You can follow her on Twitter at @sports_muse.
