We are pretty much talked out here at Big Blue View, but here is a preview of Sunday's NFC Championship Game to help keep you occupied.
2007-2008 Records:
New York Giants: 12-6 (NFC Wildcard)
Green Bay Packers: 14-3 (NFC North Champs)
WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL: Will Eli Manning sport the Michael Jackson look (with a glove) or go with the Jorge Posada fashion statement (no glove)? More importantly, will the Giants game plan resemble the 52-pass disaster in bad weather against the Redskins, or the 15-pass victory in frigid, windy, snowy Buffalo? I have faith Eli can make plays, but I am hoping the plan -- and the score -- allows the Giants' attack to look more like the one they used against Buffalo.
Frigid conditions and a slippery field could be great conditions for Brandon Jacobs. The Packers boast a quality front seven and solid cornerbacks, so the Giants will have to play mistake-free (a tall order in miserable conditions) and take advantage of their opportunities.
WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL: The Packers like to spread the field with four and five-wide receiver sets, and that's a huge problem for the Giants' depleted secondary. Can the Giants get enough pressure on Brett Favre to protect those cornerbacks, and can Corey Webster and R.W. McQuarters continue to come up big when they have to? If the Giants can't slow the Green Bay passing attack they have no chance.
OVERVIEW: There is no way around it, the frigid single-digit temperatures will play a huge factor. Which team's offense will be able to function? Which team will be able to hang on to the football? Which team will kick the ball effectively?
This game is an uphill battle for the Giants. It's hard to see clearly how they keep Favre and the Packers from reaching the Super Bowl. Yet, I will not count them out. They have played too well in recent weeks, and come together too much as a group, to think they won't put up one helluva fight Sunday night.