Written by Scott Anderson at Patch.com
Sunday afternoon’s NFC Wild Card game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants may be the marquee matchup of the opening weekend of the NFL Playoffs.
Everyone knows what Eli Manning and the Giants can do when they get hot in the postseason (look away, New England.) Speaking of hot, MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers and the Packers reeled off six straight wins to capture the NFC North and officially become the Team Nobody Wants to Face.
Game Info:
NY Giants (11-5) at Green Bay (10-6), 3:40 CDT,
Odds: Green Bay -4; Over/Under 44.5
The Packers beat the Giants 23-16 in Week 5, but these two teams are vastly different compared compared with their early-season versions.
A playoff game at Lambeau as underdogs? Giants have been here before and history is on their side https://t.co/fqE4NYF3pz
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) January 3, 2017
The Packers
The Packers have a retooled running game that features former wideout Ty Montgomery and FB Aaron Ripkowski. Gone are RBs James Starks and Eddie Lacy. Their passing offense has gained traction after early-season struggles. WRs Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams have stepped forward. Newcomer Geronimo Allison is a new trusted target and TE Jared Cook is running roughshod through defensive secondaries.
The defensive secondary will need to rebound after sustaining several injuries in the season-finale versus Detroit. By the time that game was complete, Safety Morgan Burnett and Micah Hyde were covering wide receivers after decimating injuries to the team’s CB position.
The Giants
According to the USA Today, the Giants are allowing only 17.8 points per game. And after a slow start, the pass rush has been ferocious, generating eight sacks in the last four games. The USA Today says the Giants defense may be Rodgers’ toughest task yet.
To continue reading this article, click here.
