Packers To Face Giants
The New York Giants will visit Lambeau Field next Sunday for the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
By PackerAaron
The New York Giants' victory over the Atlanta Falcons this afternoon means the Packers will host the Giants next Sunday afternoon in Green Bay.
Already, FOX Sports and the local New York media are playing up the 2007 NFC Championship angle - while omitting the troublesome (for that storyline, anyway) fact that the Packers have beaten the Giants the last two times they've faced them, and quite handily the last time the two teams met in Lambeau.
I have been asked non-stop since the end of the Lions game which team I am "scared" of, or which team I am "worried" about most in the playoffs.
I've been saying it for months but it seems no one believe me - I don't care who the Packers play. They have to play well regardless of who their opponnent is and I fully expect them to against the Giants. Being "worried" or "scared" doesn't enter into the equation.
Speaking of outside expectations regarding next weeks game, the early line from Vegas is the Packers by 9.
It would seem Vegas isn't "scared" of the Giants either.
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Comments (64)
January 08, 2012 at 03:36 pm
Bring it!
January 08, 2012 at 04:18 pm
+1
January 08, 2012 at 03:44 pm
Front four of the Giants is finally healthy and can bring it. If they can get pressure with front four and drop 7, especially considering this will be the first game back for Packer o-line starting five, I can see it being a tough slog for the Packer offense. Packers needs to find enough of a run game (or short passing game) to slow down that front four. Finely should also have some room to work against the NYG LB's and CB's.
Defensively, Packers need to do better against the run. I'm not sold on Manning as a QB that can take over a game and beat you but they get that RB tandem rolling he won't need to be great against this Packer defense.
Packers are the better team but this game won't be easy given how NYG match up against the Packers.
January 09, 2012 at 08:04 am
The team I've been saying I am most "worried" about is NYG. Their DL can definitely take over a game. I'd like to see a lot of Saine in this game. He's the best screen RB we have with by far the best hands, and I'd like to see a lot of throws out to the flats to the RB. I'd like to see RB screens and WR screens/1-on-1 quick passes like Flynn threw to Nelson on that one TD pass. Finley has to be a key to this game as well to limit the pass rush yet get those 15 yard gains. If he drops a lot of passes once again then we are in trouble.
I think NYG has the type of offense that can put you away if their up with their RB's and they can throw the ball all over the place to their WR's if they are behind. The key is to get up and then get an INT to put them away. Brandon Jacobs is scary, though, seeing how the Packers struggle against big RB's like Blount, Turner, and Tolbert. In the end I have to stick with the Packers because I trust Rodgers way more than Manning.
A lot of people are more worried about NOR, but since we know that we will be playing them outdoors that really limits the damage they can do and makes them less scary than NYG IMO. We also really dominated NOR for most of the game last time, and it's not until we got more conservative that NOR started moving the ball. As for SFO, NYG is just the better team. NYG has a good defense (maybe not quite as good as SFO's but still good) with a MUCH better offense. It's hard to see SFO pulling the upset on the Packers with Alex Smith.
January 08, 2012 at 03:53 pm
I predict that this will be the toughtest game of the playoffs. I don't like the matchups at all.
That said - I am confident the Packers win by at least three.
... and will win the NFC Championship by at least seven... and will win XLVI handily.
Go Pack.
January 08, 2012 at 08:34 pm
Win by 1, 3, 9.....10000. Just as long as they win.
January 08, 2012 at 09:33 pm
Yep. I agree.
Win this game, they win the whole enchilada.
Fortunately for us Packer fans, Eli looked like hot garbage all game today.
January 08, 2012 at 04:05 pm
1. Keep Bradshaw and the fat RB in check.
2. Intercept Eli at lest once: Cue the Manning face.
3. Keep it under 4 sacks.
Easy money.
Bring on the Saints/9ers!
January 08, 2012 at 05:32 pm
http://www.manningface.com/
January 09, 2012 at 09:47 am
Packers to Manningface the Giants.
January 08, 2012 at 04:11 pm
No fear. we are the best team in the WORLD and will play like it. Fear is for the weak. MM and co will be in the rooms right now working on the winning gameplan and i have faith in them.
January 08, 2012 at 04:22 pm
This whole 2007 thing is total garbage. #12 wasn't playing, we were running a 4-3 D with no CM3, we didn't have Randall in the return game... The list goes on. Like Tommer said... BRING IT!
GBP 4 LIFE
January 08, 2012 at 05:28 pm
Exactly. No gifts from Favre this time around.
January 08, 2012 at 08:36 pm
+1
January 09, 2012 at 07:37 am
Watching #4 in 2007 sitting on the sideline, staring into space. I will always wonder, what if McCarthy had made the switch with 4 throwing the ball all over the place. I forget how many incompletions he had at the end. I'm pretty sure he didn't complete a pass in the 4rth quarter. Then connected on a perfect pass in overtime, to bad it was the wrong team.
January 09, 2012 at 09:46 am
Since it's topical and still hurts- had the Packers chosen to kick off and get the wind in OT- rather than fight that brutally cold wind that factored into no first downs in the fourth quarter- perhaps....perhaps... that wasn't hindsight- I screamed it at the time- but it would have been a tough decision by MM.
January 08, 2012 at 04:27 pm
Would post but am too busy trembling.
January 08, 2012 at 06:20 pm
nice
January 08, 2012 at 07:02 pm
Idiot.
GB is the better team. They'll have to royally screw up a la Chiefs wk 15 in order to lose to NYG...
January 08, 2012 at 07:02 pm
Or were you being sarcastic?
January 08, 2012 at 07:07 pm
Yes, he was. :-)
January 09, 2012 at 09:47 am
wow - bear...bit quick there
January 08, 2012 at 04:33 pm
I am quietly confident about next weekend. I just have a feeling the Packers come ready to play. Living in NYC, I can say all my Giants friends are already barking a ton.
January 08, 2012 at 04:35 pm
Good how media works it, "Giants, most dangerous opponent for GB", after "New Orleans, most dangerous opponent for GB".
Should the Saints lose to 9ers, "Forty Niners, most dangerous opponent"
January 08, 2012 at 04:39 pm
Would've liked if we had to face Atlanta instead, but I'm not worried.
Like Bearmeat said, we need to stop their running game and make them one dimensional, we need to hold on the OL, and we need to force turnovers. If we do a decent job on those areas we win this game.
I'm very confident, with everyone healthy and focused, that we can do all that.
Predicting a close game till later in the 4th quarter, when we pull away and end up covering the -10.
Looking forward to a lot of media types predicting a Giants win.
January 08, 2012 at 05:05 pm
i'm seeing a lot of 'make them one dimensional', 'stop the running game', 'pick off eli at least once'.
this defense is HISTORICALLY BAD.
this will not be about the defense doing jack.
this will be all about the Pack's offense.
the Pack will have to score at least 45 to win this game.
jacksonville could throw for 350 and run for 100 against this group.
the offense will need to be just about perfect. 3 or more possessions without a score will mean a loss.
January 08, 2012 at 05:30 pm
#5 in rushes against. One dimensional.
#1 in turnovers. Pick Eli.
Am I missing something in here? And more importantly, care to make a friendly bet again?
January 08, 2012 at 05:48 pm
i think that your missing the whole part about the Packers' defense sucking.
soooooo tired of hearing about 'most interceptions', 'bend but don't break', blah blah blah.
this team wins because their offense has been playing out of this world.
THE DEFENSE IS HORRIBLE!
i know you and others don't want to admit it, and try to find 'stats' to deny it but it's just the truth. they suck.
hey - i never said they were going to lose. all i'm saying is that if they're going to win they're going to have to score a boat load of points because this defense would have trouble stopping UW-Whitewater.
January 08, 2012 at 06:34 pm
Oh, I get it now. Cow42 is not a real poster, it is just RS letting his dark half out purely for entertainment purposes. Very clever RS, but we are on to you now. :-)
I will be at the game and in Green Bay for the weekend. I would be happy to meet up with anyone, even RS or his alter ego. Go Pack go!
January 09, 2012 at 08:37 am
I thought nobody would notice, with all the caps and exclamations...
January 09, 2012 at 07:46 am
I'm hoping the defense has been playing possum most of the year. They did seem to step it up a knotch in big games. First Bears game, Atlanta, in Detroit. They have the players, they shouldn't be this bad. Maybe they have just been coasting most of the season. I'll know for sure come sunday.
January 09, 2012 at 09:45 am
So it's a bet, then?
If the Giants score more than 30 points, and the Packers D fails to generate a turnover, I'll not only concede that the defense sucks, but I'll end every post till the next season starts with a "cow42 knows more than I do and I bow to his football knowledge".
If the Giants score less than 30 and the Packers D gets at least 1 turnover, you'll be writing a post praising the defense, and you'll end every post till the season starts with a "PackersRS knows more than I do and I bow to his football knowledge".
Otherwise (Giants score less than 30 but no turnovers, Giants score more than 30 but with a turnover), it's a tie.
Pretty good deal I'm giving you. Deal?
January 08, 2012 at 07:36 pm
Cow,
I thought your neck was broken from the last time the sky fell on you.
January 08, 2012 at 08:00 pm
Ba-zing!
January 08, 2012 at 11:43 pm
cow doesnt even watch the games. the defense being bad is simply nfl network trying to find a flaw in the team. we can beat anyone at anytime as long as we play our game. defense is a big part of it
January 08, 2012 at 05:43 pm
Bring on the Giants, we can do this. Redemption time from 08.
January 08, 2012 at 10:14 pm
payback is a bitch!
January 08, 2012 at 07:06 pm
Come on Cow!
In order for us to lose, all of the nightmare things below would have to happen. IMO it's not very likely.
1. AR gets sacked/hit a lot - (not likely)
2. Bradshaw/Jacobs run wild (possible)
3. No picks from Eli - (not gonna happen)
4. GB's WR's get a case of the dropsies in unison - like wk 13. (not gonna happen)
5. GB's secondary gets torched for over 400 yds passing. (likely)
I think it's likely that 1 or 2 of those things happen, but not all 5. It'll be a competitive game, but GB is just the better team this year.
January 08, 2012 at 07:21 pm
Okay, now I'll vent.
The idea that the second challenge precludes a team from recourse against ridiculus officiating goes past me! Why not just shut down the team after the second UNSUCCESSFUL challenge? This rule is too complicated, I don't get it.
January 08, 2012 at 07:37 pm
I sent a buddy of mine a text today stating the exact same thing. Any successful challenge should not punish you.
January 08, 2012 at 07:47 pm
Cow 42 et al:
Yes the Packers D took playing the "psycho" literally. What has kept me off the ledge was referencing the Aikman Effeciency Rating. I find it a better guage of matching stats to performance. The top 3 seeds in each conference are the top 6 ranked teams in his system and the top 9 all made the playoffs.
The Packers ended up #1; the Giants 14. As in every game, a half dozen plays will decide the game but I like our chances...so as Tommer said above...BRING IT.
http://www.aikman.com/AikmanEfficiencyRatings/tabid/274/articleType/Arti...
January 08, 2012 at 08:41 pm
I love everything you write Nagler and love the podcasts and tweets, but I have to point this out (and it has bothered me a few times in the past): you "couldn't care less." (I know I mess up a ton on grammar, but I'm trying to do my part to correct this common mistake)
I generally agree with the points above. Eli makes some great throws, so hopefully our CBs are up to the task of matching Cruz, Manningham and Nicks. Ballard also scares me because we've struggled with big strong TEs for the last 5+ season.
At the end of the day, the extra rest, good health, better coaching, home field, superior QB give me confidence. Anything can happen on any given Sunday, but I put our chances of winning at 75%. I'm not terribly worried about their defensive front, but I hope Starks and Grant can have big games.
My prediction: Packers: 35; Giants: 15 (convert a 2 pointer at the end of the game)
January 08, 2012 at 08:58 pm
One other thing. My buddy said that Juan Pierre Paul is going to Discount Double Check Rodgers in his face, to which I responded "1. that isn't what the celebration is called and 2. I hope he does, teams are 0-7 when doing that."
Do we have an official tally of teams doing that? I know for sure we have
Abraham, Graham, Suh. I'm pretty sure that there are others, but those are the most memorable.
January 08, 2012 at 10:30 pm
Somebody on San Diego did it this year, but I don't remember who.
January 08, 2012 at 09:00 pm
I like this match up better than Atlanta, I think. Vs NY more likely to be a shootout and if there is one thing we've proven we can do, it is win in shootout games. Limiting NY"s running game will force Eli to do what Eli does. I really think this is the better match up for us.
January 08, 2012 at 09:17 pm
I believe the Pack's chances of winning depends on the implementation of not only McCarthy football but Lombardi football-that is blocking and tackling. The Giants strengths, run game & defensive rush, can only be countered by perfect execution of fundamentals. Without Lombardi ball McCarthy ball-high octane passing game-won't work against the Giants. Go Pack
January 08, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Just so I'm clear: there are people on this board who are worried about a 9-7 team that has lost once to the Packers and TWICE to the Redskins. What is wrong with you?
January 09, 2012 at 01:33 am
I guess most people are worried because the Giants look like a team on a roll right now, like the Packers were last season. They won their last 2 regular games to go to the postseason and won their first playoff game. See the similarities?
BUT: This is where it ends. I agree that the Packers are the superior team, and as long as they play to their own skill level and not let the Giants drag them down to theirs they will win.
Go Pack Go!
January 09, 2012 at 09:28 am
This is what happens when the media plants seeds and starts spinning things... And people listen.
GBP 4 LIFE
January 09, 2012 at 10:22 am
I'm not worried, but Falcons fans were probably saying the same, how could they be worried about a 10-6 team that had lost to them before...
January 09, 2012 at 10:37 am
The difference was that the Falcons beat the Packers because the Packers had played an awful game, whereas the Giants have already given the Packers their best shot and came up short.
January 09, 2012 at 02:58 am
The bar has been set so high this season anything less than a SB XLVI trophy will be a letdown. The worry is not about the Giants winning per se it's about us not losing.
Same thing happened during the regular season streak. As it grew from week to week there was less a feeling of euphoria and more a relief we beat another opponent.
January 09, 2012 at 05:19 am
um...no...there was a definate feeling of euphoria!!
January 09, 2012 at 07:07 am
42-26. That's the average score by which the Packers of 2010-2011 have beaten the Giants.
40-21 is the average score by which the 2011 Packers have won at home.
This team has been beaten once in over a year, and in the past two seasons, has never lost by more than 5 points.
This is a very, VERY good team. It would take a complete meltdown in order for them to lose.
January 09, 2012 at 10:29 am
Great points.
In the last 25 games, the Packers are 22-3.
They lost to the Chiefs in a game where 3
of their OTs went down and were playing without their top playmaker on offense. They lost by 5.
They lost to the Patriots in a game where an Olinemen returned a kick 70+ yards for what would be the game winning TD, and they played without their QB. They lost by 4.
They lost to the Lions in a game where the OL shuffled, where their LG was forced to play LT, and in a game where their QB was out of the game before the 2nd half. They lost by 4.
Unless the OL gets devastated again to the point where EDS has to play tackle, and/or unless Rodgers goes down, I'm very, very condident we win.
January 09, 2012 at 07:16 am
cobb wins by summoning a dragon.
January 09, 2012 at 09:57 am
?
January 09, 2012 at 10:36 am
I don't know why, but this made me laugh pretty hard.
January 09, 2012 at 11:54 am
i also have no idea what this means, but for some reason chuckled audibly. what is this dark magic?
January 09, 2012 at 09:48 am
"I've been saying it for months but it seems no one believe me - I truly could care less who the Packers play. They have to play well regardless of who their opponnent is and I fully expect them to against the Giants. Being "worried" or "scared" doesn't enter into the equation."
I say almost this exact same thing to almost everyone, and get weird looks. The Packers need to play championship football, period. If they don't, they'll lose. If they do, they'll win, regardless of the opponent.
January 09, 2012 at 10:39 am
+1
January 09, 2012 at 09:58 am
win or lose...the Packer's future is bright
January 09, 2012 at 10:02 am
D needs to get 2 sacks and 2 INTs and Aaron just needs to be Aaron. That's enough to win.
January 09, 2012 at 02:57 pm
One story of this game for Green Bay is Chad Clifton. The aged, injured warrior left tackle returns to stabilize the line for another Super Bowl run against a powerful Giant front four.
Or it doesn't much matter with a QB like Discount. Discount as in "was discounted all his life 'til now"