It’s eery how similar this season feels to 2007-08.
The New York Giants — the 9-7 New York Giants — went into Green Bay and looked more like the 15-1 team they took on. The offense clicked magnificently, and the defense slowed one of the game’s top quarterback. Throw in the fact that the Packers fumbled three times and dropped eight passes and New York’s opponent never had a chance.
It never appeared that the Giants would make it to the NFC Championship game this season. There just wasn’t anything that made you say “wow” about this team. Then, after the Week 15 loss to the Washington Redskins, things began to click. They won 29-14 over in-house rivals, the New York Jets. Then, they took the win-and-in game against the Dallas Cowboys, 31-14. With no time to rest, they perhaps saved one of their most well-balanced victories for the Wild Card game against the Atlanta Falcons. In that matchup, the Giants won 24-2.
Heading into Green Bay, where they won on their way to the Super Bowl in 2008, there was an overwhelming feeling that the 15-1 Packers were in trouble. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hadn’t played in nearly three weeks and their defense had already been surrendering the most points in the league. They looked every bit as rusty as anticipated. The result: Giants 37, Packers 20.
The Giants played the Packers so close in Week 13, only to fall on a last-minute scoring drive, that there was an overwhelming sense of revenge in waiting. It just seemed like the Giants wanted this one more, before it began and as it played out.
Next week, the Giants travel to San Francisco to take on another team that handed them one of their seven losses this season, the 49ers. Hearing the team name, the 49ers, immediately makes you think that this will be an easy meeting, but not so. The Niners have numerous weapons on offense — arm, hands and feet — and a better defense than New York has faced the first two games of this playoff period. The downside is a win likely sends them up against the New England Patriots, their opponent in the 2008 Super Bowl, who right now are playing with a just-as-high-powered offense as that season.
Here are the five Giants stars of the game:
Hakeem Nicks: First off, let’s quit all the talk comparing Nicks’ Hail Mary catch to the one David Tyree made in the Super Bowl a few years back. It’s not even close. I don’t write this to take anything away from Nicks’ catch, which in itself was an amazing grab, but it’s just not of the same magnitude or meaning. Nicks had two touchdowns Sunday, becoming the first player in NFL history with four touchdowns in a single postseason. He finished with 165 yards off seven catches.
Eli Manning: The Giants quarterback has put together back-to-back stellar postseason games heading into next Sunday’s NFC championship game in San Francisco. Manning tossed three touchdowns and only one interceptions on 330 yards passing. As I wrote last week, the key has been his efficiency and ability to not turn the ball over.
Kenny Phillips: Phillips knocked the ball out of Green Bay running back Ryan Grant’s hand with just under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The ball was picked up by lineback Chase Blackburn and brought down to the Packers’ 4. Manning found Mario Manningham on the first play of the drive to put the Giants up by three scores and essentially out of reach for the Packers.
Osi Umenyiora: The Packers were driving in Giants territory to open the second half. On 1st-and-10 from the 30, Omenyiora pushed past defenders and slapped the ball out of Rodgers’ hand as he was about to launch downfield to a wide open Greg Jennings. Deon Grant, who also had an interception late in the fourth quarter, recovered. While the Giants didn’t score off the turnover, the key was that Umenyiora essentially prevented a Packers scoring drive.
Michael Boley: Boley had a game-high nine tackles and two sacks of Rodgers, who was hard to catch as he rushed for a game-high 66 yards on seven carries. Boley and the rest of the Giants defense deserves kudos for rattling the league’s likely MVP.
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