NFL Wild Card Preview: Giants vs. Packers
Sunday afternoon, Wild Card Weekend wraps up with what most people agree will be the most interesting game of the weekend. In it, the New York Giants head up to the frozen tundra to take on a team that they defeated there in 2007 and 2011. They take on the NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers.
This game will no doubt be strength on strength. The Giants defense has been exceptional the last half of the season, as has the Packer offense. And on the other side, the Giants offense has been dismal recently while the Packers defense has been struggling after being decimated by injury. Let’s a look at each matchup and make a prediction.
Giants offense: Eli Manning is well0known for being a completely different quarterback once the playoffs start, and he has to be that for the Giants to have a chance in this game. He was dismal during the regular season, throwing only 26 touchdowns while getting picked off 16 times. Luckily, he has all of his weapons healthy, starting with Odell Beckham Jr. The LSU product continued to be a dominant force, catching 101 passes for 1,367 yards and 10 TDs. He has been deadly on the quick slant and crossing routes where he can make guys miss in space. That would be the most-effective strategy for the Giants. Get OBJ in space and let him make plays.
But the other weapons are no slouches. Sterling Shepard had a strong rookie season with 65 catches and Will Tye emerged as a safety blanket at tight end. Most importantly, the Giants may have found a running back duo that can be successful in Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings. Those two combined for 1,049 yards, a lot of those coming in recent weeks.
Packers Offense: After a rough start and inconsistent play from Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have caught fire more than any other team in the past six weeks. Rodgers has been phenomenal over the past two months, vaulting himself back into MVP contention behind an NFL-leading 40 touchdowns and only sevenpicks while running for 369 yards and four scores as well. He is impossible to defend completely with is skillset, and has been deadly accurate, especially in the intermediate throws.
And no receiver has benefited more than Jordy Nelson. One year removed from knee surgery, the 31-year-old caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. He has also started to find his explosiveness again, breaking big plays and showing the superb route running that made him one of the top receivers in the game. And he has been joined by Davante Adams. The third-year man overcame a sophomore slump to become a reliable target for Rodgers, catching 75 balls for 997 yards and 12 scores. But their biggest x-factor in the passing game has been Jared Cook. The big tight end has been a matchup nightmare with his height and hands, giving defenses a threat up the seam.
Finally, the Packers may have finally found a running back with converted receiver Ty Montgomery, who has averaged 5.9 yards over his 77 carries so far. He will be joined by Christine Michael and fullback Aaron Ripkowski, the next John Kuhn. The Packers need to find a balance to be able to keep the Giants defense honest and let Rodgers have more time to pass behind arguably the best pass blocking line in the NFL.
Giants defense: Defensively, the Giants are filled with playmakers on each level. Landon Collins is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate after finishing the season with 125 tackles, four sacks, and five interceptions. He has quickly become a younger Brian Dawkins-type of player. And on their defensive line, Olivier Vernon has more than lived up to his contract so far with 8.5 sacks. And don’t forget “Snacks.” Damon Harrison is an absolute load in the middle of the line, impossible to move and active in making tackles with 82.
New York has a dymanic trio at cornerback as well. Janoris Jenkins (3 INTs), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (6), and Eli Apple (1) are as good as group as there is in the NFL. All are good cover guys and make quarterbacks be precise in their throws to complete them. The only issue is Jenkins’ back injury that has hampered him in recent weeks. Simply put, the Giants are strong up front and in the back end, which is why they are so highly ranked.
Packers Defense: The opposite of the Giants, the Packers have had stretches where they were strong, but they have hemorrhaged yards at times, especially in the passing game. A large part of that was the health of the corners, as they lost Sam Shields to a likely career-ending injury in Week 1 while also losing promising second-year guys in Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins for extended stretches with groin injuries. Rollins is out again this week with a concussion after a scary play vs. Detroit. But they are balanced by a great duo at safety. Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix are steady as they come and have become playmakers in their own right, with Clinton-Dix being named Second Team All-Pro. Throw in the emergence of LaDarius Gunter as an outside corner and the swiss army knife known as Micah Hyde, and the Packers have the pieces to be a disruptive secondary.
In the front seven, the health of Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are vital to this defense. Both have been exceptional on the outside, even if Matthew’s stats aren’t there. Perry especially has been great as an edge-setter in the run game while also chipping in a career high 11 sacks. In the middle, Jake Ryan (82 tackles), Joe Thomas (70), and Blake Martinez (69) have been steady. Julius Pepper, the future Hall of Famer, has made his presence felt by chipping in 7.5 sacks in a part time role.
On the defensive line, it is Mike Daniels’ world and we all just live in it. He is as strong as it gets and knows how to use it, getting great leverage in the trenches, freeing up his fellow playmakers. He is flanked by solid guys in Letroy Guion and rookies Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry.
Special Teams: Mason Crosby was his usual stellar self, hitting 26-of-30 field goals, and being a good kickoff guy. But the Packers’ punting situation has been inconsistent, with Jacob Schum occasionally hitting a beautiful 60+ yard punt but also occasionally shanking one like last week’s 18-yard dud.
For the Giants, Robbie Gould has been a perfect 10-for-10 since signing, and the Packers know him too well. Having played so many games at Lambeau, that will definitely help the Giants. And Brad Wing has been very good as the punter, averaging 46 yards per kick, placing 28 inside the 20.
As far as return games go, Dwayne Harris is a dynamite option in the back end for the Giants, while the Packers have good players, they haven’t really broken one yet. Look for a mix of Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis, and Trevor Davis on kicks, and Davis to team up with the underrated Micah Hyde and Randall Cobb on punts.
Prediction: This game will live up to the hype, going back and forth all afternoon, but the Packers offense is too hot for the Giants to stop completely. The Giants offense has shown no signs of waking up, having not scored 20 points in six straight games. I think the Packers get a defensive score on a fumble, and win 31–21.
