Antrel Rolle believes the Giants cannot be denied their 4th Lombardi trophy. It's great that this is how the Giants are feeling, but there is a pretty solid team in San Francisco who will have a lot to say about that come Sunday. The Giants dominated both sides of the ball against the Packers this past Sunday. They capitalized on the Packers mistakes early and often, and limited their own to just one harmless Eli Manning interception. The Giants held the best offense in the league to just 20 points in their own digs. And the defense played better than that, considering the only two touchdown drives that the Packers had were elongated by highly questionable calls by the zebras. I'm pretty sure we won't see that crew officiating any more in these playoffs. Eli and Hakeem Nicks are getting the spotlight, but the defense overshadowed the offense in my opinion. While the Giants did a pretty good job of stuffing the run against the running backs, a highly mobile quarterback proved to be troublesome with the Giants linebackers. The pass rush was absent for most of the first half, but reared its ugly head on the first possession of the second half just when Rodgers and company looked like they were starting to click. Osi Umenyiora strip sacked Aaron Rodgers in Giants territory to halt the Packers from pulling within striking distance of the Giants. Granted, the Giants did absolutely nothing with the possession that followed the strip, but to stop Rodgers in his tracks was the most important play of the game. That was the defensive turning point of the game. The Giants secondary played great in coverage, even when they gave up first downs. They limited this talented and speedy receiving corps, by not giving up the big play, which the Packers rely so heavily on. What can I say about Eli Manning? He is tied with the most road playoff wins, and can take full ownership of that record on Sunday. He might not be the most talented guy on the field, but he sure is the coolest. He isn't the fastest, but his footwork in the pocket is superb. He isn't the flashiest, but he sure has a flair for the dramatic as evident by his 37-yard Hail Mary touchdown heave to Nicks at the end of the first half. His numbers say top ten, but his demeanor says "Move over Peyton". If you say clutch, I say Eli. If you say 4th quarter, I say Eli. If you say road warrior, I say Eli and the Giants. What better way to end the NFC playoffs with two of the most storied franchises in its history? And this match up is just one rematch in a long line of historical playoff showdowns between these two teams. This will mark the 8th post season game these two teams have played against each other. The home team has won each of those games. The last time these teams faced each other in the playoffs was 2003, and it was a historical one. The 49ers came back from 24 points down and survived a questionable non-call for pass interference to beat the Giants in the NFC Wild Card Round. These teams have met only once for a Championship game, with the Giants as the victors. The 49ers haven't been to the Championship game in 15 years. The Giants are undefeated in the the Championship game in the Super Bowl era. What stat will win out?
No comments:
Post a Comment