Packers, Giants in NFC Title Game
Green Bay Packers Host the New York Giants at Lambeau Field
Jan 20, 2008
Don’t expect a battle royale today when the New York Giants face the Green Bay Packers at frosty Lambeau Field in Wisconsin. Between the weather, quarterback Brett Favre and feature back Ryan Grant, the Pack should easily roll over the starry-eyed Giants.
With the wind chill, temperatures at game time are estimated to be from 35 to 40 below zero, evoking memories of the infamous “Ice Bowl” in 1967. Favre thrives in bad weather – less his horrible performance last season in Chicago – and New York quarterback Eli Manning traditionally has trouble under nasty conditions.
It’s the third time these two teams have faced off in a championship-level game, the last time way back in 1962, according to Fox Sports.
The Giants are coming off a stunning divisional win over Dallas at Texas Stadium, while the Pack throttled the Seattle Seahawks last weekend in blizzard conditions. Virtually every football prognosticator alive is picking Green Bay to prevail, and I agree that New York’s dream will today come to an abrupt end.
Let’s break it down…
Packers’ Offense Versus Giants’ Defense
Green Bay sports a genuine superstar, Brett Favre, at quarterback, a QB many had written off after last season. Instead, Favre revived the magic he showed so prevalently during the 1990s, throwing for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns, and hitting on 356 of 535 passes. Considering the fact that he doesn’t really have a superstar receiver those are absolutely amazing figures.
The Pack also features former Giants’ running back Ryan Grant, who overcame a horrendous start last week (two fumbles) to rush for 201 yards (and 3 touchdowns) in the NFC Divisional contest. Grant, who actually was an after-thought on the part of Green Bay, gained 956 yards on 188 carries and 8 TDs, for a whopping 5.1 yards-per-carry average. Brandon Jackson is also a solid, short-yardage type runner.
In their receiving corps, Green Bay has Donald Drivers (82 receptions, 1,048 yards) and Greg Jennings (53 receptions, 920 yards). Driver only scored two touchdowns during the regular season, and hasn’t tallied in weeks. But Jennings has snagged an even dozen TD catches and sports a terrific yards-per-catch average of 17.4. The Packs other three receivers have combined for an additional 12 TDs via the air.
The Giants’ defense is definitely hurting; their defensive secondary is particularly banged up. Cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip flexor) can’t play, while veteran corner Sam Madison (abdominal strain) won’t get a go/no go decision until game time. And gifted rookie CB Aaron Ross is suffering from the effects of a dislocated shoulder and will play wearing a brace.
With the decimation of their secondary, New York’s pass rush will be the key. Defensive ends Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umeniora will have to play an extraordinary game. But weak side linebacker Kawika Mitchell should be recovered from a sprained knee.
Giants’ Offense Versus Packers’ Defense
The $1 million question is how quarterback Eli Manning will perform. Will he exceed expectations and play superbly as he did last week against Dallas, or will he implode, as is his wont. He’s such a wild card the critical importance of his demeanor can’t be emphasized enough. The younger Manning has an awful habit of folding under pressure and he’s also got a horrible record in bad weather.
Now, Eli did well last weekend despite some weird play calling on the part of New York’s offensive coordinator when they were trying to kill the clock at the end of the game. He was cool, calm and collected. It remains to be seen if he can maintain his cool in the c-o-l-d, though.
Giants’ wide receiver Plaxico Burress will have to really step up, get in the open and give Manning an open target. Burress, 6’5”, 232 lbs., is gifted with extraordinary speed and easily overpowers defenders due to his size. But he’s been playing injured most of the year. Even at that, he still had 70 receptions for 1,025 yards and a dozen TDs. Wideout Amani Toomer is also a threat. But the Giants will miss the injured Jeremy Shockey, who’s out with a broken leg.
Turning to the ground game, New York relies upon Brandon Jacobs, who averaged an even 5 yards-per-carry this season, and rushed 202 times for 1,009 yards. He’s a banger, for sure, at 6’4”, 264 lbs. Running back Derrick Ward is on the injured list, leaving most of the other ground gaining efforts to Reuben Droughns and Ahmad Bradshaw.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Packers will try to replicated last week’s performance against the Seahawks, and stop the run, thus making the Giants a one-dimensional offensive team. Green Bay’s defensive tackles, particularly Ryan Pickett, will have to step up and stop Jacobs. Quite comfortable with their secondary, expect the Pack to predominantly rush four men, with their linebacking corps available for quick back up. The big question mark for Green Bay’s defense will be the viability of linebacker Nick Barnett, who’s suffering from a sore hamstring.
