Sports News
Can the Giants Shock the World?
Back on December 4, there were few people who gave the New York Giants much of a shot to defeat the Green Bay Packers. At the time, the Giants were on a major losing streak, and the Packers had yet to lose a game all season.
Yet, at MetLife Stadium in that late-afternoon game, the Giants gave Green Bay everything it could handle, losing only on a late field goal after Aaron Rodgers led the Packers down the field with a minute to play.
So you can forgive the Giants for thinking they have a shot to win at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon.
After all, the Giants are the ones with a ton of confidence, having defeated Dallas soundly two weeks ago and after demolishing Atlanta last weekend in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.
And the Packers, though well-rested, have been sitting for several weeks, and for some even longer. Rodgers has not played in a live game since Week 16 of the regular season.
Still, the Packers are the league's best team with one of, if not the, league's best offenses. So what do the Giants need to do to pull off the upset?
For one, that defensive line that caused the Falcons so much trouble needs to do the same to Rodgers. Rodgers' offensive line has been slightly banged up throughout the season, but he is far better than Matt Ryan at seeing blitzes and getting the ball out quickly to his receivers before getting hit. If the Giants can generate a couple of sacks, it will go a long way toward limiting some of the damage that the Packers can do.
Green Bay won't run the ball much, so the Giants should be able to sit back in pass coverage and try to stop all of the Packers' weapons. That's easier said than done, of course, but the Giants showed last week that they have the ability to do so.
Offensively, the Giants should change very little. They'll need to get off to a better start than they did last week, but the Packers' defense is far worse than the Falcons'. Eli Manning had a great game the first time these teams met, and it would be surprising if that were not the case again.
Additionally, expect the Giants to try to give the Packers a heavy dose of the running game, particularly Brandon Jacobs, who has come on strongly in the last part of the season. The Packers are not particularly great in any facet on defense, but they can cause turnovers, so the Giants will need to play a clean game.
Most people are expecting the Giants to give Green Bay a good game, and many expect this to be close into the fourth quarter.
The weather won't faze the Giants, nor will the crowd. I like Big Blue to pull off the upset and advance to the NFC Championship game.
Prediction: Giants 38, Packers 34
Photo Credits: Getty Images
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