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5 Keys To The NFC Championship Game

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 20, 2008

Bring Eli Back To Reality

The "playoff" Eli Manning is not the same player most Giants players have grown frustrated with. They are used to the Manning who threw four interceptions in New York's season opener against Dallas and was prone to mistakes. However, "Playoff Eli" has completed 32 of 45 passes for 348 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Manning had a 132.4 quarterback passer rating during last week's 21-17 victory against Dallas. It will be up to Packers defensive ends Aaron Kampman and Cullen Jenkins to pressure Manning and bring back the "Good Ol' Eli."

Line It Up

Few NFL defensive linemen can disrupt an opponent's offense like LE Michael Strahan and RE Osi Umenyiora. Strahan has 16 tackles, five quarterback hurries and two sacks in the postseason; Umenyiora finished the regular season with 13 sacks and has four quarterback hurries in two playoff games. It will be up to Packers RT Mark Tauscher to slow down Strahan, while LT Chad Clifton has to make sure Umenyiora does not duplicate his six sack performance against Philadelphia this season.

Start Strong

Green Bay and New York each have done a good job of not letting their opponents build insurmountable leads in the playoffs. Green Bay fell behind 14-0 four minutes into its contest against Seattle, but held a 28-17 lead by halftime. Tampa Bay took a 7-0 lead against New York before the Giants led 14-7 at halftime. New York also was tied at 14 midway through last week's game against Dallas. New York cannot afford to fall behind against Green Bay. If the Giants trail by two touchdowns or more, this game could be a blowout.

Get Off The Field On Third Down

Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre is known as a great passer, but his ability to manage a game is often underappreciated. The Packers converted seven consecutive third downs against Seattle last week (seven of 10 overall) and had possession for 34 minutes. New York will have to find a way to keep Green Bay's offense off the field, especially after allowing Dallas to covert 10 of 16 third downs last week. The more chances New York gives Favre, the more likely he will make something happen.

Pack Those Thermals

Today's weather promises to be a factor again, with the game-time temperature projected to be about 0 degrees. The game will be played at night, meaning it will feel even colder. When it's that cold, the players are going to be freezing regardless. The Packers are accustomed to cold weather and can adjust better to any possible windy conditions. It is not projected to snow today, but, remember, weather forecasters said the same thing last week before snow engulfed Green Bay.

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