SB Nation Giants 2011-2012 New York Giants
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-- The New York Giants advanced to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on Feb. 5 Sunday by defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17, in overtime
The New York Giants are headed to Indianapolis to faceoff against the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. While the Giants did plenty to win Sunday night games, especially on defense, San Francisco 49ers fans may understandably be a bit bitter about their 20-17 loss in overtime. Specifically, Kyle Williams' two lost fumbles on punt returns, filling in for the injured Ted Ginn no less, led to 10 points for the Giants including the game-winning fielf goal.
First, a note on Williams. @NinersNation reminds fans to have some perspective, and show some humanity after an emotional loss.
@NinersNation
NinersNation I'm still in a state of disbelief, but that won't stop me from thanking the 49ers for an amazing season.
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@NinersNation
NinersNation This sucks, but at the end of the day, it's a game and nobody deserves the wrath some people will place on Kyle WIlliams shoulders
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Meanwhile, Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports said what was on the minds of many fans during the game.
@SC_DougFarrar
SC_DougFarrar Kyle Williams, Bill Buckner. Bill Buckner, Kyle Williams.
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David Fucillo over at the Niners Nation blog was still distraught.
It doesn't get much worse than that. The 49ers had chances to win this game and advance to Super Bowl XLVI, and instead the season is over. This one is going to sting all offseason and beyond. The chances were there and it didn't happen. I don't know what else to say. This is about as low as it can get. Yes it is amazing the team got into this position, but right here, right now, that does not make it any easier to accept what just happened.
The San Francisco Chronicle praised the unlikely run the Niners made to the NFC Championship Game, but just had to, HAD TO, bring up San Francisco's championship game loss to New York on a field goal over 20 years ago.
It ended a remarkable season for the 49ers, who were given no chance by anybody to get this far. The fourth-quarter comebacks, the great defense and stellar special teams will be remembered. But first, 49ers' fans will remember the burning feeling of another Giants field goal sending them home. New York also ended the 49ers attempt at a three-peat in the 1990 Championship Game.
Finally, from someone on the field himself. Donte Whitner explains the feeling after a bittersweet season (via Matt Maiocco of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area).
@MaioccoCSN
Matt Maiocco 49ers S Donte Whitner: "It's not the end of the world, but right now it feels like it."
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Stay tuned to the SB Nation New York StoryStream for more post-game coverage of Sunday's AFC Championship Game. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
Heading into the NFC Championship Game the San Francisco 49ers figured to have an advantage on special teams, with All-Pro players in punter Andy Lee and placekicker David Akers, plus return man Ted Ginn.
Well, Ginn did not play due to a knee injury and the two biggest plays in the Giants 20-17 overtime victory were miscues by replacement return man Kyle Williams.
Devin Thomas recovered both Williams miscues, setting up a fourth-quarter touchdown and the game-winning Lawrence Tynes field goal.
“That play at the end of the game, just a great play to give us an opportunity,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said in a jubilant Giants locker room. “Jacquian Williams knocks the ball out, Devin Thomas recovers the ball, we got a chance.”
Thomas recovered the second fumble at the San Francisco 24 and the Giants did, indeed, have a chance. They didn’t blow it, either, and will now face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch of their meeting four years ago.
Lawrence Tynes hit a 31-yard field goal with 7:10 remaining in overtime to send the New York Giants to their fifth Super Bowl with a 20-17 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers Sunday evening at Candlestick Park. The Giants will face a familiar foe, the New England Patriots in the 2012 Super Bowl Feb. 5 in Indianapolis. The Giants and Patriots met four years ago with the Giants winning 17-14, the last time either franchise reached the Super Bowl.
The Giants winning score was set up when Jacquian Williams of the Giants stripped San Francisco punt returner Kyle Williams and Devin Thomas recovered the ball at the San Francisco 24. The Giants moved the ball to the San Francisco eight-yard line, then a delay of game penalty moved the ball back to the 13 before Tynes winning kick.
The Giants took advantage of two critical mistakes by Kyle Williams. The San Francisco punt returner also had a punt bounce off his knee that was also recovered by Thomas, setting up a fourth-quarter touchdown pass of 17 yards from Eli Manning to Mario Manningham.
"We just kept plugging away," said Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. "This team has the most perseverance of any team I've ever been on."
Manning finished 32-of-58 for 316 yards and two touchdowns.
— See Big Blue View to celebrate with Giants fans
It's official. The 2012 edition of Super Bowl Sunday will feature the New York Giants against the New England Patriots playing each other at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, Feb. 5. The Giants defeated the San Fransisco 49ers, 20-17, in the NFC Championship game to advance to their franchises' fifth Super Bowl, while the Patriots downed the Baltimore Ravens, 23-20, in the AFC Championship. The Patriots will be playing in their fifth Super Bowl in 11 seasons (sixth overall).
The contest will be a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, which featured the Giants edging the Patriots, 17-14. However, SB Nation New York will have more on that later.
First, let's take care of all the questions you may have about Super Bowl 46 including: Super Bowl Sunday kickoff time, national anthem singer, halftime show performer and commercial cost.
Super Bowl number: 46 (XLVI).
Super Bowl Sunday date: February 5, 2012.
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.
TV coverage: NBC -- Al Michaels (play-by-play), Cris Collinswoth (color commentary)
Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. -- approximately.
National anthem singer: American Idol season one winner, Kelly Clarkson, will sing the national anthem. Hopefully, she can do a lot better than Steven Tyler.
Halftime show performer: Madonna.
Super Bowl commercial cost: The average 30-second commercial for Super Bowl 46 cost $3.5-million (a new record).
For more on the 2012 Super Bowl featuring the Giants Vs. Patriots, check back to SB Nation New York or the G-Men blog Big Blue View.
After the San Francisco 49ers kicked a field goal to tie the score at 17-17 in the fourth quarter, Sunday's NFC Championship game saw five consecutive punts between the two teams to ultimately send the game into overtime.
Neither offense could get anything going, with both teams trading 3-and-outs for four straight possessions after the 49ers field goal. Eli Manning found himself under constant pressure from the niners' front seven. He looked like this after one incomplete pass:
Alex Smith did not fare any better, going 2-for-6 passing and taking two sacks on the Niners' final three possessions of regulation. Victor Cruz almost made a spectacular catch to convert on third down during the Giants' final possession, but ultimately couldn't haul the pass in.
The Niners tried to one last desperation pass from about their own 40-yard but Delanie Walker's fumbled reception was recovered by the Giants as time expired.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The San Francisco 49ers responded right back to Eli Manning's touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, going on a six-play, 48-yard drive to the Giants' 8-yard line to set up a 25-yard David Akers field goal. With less than five minutes remaining in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, the Niners and Giants are tied at 17 apiece.
The 49ers had tremendous success on the ground on the drive. Alex Smith picked up 17 yard on a 1st-and-10, which Kendall Hunter followed up with an 18-yard run. The Giants held on the next set of downs, however, holding Michael Crabtree two yards short of the sticks on a 3rd-and-5 pass.
The Giants punted on their next possession after another three-and-out.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New York Giants had been getting thoroughly dominated offensively in the second half, punting on five straight possessions to open the half. They got an enormous stroke of luck when a Steve Weatherford punt barely glanced off the knee of San Francisco 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams, however. Devin Thomas seemed to be the only one to realize that ball was actually live, scooping up the ball and running into the end zone despite the refs blowing the play dead.
The Giants didn't get the touchdown that should have earned, but they did take over deep on the 49ers' 29-yard line. Eli Manning moved the offense up to the 12-yard line before a holding penalty pushed them back. Manning was eventually able to find Mario Manningham cutting in front of the secondary on 3rd-and-15 for the 18-yard score score. The Giants lead 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
Bad news for the San Francisco 49ers. Tarell Brown had to leave the game late in the third quarter after he ran into teammate and safety Dashon Goldson while trying to intercept an errant pass by Eli Manning. Brown was able to walk off the field under his own power, though there's no word yet on his status.
Both Niners would have had a great shot at a picking off the pass if the other hadn't broken up the play. Instead, the Giants were forced to punt for the fourth time in the half. The 49ers still lead 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The San Francisco 49ers struck first in what had been a very defensive start to the second half. Alex Smith threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Vernon Davis, hitting him in stride once again on the 28-yard play. The Niners lead the New York Giants 14-10 as we approach the latter portions of the third quarter.
Prior to the Niners' big-play, neither team had been able to find much offensive rhythm. The third quarter began with three straight punts, with the Giants managing just one first down between their two possesions. Smith struggled mightily on the 49ers' first drive of the half, as the New York secondary put the clamps down on a shorthanded receiving corps. He fared much better on his second try, however. Davis' touchdown reception was set up by a 24-yard gain on a screen pass to Frank Gore.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New York Giants lead the San Francisco 49ers 10-7 at halftime from Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship Game.
The Giants tied the score at 7 with 11:21 to play in the second quarter when Eli Manning found tight end Bear Pascoe with a pass from 6 yards out. Pascoe had zero touchdowns during the regular season. The 69-yard scoring drive was sparked by a 36-yard pass to Victor Cruz on third down and 6.
Manning has been money on third down since the back end of the regular season and that trend has continued into today's NFC Championship Game.
After the touchdown drive, the teams traded punts. New York got the ball back with about a minute and a half left to play. Victor Cruz made some fine catches to get the Giants in field goal range. Lawrence Tynes snuck a 31-yard field goal inside the left upright to give the Giants a 10-7 lead before the half.
The Giants will get the ball to start the second half.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New York Giants tied the game at 7 following an Eli Manning 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bear Pascoe. Manning had to improvise his throw on the touchdown. He has had success with improvisation so far in the first half and especially on the touchdown drive.
Pascoe had zero touchdowns and only 12 receptions during the regular season. For the Giants, his first touchdown couldn't have come at a better time. The catch capped a 10-play, 69-yard drive for the Giants.
The Giants had trailed 7-0 after the first quarter. The only score in the first frame came on a 73-yard touchdown pass reception by 49ers tight end Vernon Davis.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New York Giants trail the San Francisco 49ers 7-0 after the first quarter of play at Candlestick Park.
The 49ers took the lead on a blown coverage on a second down and 10 play. San Francisco 49er quarterback Alex Smith hooked up with tight end Vernon Davis for the 73-yard touchdown bomb.
The play was reviewed to see if Davis had stepped out of bounds around the Giants' 30-yard line, but the touchdown was upheld. Davis was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for jumping on the camera stand.
The Giants only had two full drives in the first quarter. Their first drive stalled and New York punted. The second drive was halted on a fourth and 1 at the San Francisco 34-yard line when Brandon Jacobs was stopped short of the line to gain. The Giants' third drive of the quarter began with just 30 seconds to play.
Rain began to fall again in the stadium as the first quarter ended.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New England Patriots set up the possibility of a Super Bowl rematch with the New York Giants on Sunday, defeating the Baltimore Ravens, 23-20, in the AFC Championship Game. The Ravens had a chance to tie with 15 seconds to play, but kicker Billy Cundiff missed a potential game-tying field goal wide left, sending the Patriots to the 2012 Super Bowl.
The Patriots await the winner of Sunday evening's NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. A victory by the Giants would bring about a rematch of the Super Bowl from four years ago, a 17-14 victory by the Giants that spoiled what had been a perfect season for the Patriots.
New England got the game-winning touchdown on a fourth-and-one quarterback sneak by Tom Brady with 11:33 to play. That capped an 11-play, 63-yard drive.
Baltimore's final possession began on its own 21-yard line with 1:44 to play. Joe Flacco moved the Ravens to New England's 15-yard line before Cundiff missed.
The New York Giants have just released their inactives for tonight's NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers (via 49ers.com).
WR Ramses Barden, RB Da'Rel Scott, LB Mark Herzlich, C Jim Cordle, DE Justin Trattou, DT Jimmy Kennedy, T James Brewer are all listed as inactive.
The Giants will have RB Ahmad Bradshaw, WR Hakeem Nicks, DE Justin Tuck, DE Osi Umenyiora and DB Corey Webster available tonight. All spent time on the injury report during the week.
The 49ers also released their list of inactive players (via 49ers.com).
QB Scott Tolzien, WR Ted Ginn, Jr., CB Shawntae Spencer, FB Moran Norris, G Daniel Kilgore, G Mike Person, NT Ian Williams are listed as inactive for tonight's contest.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The weather prediction for Sunday night's NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco (6:30 p.m., TV: FOX): 52 degrees with a 100 percent chance of precipitation and winds of 13 mph from the South (via CBS San Francisco). That precipitation could be in the form of a thunderstorm.
The field at Candlestick Park was already soggy to begin with today. Expect to see the field pretty chewed up during tonight's game. Those field conditions would seem to favor the 49ers and their rushing game. San Francisco is currently a two-point favorite for the game (odds via Oddshark).
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
After having issues with San Fransisco 49ers fans harassing New Orleans Saints fans in last week's NFL divisional-round game, the San Fransisco Police Department will be using a covert strategy Sunday to keep things peaceful. According to a report by the New York Daily News, SFPD will be dressing up as Giants fans in order to hopefully prevent Big Blue fans from being harassed.
"The decision to send in the cleverly disguised cops was made after several New Orleans Saints fans complained that they were threatened at Candlestick during last Saturday’s game.
"There will also be more security cameras in place on Sunday, and Giants fans will be handed a card as they enter with details on how to contact police if they feel threatened."
Obviously, the hope is that those Giants fans traveling to San Fran for the game will feel a bit safer. However, it might be a little weird for a guy dressed up in Giants gear to all of a sudden start cheering for the 49ers.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, two of the most successful franchises of the Super Bowl era, meet in the NFC Championship Game today at Candlestick Park in San Francisco (6:30 p.m. ET/FOX) for the right to go to the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis on Feb. 5.
The 49ers have been to the Super Bowl five times, winning all of them. San Francisco, however, has not been to the big game since 1994. The Giants have been to the Super Bowl four times, winning three. The most recent, of course, was their 17-14 victory over the then-unbeaten New England Patriots in 2008.
Related: Complete Giants-49ers Playoff History
The Giants and 49ers have met seven times in the playoffs, with San Francisco holding a 4-3 edge. In four playoff meetings at Candlestick Park, the Giants are just 1-3. The Giants won the only NFC Championship Game meeting between the teams, beating the 49ers, 15-13, at Candlestick in 1991.
These two teams have similarly successful histories, and their paths have obviously crossed numerous times in epic playoff matchups. The versions of the teams that meet today at Candlestick, though, are also vastly different.
The NFC East champion Giants (11-7) are coached by Tom Coughlin, the league's oldest coach at 65 and one who is moving up the charts as one of the winningest coaches in NFL history. In 16 seasons, Coughlin has compiled 152 career victories. The NFC West champion 49ers are led by rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback who took over an under-achieving team and has quickly restored the 414-3 9ers to their place among the league's elite teams.
Related: Could Coughlin End Up In The Hall Of Fame?
The Giants have an explosive big-play offense led by quarterback Eli Manning, who set a franchise record this season by passing for 4,933 yards. They have electifying wide receivers in Victor Cruz (a franchise record 1,536 yards receiving this season) and Hakeem Nicks (1,192 yards). They were uncharacteristically poor running the ball, last in the league at 89.2 yards per game.
The 49ers are a run-oriented team built around controlling the clock by handing the ball to Frank Gore (1,211 yards) and by keeping turnovers to a minimum. Quarterback Alex Smith threw just five interceptions in 445 pass attempts this season.
Defensively, the 49ers have been one of the best teams in the league all season. San Francisco surrendered only 14.3 points per game, second in the league to Pittsburgh.
The Giants struggled much of the season defensively and allowed 25 points per game. The defense has been dominant in recent weeks, however. The Giants defense did not allow any points in a 20-2 wild-card round victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and held the Green Bay Packers to 20 points in the divisional round.
Related:
- Giants Offense Vs. 49ers Defense
- Giants Defense Vs. 49ers Offense
The weather in San Francisco could be a significant factor. It has been raining quite a bit the past few days, and more wet weather is almost certain for today. The 49ers are three-point favorites this afternoon.
-- See Big Blue View for the Giants viewpoint, and Niners Nation for the San Francisco viewpoint.
Its going to be a wet one at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco, CA Sunday night when the New York Giants visit the San Fransisco 49ers in the 2012 NFL Championship game (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX). According to San Fransisco's CBS 5 there's a 90-percent chance of rain came game time, while a 100-percent chance of rain during the contest. (Here's a link to the webpage.)
That forecast is not good for the Candlestick Park field, which is currently very soggy and could be a mess came game time.
"Department of Public Works crews in San Francisco on Saturday were sprucing up neighborhoods around Candlestick Park and drying out the parking lots as they prepared for thousands of fans and visitors to descend on the area for Sunday’s NFC championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants," says a report by CBS 5 Saturday night.
"After Friday’s storm, flood waters filled the parking lots at Candlestick Park. Crews were busy pumping the water out all day Saturday to make sure the lots were dry in time for Sunday’s big game."
Temperatures in San Fransisco will be as high as 53, while as low as 43.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New York Giants (9-7) visit the San Francisco 49ers (13-3) in the 2012 NFC Championship game Sunday, and the winner advances to play in Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis, IN, Feb. 5. The Giants are looking to string together a 3-0 record in the 2012 NFL playoffs and return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2008 when they defeated the New England Patriots, while the 49ers haven't been to the big game since '94.
This will be the seventh time in each franchises' history that both have faced each other in the NFL playoffs, and San Francisco owns a 4-3 record in those games. On Nov. 17, San Francisco defeated New York, 27-20, at home.
If you'd like to catch the contest, here's the game time, TV schedule, betting odds and more:
Location: Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA
Game Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Television: FOX-- Joe (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentary)
Giants radio stream: 660 WFAN
49ers radio stream: 107.7 The Bone
Betting odds: The 49ers are 3-point favorites.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
Now, before the Giants and 49ers play, the New England Patriots (13-3) host the Baltimore Ravens (12-4) in the AFC Championship game. Here's the the game information for that contest.
Location: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA
Game Time: 3 p.m. ET
Television: CBS -- Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Phil Simms (color commentary)
Patriots radio stream: 98.5 The Sports Hub
Ravens radio stream: 1090 AM WBAL
Betting odds: Patriots are nine-point favorites.
For more Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit. For 2012 NFL Playoffs coverage, follow our stream. Visit Baltimore Beat Down for Ravens news.
The New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers meet Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, the eighth time in the history of the two great franchises that they meet in the NFL playoffs. The 49ers have a 4-3 lead over the Giants in their playoff encounters. Let's take a stroll down memory lane at the first seven meetings.
The Giants lost this game, but I'm not sure anyone really cared. The season marked a turnaround in what had been a dark period in Giants history, as it was the organization's first playoff appearance since 1963. The Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round before losing to the 49ers. Joe Montana went 20-of-31 for 304 yards and two touchdowns as San Francisco won. This, however, was the beginning of a great decade of Giants football.
The 49ers jumped to a 14-0 first-quarter lead in this divisional round game and the Giants could never catch up. Montana torched the Giants for 309 yards passing and three touchdowns, although he did also throw three interceptions.
A year to the day that the 49ers beat the Giants, Bill Parcells team turned the tables on the 49ers, setting off a wild celebration at Giants Stadium. The Giants went to Chicago the next week and were blanked by the Bears, 21-0, but by this point it had become obvious that the Giants were a team to be reckoned with in the NFC.
(via NYGiants869007)
An overwhelming victory -- referred to by Lawrence Taylor as "a good old-fashioned ass-whipping" -- that propelled the Giants to their first Super Bowl title. Jim Burt KO'd Joe Montana with a brutal hit, and I can still see Jerry Rice dropping a slant pass early in the game that might have gone for a San Francisco touchdown.
(via scoopscj)
This is the famous 'Leonard Marshall nearly breaks Joe Montana in half' game. The fact that the Giants defeated the 49ers and derailed their hopes of a third straight Super Bowl title are almost secondary to the fact that Marshall not only knocked Montana out of the game but very nearly blasted him into retirement.
A week later the Giants played the 'wide right' Super Bowl game against the Buffalo Bills, earning their second title.
(via nygiantss)
A brutal loss for the Giants in the divisional round as they were overwhelmed by San Francisco. Phil Simms passed for just 124 yards and the Giants leading rusher was Rodney Hampton with seven carries for just 12 yards.
Related: More On The 2003 Disaster Game
The Trey Junkin Game. One of the most brutal losses in Giants history, losing the game despite holding a 38-14 lead midway through the third quarter. The 49ers scored 25 unanswered points and a botched snap by the veteran Junkin, just signed that week, cost the Giants a shot at a game-winning field goal.
(via rpv173)
Question is, what sort of history will be made this time?
Despite missing Friday’s practice due to complications from treatment for a lingering PCL injury to a knee New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard said he “should be ready to go for the game.”
The game, of course, is Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
Ballard and coach Tom Coughlin would not go into detail regarding the procedure Ballard had on Thursday. The Daily News reported that Ballard received an injection in the knee.
After originally being considered ‘doubtful’ for Sunday, Ballard is officially listed as ‘questionable’ for the NFC Championship Game.
“Like I’ve said before, this PCL isn’t going to heal overnight,” Ballard told the Star-Ledger “It’s going to be 6-7 weeks before you don’t feel it anymore. And it’s only been four. Playing football, if you land on it or anything, you reaggravate it. So to really get healthy, you’ve got to go 6-7 weeks without playing football — and that’s not going to happen. I’ll be ready to go.”
New York Giants center David Baas and tight end Jake Ballard were both late additions to the injury report after missing practice on Friday, but running back Ahmad Bradshaw returned to the field and is expected to play in Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Baas was held out of practice due to illness and is probable for Sunday. Ballard was bothered by a knee injury and is the only Giant listed as doubtful.
Bradshaw (ankle), linebacker Mark Herzlich (ankle), wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (ankle), defensive end Justin Tuck (shoulder), defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee) and cornerback Corey Webster (hamstring) were all probable after being limited during the session.
Quarterback Eli Manning (illness) participated fully and is also probable. Nicks was another late addition to the injury report after practicing fully on Wednesday and Thursday.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan doesn't always shower his crosstown rivals with love. But Ryan said Friday that he expects the New York Giants to win the NFC Championship Game and earn a bid to the Super Bowl.
Ryan told WFAN's Mike Francesa that he believes New York should be able to disrupt the San Francisco 49ers using a four-man pass rush, and he predicts the Giants will meet the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl.
Reminded that he guaranteed that the Jets would be in the Super Bowl this season, Ryan responded, "When I said that I truly believed it was our time."
After finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs, Ryan said he expects to change aspects of his coaching philosophy. Specifically, he noted that his famed bravado might have seen its last days.
"I try to put things on me, my back. ... In actuality I might have been putting more pressure on my guys," he said. ...
"I want to be a great head coach. I want to be. Am I there yet? No, I'm absolutely not there yet, but I am willing to work to get there."
For more New York Giants coverage, visit our team page or our blog Big Blue View. For more Jets coverage, visit our team page or our blog Gang Green Nation.
Sunday’s AFC Championship Game may be Ray Lewis’ last legitimate shot at a Super Bowl in Baltimore, but it will also be the biggest game of Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs’ careers. However, the Ravens Pro-Bowl defenders have their legacies cemented in history. A victory would be the mot redeeming for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.
Despite Flacco’s 6-3 career record, Sunday’s game will be a defining game for his career and millions of eyes will be glued to his passes with judgmental eyes. For more than a decade, the Ravens locker room has been locked in an internal clash with its elite defense. More specifically, quarterbacks have received a brunt of the criticism. Until this week, however, public criticism was limited to voices emanating outside the locker room.
Ed Reed isn’t known for his big hits but on Wednesday he may have dealt a crushing blow to his own quarterback’s confidence when he said in radio interview that he believed the Texans defense rattled Flacco.
Reed’s comments couldn’t have come at a worse time for Flacco, who has already vented against the widespread disrespect he’s observed in the media towards his play. To make matters worse, he’s spent the entire week listening to comparisons between himself and his AFC Championship counterpart, Tom Brady. Despite Brady’s 4-1 record against the Ravens, Baltimore’s defense has seemingly found the ingredients to make Brady seem mortal in previous meetings. In five starts against Baltimore, Brady has posted a Tebow-like 71.9 quarterback rating and completed just 55.9 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and six interceptions.
Offensively, the Patriots will no-huddle in an attempt to keep the Ravens defensive attack off balance but the Ravens have the personnel to matchup with New England’s armory of tight ends and receivers. If Brady can strike iron in the vertical passing game, it could be a long day for the Ravens, who simply can’t afford for the AFC Championship Game to turn into a shooting contest and risk taking the game out of Rice’s grip and into Flacco’s inconsistent arm.
If the Giants win on Sunday, their Super Bowl XLVI opponent will feature a rematch of one of their two Super Bowl appearances in the 2000s. Although, the cast of names and faces surrounding Ray Lewis has changed, Baltimore remains a defensive juggernaut and Tom Brady continues to lead New England’s explosive passing scheme.
So which opponent would be a better matchup for the Giants? The Giants would likely never admit this but the Patriots are the team they want to line up across from on Super Bowl Sunday. Not only did they thwart Brady’s undefeated season in Super Bowl XLII but the Giants also beat the Pats in Week Nine this season and the Giants vaunted pass rush bothered Brady.
The Ravens, on the other hand, don’t rely on Flacco to move their offense. They’ll grind it out with Ray Rice and Flacco will dissect the defense with the occasional big play. They’re also the only team with a swagger and braggadocio to match the Giants.
Arian Foster’s 132-yard performance against the Ravens defense was the first time a running back had gained 100 plus yards against Baltimore’s run defense in Texans history. The Giants 32nd rushing offense doesn’t have the personnel to duplicate those numbers. In a potential matchup with the Ravens, Eli Manning will have to throw vertically.
Unfortunately for Manning the Ravens are at the top of the class at ball hawking and Reed is the league’s valedictorian. In the fourth quarter of last weeks Texans game, Reed stamped the Ravens ticket to Sunday’s AFC Championship courtesy of the eighth interception of his postseason career. One more would be an NFL record. Eli would have a better shot at shredding the Patriots pass defense than he would at avoiding Terrell Suggs vicious pass rush and squeezing the ball past Reed in the secondary.
Lewis would be responsible for putting the clamps on Jacobs and Bradshaw. The Pats don’t have a defensive frontline that can contain Rice out of the backfield or as a receiver. The Pats got so desperate that in the off-season, they traded for the troubled Albert Haynesworth in an attempt to remedy their porous passing front line. Haynesworth was cut after a failed stint eight-game stint. Ironically, Haynesworth was cut after getting into a sideline argument with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson and reportedly throwing in the towel during the Pats Nov. 6 loss to the Giants.
The Giants don’t have control over whom they’ll face in a potential Super Bowl tango but if they are honest with themselves, Brady and the New England Patriots are the tango partner they want to meet on Super Bowl Sunday.
Despite all of the success Tom Coughlin has had during his coaching career his job status with the New York Giants seems to be a topic of discussion every season. Every time the Giants struggle the fan base starts screaming for the league's oldest coach to be fired, and the media starts to speculate how much longer the Giants Super Bowl title of four years ago will be enough to keep him on the Giants sidelines.
Well, now that the Giants are back in the NFC Championship Game that conversation has shifted from whether or not his job is secure to his place in history -- and his chance to be a Hall of Fame coach.
Coughlin, 65, was asked Thursday how he deals with the constant chatter. The coach said that he simply ignores it.
"I just keep the blinders on and go straight ahead. I don't have anything to do with what is being said on the outside," Coughlin said. "The priority and what I think about it, I don't let it affect me in any way. I do believe in the John Wooden statement: We like praise, we don't like criticism but if you let either one affect your preparation, you have a problem."
That attitude has carried over to a Giants team that has been constantly criticized the past couple of seasons, but has continued to believe in itself and has finally played in recent weeks the way it expected to all season.
As the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers prepare to meet Sunday at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship Game (6:30 p.m. ET/FOX) let's take a look at how the Giants defense matches up with the 49ers offense.
The 49ers are a close to the vest offense built around the running of Frank Gore, controlling the clock and not turning the ball over. Quarterback Alex Smith has finally established himself as a capable NFC quarterback after seven less-than-stellar seasons in the league.
The Giants resurgent defense has been a key to the team's four-game winning streak. The regular-season numbers -- including 25.0 points per game allowed and 376.4 yards per game (27th in the league) surrendered -- don't look good. The defense, though, has been dominant in recent weeks. The Giants did not surrender a point on defense against Atlanta in the opening round of the playoffs, then held Green Bay in check last week in a 37-20 victory.
When the teams met during the regular season the 49ers won, 27-20. In that game, however, a hurting Gore carried just six times for zero yards, and the 49ers managed just 77 yards rushing on 20 carries. That helped the Giants win the time of possession, 34.36 to 25:24.
With Gore (1,211 yards rushing for the season) healthy again the task of slowing the San Francisco running game will be that much more difficult for the Giants. To control the game, however, slowing the run and forcing Smith into long-yardage passing situations is critical.
"I think their offense is geared around Frank. I think what they do and how they do it is geared around Frank," said Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. "I think he was dinged up last time we played them. I don't expect a whole lot of change, because they do what they do and they're good at what they do."
For the Giants the key, as always, will be the play of their vaunted defensive line. The Giants were third in the league with 48 sacks, and the line being healthy again has been critical to the unit's improved play in recent weeks. Jason Pierre-Paul was named All-Pro after a 16.5 sack season, and veterans Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have also played well the last two weeks.
"That's where our energy comes from, that's where our confidence comes from, that's where our swagger comes from. Those guys, unlike most teams that you associate with, they set the tone for us, they are the catalysts for what we do and how we do it," said Fewell.
San Francisco's play-makers in the passing game are tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Matching up with Davis, who caught the game-winning pass for San Francisco last week against the New Orleans Saints, will be particularly critical for the Giants.
Following Perry Fewell's first season as New York Giants defensive coordinator he interviewed for four head coaching jobs. This off-season Fewell has not been mentioned for any of the available head coaching jobs. He spoke on his chances at becoming a head coach at a recent press conference:
"I'm just trying to keep the job I have. I'm happy not to see my name in print sometimes, so I don't know. I've been focusing on the job at hand and that hasn't been a concern for me," Fewell said.
If the Giants defense continues to play like they have, and they go on to win the Super Bowl, Fewell may be doing more than "just trying to keep his job" this off-season.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
When the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers meet Sunday in the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park (6:30 p.m. ET/FOX) the game will match the Giants explosive offense against the 49ers stingy defense. Let's break down how those two units match up against each other.
First, some numbers. The Giants average of 24.6 points per game in the regular season was ninth in the league, and they were eighth overall in yards per game (385.1). The 49ers surrendered only 14.3 points per game, second in the league to Pittsburgh's 14.2. They were first in the league in run defense (77.3 yards per game) and fourth overall (308.1 yards per game).
So, we have the classic meeting of the big-play offense against the big-time defense. When the two teams met in the regular season the Giants lost, 27-20. They did, however, have some success against the San Francisco defense. They totaled 395 yards, scored those 20 points and did have the ball at the 49ers 10-yard line with a chance to win in the final minute before San Francisco's Justin Smith batted down an Eli Manning pass on fourth down to secure the win for the 49ers.
While the Giants were last in the league in yards per game rushing (89.2) one of the keys for New York will be having at least some success running the ball against San Francisco's top-ranked run defense. In the first meeting the Giants rushed for only 93 yards (3.2 per carry), but the did have 29 rushing attempts. That means they didn't have a ton of success, but they did well enough to keep the threat of the run in play, and that is probably good enough.
"We are about balance. We rushed the ball 29 times when we were out there and we did win time of possession. We did have 70 snaps to their 52," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "We did all the things that you want to do but we just didn't score enough points."
The Giants sometimes vulnerable offensive line will have to do at least an adequate job against a 49ers defense that features linebackers Navorro Bowman, Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith, and defensive end Justin Smith.
"I think our guys recognize that they're a terrific group, especially, I would be minimizing the quality of the secondary, which I think is excellent too, but they are an unbelievable front. They do a great job," said Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. "I think our guys are looking forward to the challenge. We just say, ‘Hey, if we're as good as we think we are, then we're going to have an opportunity to prove and we're going to prove it against an unbelievable defensive unit.' I think, to be quite candid, our guys are looking forward to it."
If the Giants can run enough to keep San Francisco from teeing off on Manning New York figures to have some opportunities for plays from its talented receiving corps. In the first meeting between the teams Manning was 26-of-40 for 311 yards and the Giants got a 32-yard touchdown from Hakeem Nicks and a 36-yard reception from Victor Cruz.
SI offers three things you should know about Sunday's New York Giants-San Francisco 49ers matchup, and picks the Giants to win.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/chris_burke/01/19/giants.49ers.preview/index.html
The New York Giants will honor their championship teams of the past by having Mark Bavaro, Michael Strahan and Rich Seubert serve as honorary captains for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers. The three players combined own four Super Bowl rings among them.
Bavaro won the Super Bowl twice, playing on the 1986 and 1990 season championship squads. He recorded over 1,000 yards receiving during the regular season prior to the Giants first Super Bowl win, making the first Pro Bowl of his career. He would be released after the Giants' second championship because of a degenerative knee condition.
The video below is the most memorable moment in Bavaro's Giants career.
(via moontheloon1127)
Seubert is another former Giants tight end, released from the team in July of 2011 while also struggling with a knee injury. He played 10 seasons for New York, earning his ring against the then-undefeated New England Patriots following the 2007-08 regular season.
Strahan doesn't need much introduction. His 22.5 sacks in 2001 set an NFL season record that still stands today. Strahan capped his Hall of Fame career with the Super Bowl win over the Patriots. He retired in July of 2008 with 141.5 career sacks.
Our regularly updated SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to Sunday's game. Head over to Big Blue View to join in the discussion with other Giants fans. Be sure to check out Niners Nation as well. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The New York Giants released their injury report on Thursday while continuing to prepare for their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. Quarterback Eli Manning returned to full participation in practice after leaving practice early on Wednesday with an illness. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw (Ankle) was the only player out of practice on Thursday
Defensive ends Justin Tuck (Shoulder) and Osi Umenyiora (Ankle/Knee), linebacker Mark Herzlich (Ankle) and cornerback Corey Webster (Hamstring) were all limited in practice today.
On the 49ers side, tight end Delanie Walker (Jaw) was back at practice and catching passes. He said jaw injury is doing better and that he might be able to play this weekend. Center Jonathan Goodwin (calf), wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (Knee) and safety Dashon Goldson (Knee) were not in practice on Thursday (via SF Gate).
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
One day after leaving New York Giants practice early with flu-like symptoms, quarterback Eli Manning declared himself “100 percent” healthy after returning to practice Thursday. The Giants face the San Francisco 49ers Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.
“I had a full practice today, I did everything, took every rep. I feel good. Yesterday I at least got to be here and getting into all the meetings and go through the walkthrough,” Manning said. “I didn’t take any live reps, but I know the game plan, I know what’s going on. The arm felt good today, it felt fresh, and it was coming out good.”
Manning was also asked a couple of questions about the Giants often-criticized offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. Here is that part of the exchange today between Manning and reporters:
Q: Talk about the impact Kevin Gilbride has had on your career.
A: Coach Gilbride and I have a very close relationship. When I first got here, he was the quarterbacks coach, so I sat in all the meetings with him. A lot of the plays we were running then, even though he wasn’t the offensive coordinator, were his plays and stuff he knew very well. So I got to kind of learn from him, and hearing him directly and watching old film of the Oilers and different things when they were running it. It’s the only offense I’ve been in, it’s what I know. We think the same way on a lot of things and certain looks. A lot of times he doesn’t even need to finish his sentence, because I’m already on the same page. I feel very comfortable with him and telling him my thoughts and listening to him. It’s a great relationship and we work well together.
Q: What’s the best thing you like about his play calls?
A: I think with Coach Gilbride, he wants to throw the ball, I think. He has a quarterback mentality. He also knows, he’s going to be smart and if we’re running it, we’re going to continue to run it. It’s kind of whatever is working. On Sundays if we’re not running it really well and we’re throwing it well, I’ll just go up to him and say, ‘Hey, they can’t stop us throwing it, let’s just keep throwing it.’ And he kind of gets a smile, I think that’s what he likes to hear. He wants to throw it and he wants to be consistent and find completions, but he likes to get the ball downfield and hit some big plays.
Osi Umenyiora's differences with the New York Giants organization over the past couple of seasons have been well-documented. Umenyiora, however, does not want to discuss those things as the Giants prepare for Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park (6:30 p.m. ET) against the San Francisco 49ers.
"I can't really discuss that right now. Whatever happens at the end of this year happens. Right now I am just focused on playing football. It is a pleasure and you don't want to mix business with pleasure. It is fun for me and I am enjoying it. The business part of it I will take care of later," Umenyiora said.
Umenyiora demanded a trade during training camp, even holding out for one day, in the latest chapter of what has been a long-running contract dispute with the Giants.
He has had an injury-plagued season, missing three games at the beginning after undergoing knee surgery and four games at the end with an ankle injury. He had nine sacks in nine games, however, and has three sacks and a forced fumble in the Giants' two playoff victories.
"We always knew we are a good football team. The way we were getting beat before, I don't think we were getting annihilated, we were making mistakes," Umenyiora said. "We knew once we fixed those mistakes, we would have a good chance of being a good football team. For some reason, we were able to correct them at the right time and everything is coming together right now."
Related
-- David Diehl Transcript
-- Tom Quinn Transcript
Just two more games need to be played until we know which two team will be playing in Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis, IN, Feb. 5, as this week the 2012 NFL Playoffs Conference Championship games will be played Sunday. The New England Patriots (14-3) host the Baltimore Ravens (12-4) in the AFC Championship (3 p.m. on CBS), while the New York Giants (9-7) visit the San Francisco 49ers (13-3) in the NFC Championship (6:30 p.m. on FOX).
More importantly what's on the line Sunday is my picks and predictions record, which is currently hanging at just above .500 at 41-39-2 overall.
Last week, my only correct prediction was picking the Giants over the Green Bay Packers, while the Ravens just missed covering their 7 1/2 points over the Houston Texans.
So, can I end the year in the money? Lets find out, as I give you my 2012 NFL playoffs Conference Championship picks and predictions.
StoryStream: NFC Championship Game, New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers
All the signs in this one point to New England winning this one and being the No. 1 villain in Super Bowl 46. Tom Brady is playing well, while Rob Gronkowski seems unarguable. Meanwhile, things are moving so well for the Pats' offense that they've decided to handle the ball off out of the backfield to tight end Aaron Hernandez.
Yes, the Pats defense has struggle but it also seems to be find a solid rhythm. So, how can the Ravens down the New England?
First off, run the ball with running back Ray Rice and then hope that quarterback Joe Flacco can make enough plays to win the game. Do I think that can happen?
Oh yeah.
Prediction: Ravens 27, Patriots 24.
After knocking off Super Bowl favorite Green Bay, New York has a lot of people jumping on its bandwagon. Not only that, everybody wants to see a Super Bowl rematch between the Giants and the Patriots -- I know I do. However, San Francisco is playing really well and its tough not to believe in a team that can outgun the New Orleans Saints in the final seconds.
This game is going to come down to a few keep aspects: 1) Turnovers -- which is always the case in situations like this and both teams are doing this well; 2) running game -- Frank Gore vs. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs; 3) one big play -- Vernon Davis did it last week as did Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks in back-to-back weeks.
Who do I think will do all three of these things best?
Prediction: Giants 24, 49ers 20
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
Two Super Bowl berths are on the line this weekend in the AFC and NFC championship games.
Sunday's 2012 NFL playoff schedule follows:
Sunday at 3 p.m. (Eastern): Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots
The Patriots smacked the Denver Broncos on Saturday, but outlasting the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday is expected to be considerably tougher. The Ravens boast a handful of the NFL's best defenders, and Tom Brady has gone on record to say that Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata are among the best in NFL history ever to play their respective positions. A key factor could be how the Ravens decide to cover the Patriots' twin tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, who collectively wreaked havoc against Denver this past weekend.
Related: Ranking The Final Four Quarterbacks
Sunday at 6:30 (Eastern): New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers
The Giants got hot late in the regular season and continue to ride the momentum. Eli Manning has been stellar all season long and deadly in the fourth quarter, his wide receiver weapons have been dynamic and the Giants defense has regained the fierce pass rush that led New York's 2008 Super Bowl title.
The Niners are typically led by their solid defense, Frank Gore's running and Alex Smith's game management, but with the season on the line, Smith and Vernon Davis rose to the occasion to lead two late scores against the New Orleans Saints.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP:
NEW YORK GIANTS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22
NEW YORK GIANTS–NFC EAST (11-7) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS–NFC WEST (14-3)
SERIES
|
|
GIANTS |
49ERS |
|
|
LEADER (REG. SEASON) |
Series tied, 14-14 |
|
|
|
STREAKS (REG. SEASON) |
3 of past 4 |
|
|
|
COACHES VS. OPP. (REG. & POSTSEASON) |
Coughlin: 4-1 |
Harbaugh: 1-0 |
|
|
COACHES PLAYOFF RECORD |
Coughlin: 10-7 |
Harbaugh: 1-0 |
|
|
VS. COMMON OPP. (REG. SEASON) |
NYG: 5-4 (Arz. 1-0; Dal. 2-0; Phi. 1-1; StL. 1-0; Sea. 0-1; Was. 0-2) SF: 7-2 (Arz. 1-1; Dal. 0-1; Phi. 1-0; StL. 2-0; Sea. 2-0; Was. 1-0) |
||
|
PLAYOFF RECORD |
22-24 |
26-17 |
|
|
LAST WEEK |
W 37-20 at Packers |
W 36-32 vs. Saints |
|
|
LAST GAME (REG. SEASON) |
11/13/11: Giants 20 at 49ers 27. San Francisco TE Vernon Davis (31-yard rec.) & RB Kendall Hunter (17-yard run) each record 4th-quarter TDs as 49ers hold off New York. |
||
|
LAST GAME AT SITE (REG. SEASON) |
11/13/11 |
||
|
LAST PLAYOFF |
1/5/03: Giants 38 at 49ers 39. San Francisco WR Tai Streets catches game-winning 13 yard TD pass from QB Jeff Garcia with 1:00 minute remaining. |
||
|
BROADCAST |
FOX (3:30 PM PT): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver & Chris Myers (Field reporters). Westwood One Radio: Kevin Harlan, Dan Fouts, Mark Malone (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 92 (NYG), 86 (SF). XM: 88 (WW1), 225 (NYG), 226 (SF). |
||
REGULAR SEASON STAT LEADERS
|
PASSING |
Manning: 359-589-4,933 (3C)-29-16-92.9 |
Ale. Smith: 274-446-3,150-17-5-90.7 |
|
RUSHING |
Bradshaw: 171-659-3.9-9 |
Gore: 282-1,211 (3C)-4.3-8 |
|
RECEIVING |
Cruz: 82-1,536 (3L)-18.7-9 |
Crabtree: 73-880-12.1-4 |
|
OFFENSE |
385.1 |
310.9 |
|
TAKE/GIVE |
+7 |
+28 (1L) |
|
DEFENSE |
376.4 |
308.1 (1C) |
|
SACKS |
Pierre-Paul: 16.5 |
Ald. Smith (R): 14 |
|
INTs |
Webster: 6 (T2C) |
Goldson, Rogers: 6 (T2C) |
|
PR |
Ross: 7.1 |
Ginn: 12.3 (3C) |
|
KR |
D. Thomas: 24.3 |
Ginn: 27.6 (3L) |
|
PUNTING |
Weatherford: 45.7 |
Lee: 50.9 (1L) |
|
KICKING |
Tynes: 100 (43/43 PAT; 19/24 FG) |
Akers: 166 (1L) (34/34 PAT; 44/52 FG) |
NOTES
CLUBS MEET for 8th time in postseason & 49ers lead series 4-3. All-time regular-season series is tied 14-14, incl. 49ers’ Week 10 win (27-20)…SF is 4-1 at home vs. NYG in postseason. Giants won only NFC Champ meeting between teams (1990), 15-13 at SF.
GIANTS: Playing in 18th Champ Game (NFL & NFC), most in NFL history. Are 4-0 all-time in NFC Champ Games. Head coach TOM COUGHLIN has led NYG to 5 postseason appearances, tied with BILL PARCELLS for most in team history. Has 6 postseason road wins in career, 1 behind HOFerTOM LANDRY (7) for most all-time. Giants had 2 players selected to Pro Bowl: QB ELI MANNING (2nd) & DE JASON PIERRE-PAUL (1st)…QB Manning has won 4 consecutive road playoff games. Passed for 330 yards & 3 TDs last week in Div. In postseason career, has passed for 1,904 yards & 14 TDs, most in franchise history. Had franchise-record 4,933 pass yards & 8 300-yard games in reg. season. Has 23 career 300-yard games (incl. playoffs), most in team history. Recorded 7th consecutive season with 3,000+ pass yards & 20+ pass TDs, most in team history. Had 15 4th quarter TD passes in reg. season, most ever in season, topping HOFer JOHNNY UNITAS & PEYTON MANNING…RB BRANDON JACOBS has 4 career rush TDs in playoffs, tied with JOE MORRIS (4) for most in franchise history. Since start of 2005 (incl. playoffs), has 60 rush TDs, 4th most in NFL. RB AHMAD BRADSHAW is 1 of 7 players in NFL with 1,800+ rush yards (1,894) & 80+ receptions (81) since start of 2010 season…WR HAKEEM NICKS had 7 catches for 165 yards & 2 TDs last week in Div. Had 6 catches for 115 yards & 2 TDs in WC. Is 3rd WR in SB era with 2+ games in single postseason with 100+ yards & 2+ TDs, joining HOFer JERRY RICE (1989) & LARRY FITZGERALD (2008). Nicks’ 165 yards are 2nd most by Giant in playoff game (BOB SCHNELKER, 1959, 175 yards). Nicks had 72-yard TD in WC & 66-yard TD in Div. Is only player in NFL history with 66+ rec. TD in consecutive games in same postseason. Ranked 2nd on team in reg. season with 76 catches, 1,192 yards & 7 TDs. Only player in team history with 75+ catches, 1,000+ yards & 7+ TDs in consecutive seasons. WR VICTOR CRUZ had team-record 1,536 rec. yards in reg. season, 193 more than previous mark (1,343, AMANI TOOMER). Had team-high 9 rec. TDs in reg. season, incl. 99-yard TD in Week 16, tied for longest in NFL history. Had 5 rec. TDs of 65+ yards in reg. season, 2nd most in season in NFL history (6, HOFer ELROY "CRAZYLEGS" HIRSCH, 1951). Had 7 100-yard games in reg. season, most by Giant in season. Cruz (1,536) & Nicks (1,192) are 1st set of Giants to each record 1,000+ rec. yards in same season. WR MARIO MANNINGHAM has 20 career rec. TDs incl. postseason & has TD catch in both postseason games…DE Pierre-Paul ranked 4th in NFL during reg. season with 16.5 sacks. Joined HOFer LAWRENCE TAYLOR & MICHAEL STRAHAN as only Giants with 16+ sacks in season. DE JUSTIN TUCK had 2 sacks in SB XLII, tied for most in postseason game by Giant. In past 24 games (incl. playoffs), DE OSI UMENYIORA has 22.5 sacks & 12 FFs. Has 5 career postseason sacks, incl. 2 last week. LB MICHAEL BOLEY had 2 sacks in Div. CB COREY WEBSTER led team with career-high 6 INTs in reg. season.
49ERS: Make 13th Champ Game appearance. Are 26-17 (.605) in postseason all-time. Head coach JIM HARBAUGH is 1 of 3 head coaches in team history to win division in 1st year as head coach (GEORGE SEIFERT, 1989 & STEVE MARIUCCI, 1997). In reg. season, club led NFL with +28 turnover differential, best mark in franchise history. In Div., forced 5 turnovers (3 FR, 2 INT) & had +4 diff. 49ers tied for NFL lead with 8 players selected to Pro Bowl: K DAVID AKERS (6th), S DASHON GOLDSON (1st), RB FRANK GORE (3rd), P ANDY LEE (3rd), CB CARLOS ROGERS(1st), DT JUSTIN SMITH (3rd), T JOE STALEY (1st) & LB PATRICK WILLIS (5th)…QB ALEX SMITH has won 15 of past 18 starts overall. Passed for 299 yards, 3 TDs & 103.2 rating last week in playoff debut. Also had 28-yard TD run. Joins HOFer JOE MONTANA & JEFF GARCIA as only SF QBs with 3+ pass TDs & rush TD in playoff game. In career (incl. postseason), team is 11-0 when he starts & has 100+ rating. In reg. season, threw 5 INTs, tied for 3rd fewest in season in NFL history (min. 400 att.). Had 17 TDs & his 3.4 TD-INT ratio in reg. season was 3rd best in team history, trailing 2 seasons by HOFer STEVE YOUNG (1992 & 1994)…RB Gore rushed for 1,211 yards in reg. season, his team-record 5th 1,000-yard season. Is franchise’s all-time leading rusher with 7,625 yards, passing HOFer JOE PERRY (7,344). Rushed for 89 yards & averaged 6.8 yards per carry in Div…TE VERNON DAVIS had 7 catches for 180 yards (25.7 avg.) & 2 TDs in Div. His 180 rec. yards are most by TE in NFL postseason history & are 2nd most by 49er in playoff game, trailing HOFer JERRY RICE (215 yards, 1/22/89). Since start of 2009 (incl. playoffs), has 28 TDs, most among NFC TEs. WR MICHAEL CRABTREE had 1st career postseason TD catch last week. 49ers have won 8 of past 9 (incl. playoffs) when Crabtree has TD catch…Rush defense led NFL in reg. season allowing 77.3 yards per game & total defense was 1st in NFC (308.2). 49ers allowed 3 reg. season rush TDs, fewest in 16-game season (since 1978). Was 1st team in NFL history to not allow rush TD in each of 1st 14 games to start season. Club allowed 229 points (14.3 per game) in reg. season, fewest in NFC & 2nd fewest in NFL. LB ALDON SMITH led NFL rookies with 14 sacks, 2nd most ever by rookie in reg. season. Had sack in postseason debut. DT Smith had 7.5 sacks in reg. season & is 1 of 3 players in team history with 6+ sacks in 4 consecutive seasons. Had sack in Div. LB NA VORRO BOWMAN led team in tackles during reg. season. LB Willis has been selected to Pro Bowl in 1st 5 seasons…K Akers set NFL season records with 44 FGs & 166 kicking points. Has scored in 20 consecutive playoff games & passed HOFerGEORGE BLANDA for 2nd longest streak. Is 2nd in NFL postseason history with 34 FGs & 3rd with 146 points. P Lee had NFL season record 44.0 net punting avg.
Donte Whitner of the San Francisco 49ers apparently thinks the New York Giants, the 49ers opponent Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, talk too much.
"That's their blueprint - whenever they have a big game, they talk and talk," Whitner said. "We're not going to do that. The game is played on the football field. We're going to talk on Sunday. They can say whatever they want, God bless 'em."
Seriously, Donte? I mean, seriously? The Giants talk too much?
Wasn't it Vernon Davis of the 49ers who said he "prayed" the Giants would beat the Green Bay Packers? Sure, Antrel Rolle responded to Davis this week. Rolle sometimes does talk too much, but not here. Sure, an over-excited Jason Pierre-Paul guaranteed a victory over Green Bay -- then admitted he got carried away.
If that's what Whitner has to believe then good for him. Maybe he forgot which New York team the 49ers are actually playing against on Sunday.
The New York Giants released their latest injury report as they prepare for their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Quarterback Eli Manning (Illness) did not finish practice today. The team is hoping Manning just has a 24-hour bug.
Running back Ahmad Bradshaw (Ankle) was the only Giants player held out of practice on Wednesday.
Defensive ends Justin Tuck (Shoulder) and Osi Umenyiora (Ankle/Knee) and cornerback Corey Webster (hamstring) were all limited in practice today.
Linebacker Mark Herzlich (Ankle) was also limited in practice after missing the playoff game against the Packers.
As for the 49ers, tight end Delanie Walker (Jaw) was limited in practice. Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (Knee) and center Jonathan Goodwin (Leg) were held out of practice. Defensive tackle Ray McDonald (Hamstring) was seen working on the sideline with a trainer. (via SF Gate)
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
Not what the New York Giants wanted prior to Sunday's 2012 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers: a stomach bug for Eli Manning.
The Giants quarterback left practice early on Wednesday with an illness, but did attend team meetings in the afternoon.
Coach Tom Coughlin said the team is hoping it's "just a 24-hour bug," and wide receiver Mario Manningham did not sound worried when asked about Manning's status.
Related: NFC Championship Offenses, Position-By-Position
"He’s going to be alright. He’s sick," receiver Mario Manningham said. "There ain’t nothing wrong with his hands or nothing. He’s just sick. He’ll take some meds, he’ll be cool. Eli’s a tough guy. That’s four days from now it’ll be Sunday. He’ll be cool."
Manning, who has started in 128 straight games including the postseason, is expected to return to practice on Thursday. David Carr received first-team reps in Manning's absence.
For more New York Giants coverage, visit our team page or our blog Big Blue View.
Jason Pierre-Paul, the New York Giants All-Pro defensive end, joined WFAN in New York with Joe and Evan this week to discuss the team's playoff run and this weekend's upcoming NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers.
The better the second-year pro plays, and he has been monstrous in establishing himself as the team's best defensive player, the more attention he gets and the more he becomes somewhat of a spokesman for the Giants defense.
Sports Radio Interviews has the full transcript. Below are some of the more entertaining excerpts from JPP:
What has happened to your defense? The defense is playing as good as anybody. What has been the change on the defensive side of the ball?
“Basically everyone is staying together now. We all came together as one, not just the defense, the offense and special teams too. We decided we gotta get things right. We gotta get things right. We really needed to and we just basically on a run right now. The defense has been great and the offense. We offset each other. Coach Perry Fewell has done a nice job calling in calls and stuff and we’ve had great practices. That’s basically it.”
What made you more successful this time around against Green Bay where the first time you gave up 38 points?
“First of all we got everyone back healthy. That was one of the main points and everybody just came together. Like I said we knew what to expect. They were going to come out running and pass it more. We just had to stop them and play physical and just stop them from doing what they do best.”
How about the Green Bay Packers not looking on the top of their game at all last Sunday?
“They weren’t themselves, but when we lost same thing. This is the postseason. You only got one shot or everybody goes home. It’s not our fault they wasn’t on their best game. We came here to play a game and to win a game and so we did.”
As we look forward to Sunday's 2012 NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers (6:30 p.m. ET/FOX) let's break down the special teams units for each team.
Prior to the 2011 season special teams play had been an issue for New York for several years. This season, the special teams units were hardly spectacular. They were, however, not spectacular failures, either. For the Giants, that amounted to a huge improvement.
Punter Steve Weatherford was signed as a free agent after being let go by the New York Jets, and had the best overall season of his six-year career. He averaged a career-best 45.7 yards per punt and his net average of 39.2 was a huge improvement over a season ago when the Giants net average was 34.3 with Matt Dodge punting.
Related: The Offenses, Position-By-Position
Placekicker Lawrence Tynes made 19-of-24 field goals this season, an unspectacular 79 percent. Tynes, notoriously bad on kickoffs, took advantage of the new rule moving kickoff up to the 35-yard line and saw a solid 43 percent of his kickoffs go for touchbacks.
The Giants' primary difficulty on special teams has been in the return game. During the regular season the Giants were 29th in the league returning punts, with a 6.1 yards per return average. They were one of only two teams not to have any returns of 20 yards or more. The Giants are averaging just 5.6 yards on five returns in the playoffs.
The Giants were adequate on kickoff returns during the regular season as Da'Rel Scott, Devin Thomas and Jerrel Jernigan combined to average 23.3 yards, 20th in the league. Jernigan, a rookie, is now the primary return man.
Special teams is an area where San Francisco excels. The 49ers have a pair of All-Pro kickers in punter Andy Lee and placekicker David Akers. They have a dangerous return man in Ted Ginn (12.3 yards per punt return, 27.6 yards per kickoff return.
Related: The Defenses, Position-By-Position
Lee averaged league bests in yards per punt (50.9) and net yards per punt (44.0). Akers made 44-of-52 kicks (85 percent) and had 50.5 percent of his kickoffs go for touchbacks.
Advantage: 49ers ... For the Giants the key in the special teams matchup on Sunday is not to win it. It is simply not to get hurt by San Francisco in this phase of the game.
The weather does not appear to be cooperating for the NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers this weekend.
The forecast in San Francisco is rain, rain and then some more rain starting on Thursday and going all the way through the game. Right now the chance of rain is at 70 percent for Sunday.
This could affect both teams in diffferent ways. The 49ers have such an advantage in special teams over everyone, but that will be lessened with poor weather. Conversely, the Giants are a faster team and live off of the big play. The field at San Francisco is notoriously bad even with good conditions, so that may slow New York down considerably.
The running game will be key even more than normal. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw will need to find creases behind an offensive line that struggles to run block at times.
Defensively, the game plan doesn't change all that much. Frank Gore is going to be the focal point of the 49ers offense regardless of rain. If the Giants can bottle him up and force Alex Smith into third and long, Tom Coughlin and Co. are in good shape.
Of course, ball security will also be at a premium. With slippery conditions and two teams that play staunch defense, a turnover could make all the difference. It's often the big mistake, not the big play, that determine games with two teams of this style.
As we draw closer to Sunday's 2012 NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers let's compare the defenses of the two teams, position-by-position.
First, a quick overall comparison. During the regular season the 49ers defense was far superior to the Giants. San Francisco was fourth in the league overall, surrendering 308.2 yards per game. The 49ers allowed just 16.7 points per game, second in the league to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who allowed 16.5. The Giants allowed 376.4 yards per game, 27th in the league, and 25.0 points per game (25th overall).
Related: Position-By-Position Breakdown Of The Offenses
The Giants have been much better in recent weeks and dominant in the playoffs defensively. The defense did not allow a point in a 24-2 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and held the high-scoring Green Bay Packers to two touchdowns in a 37-20 victory in the NFC Divisional Round.
Now, let's compare the teams position-by-position.
The Giants play a 4-3 and depend on their front four to pressure the passer and control the line of scrimmage. The 49ers play a 3-4 and largely ask their defensive line to clear the way for their impressive group of linebackers to make plays.
It is no secret that the Giants are built defensively around their front four, especially their pass-rushing defensive. The Giants registered 48 sacks, third in the NFL. Jason Pierre-Paul was named All-Pro after registering 16.5 sacks this season. Osi Umenyiora had nine sacks and two forced fumbles in just nine regular-season games during an injury-riddled season. He has three sacks and a forced fumble in the two playoff games. Defensive end Justin Tuck is also finally healthy.
Related: 49ers' Harbaugh Expects 'Much Different' Giants Team
In addition, the Giants have received solid play all season from tackles Chris Canty, Linval Joseph and Rocky Bernard.
Defensive end Justin Smith is the biggest play-maker on the San Francisco front line. The defensive end registered 7.5 sacks and 58 tackles. Smith made the game-saving play when the 49ers and Giants met in the regular season, batting down an Eli Manning pass on fourth-and-two from the San Francisco 10-yard line to preserve a 27-20 victory.
Advantage: Giants ... The Giants are built around the line and it has been playing well of late.
In the same way the Giants defense is built around defensive lineman, the 49ers defense is built around its linebackers -- and the 49ers have an impressive corps of linebackers. Second-year man Navorro Bowman had a team-high 143 tackles, two sacks and seven passes defensed. Patrick Willis had 97 tackles, 12 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two sacks. Both players were named All-Pro. Rookie Aldon Smith led the 49ers with 14 sacks. Ahmad Brooks had seven sacks, second on the team behind Smith.
Related: Top Five Pivotal Plays In Giants NFC Championship Game History
The Giants best linebacker is Michael Boley, who had 93 tackles this season. Chase Blackburn has helped in the middle, Mathias Kiwanuka has excelled against the run and rookie Jacquian Williams has shown flashes and become a reliable pass defender.
Advantage: 49ers ... By a wide margin. The Giants linebackers really aren't a full-fledged weakness, but they can't measure up to San Francisco's.
The Giants have the very solid veteran Corey Webster at one corner, and the sometimes shaky veteran Aaron Ross at the other corner. Rookie Prince Amukamara sees some time as a nickel corner, but safety Antrel Rolle also moves down and guards slot receivers quite often. Webster had 16 passes defensed, six interceptions and a Pro Football Focus score of +4.9.
Related: SB Nation Bay Area Giants-49ers StoryStream
Carlos Rogers of the 49ers had 18 passes defensed, six interceptions and a Pro Football Focus score of 9.4. Tarell Brown had four interceptions and 15 passes defensed, and rookie Chris Culliver is the nickel back.
Advantage: 49ers ... It seems like a slight advantage, but Rogers-Brown is just a hair better than Webster-Ross.
During the past few weeks, when the Giants defense has played its best football of the season, the team has returned to relying heavily on the three-safety look that was successful for the team in 2010. That means Kenny Phillips, Deon Grant and Rolle all on the field at the same time. None of those players is a star, though Rolle led the Giants in tackles with 96 and Phillips had an excellent +8.6 Pro Football Focus score. The primary issue with the trio is speed, but they have played solidly in recent weeks as the Giants have surged to the NFC title game.
Related: Complete NFL Coverage From SBNation.com
Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson are the starting safety tandem for San Francisco. Goldson had 67 tackles and Whitner 62 for the 49ers this season. Whitner had a +8.3 Pro Football Focus score, while Goldson was -8.1.
Advantage: Giants ... Grant, Phillips and Rolle form a solid veteran trio. On the field together they don't make many mistakes.
By the season-long numbers the 49ers would appear to have the better defense. Judging by the way the teams have played the last few weeks -- with the Giants finally looking like the pass-rushing, dominant defense they were expected to be -- this really looks like a toss-up.
Advantage: Even
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning made his weekly appearance on ESPN Radio in New York today to talk about the win over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round and whether or not he doubted his team could be in the position they are currently in (via Sports Radio Interviews).
Manning thought before the game against Green Bay that it would have been closer than it ended up being. Manning was guarded about the performance of the referees, citing Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.
From there I thought whether the one fumble early on that they ruled down I had a lot of text messages after the game from people saying that was definitely a fumble but Coach Coughlin talked to us today about ‘hey don't get involved with the refs, let me handle the refs.'
Manning also said that he didn't doubt that the Giants could be playing for a spot in the Super Bowl even after the team was sitting at 7-7 following a loss to the Redskins.
"Yeah. I think definitely. That was the mindset that we had. We had a tough loss that game but we had done our work earlier in the season getting off to a fast start and we had beaten Dallas the week before so we knew the circumstances and we knew that we had to go play against a good team in the Jets and then the Cowboys again and we just had to win those two. We could get hot. We know we're a team that can get hot anytime and start playing great football. It's just a matter of kind of everything coming together, getting the players back, getting the opportunities, and we never lose our confidence in that. Sure enough that's exactly what started happening. Our defense has stepped up, they've been playing outstanding and offensively we've been playing smart not making mistakes, being patient, and knowing the big plays will come if we don't make the big mistakes."
The Giants will be looking for more big plays from Manning, who threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay, Sunday against San Francisco.
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
New York Giants fans are probably a little sick of listening to the FOX crew of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman broadcast the team’s games this season. They will be listening to Buck and Aikman again this Sunday, however, when that duo broadcasts the Giants’ NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Most likely, Giants fans won’t mind listening to Buck and Aikman, along with sideline reporters Pam Oliver and Chris Myers. The alternative, of course, is listening to Buck and Aikman do the game without the Giants playing in it.
The game will be broadcast across the Giants radio network. On the Giants flagship
WFAN – 660 AM in the Tri-State area – Bob Papa will call the play-by-play, Carl Banks will be as the analyst and Howard Cross will handle the sideline reporting. Anita Marks and Roman Oben will host the pre- and post-game shows, starting at
4:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcast across the nation by Westwood One with Kevin Harlan and Dan Fouts as the announcers, Mark Malone doing the sideline reporting and Scott Graham hosting the pre-game and halftime shows.
Finally, the game will also be broadcast in Spanish by Univision. Rafael Hernandez Brito will call the play-by-play and Eduardo Martell will serve as the analyst.
With the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers set to square off Sunday at Candlestick Park (6:30 p.m. ET/FOX) in the NFC Championship Game let's compare the offenses of each team, position-by-position.
About the only similarity between Eli Manning of the Giants and Alex Smith of the 49ers is that each is a former No. 1 overall pick -- Manning in 2004 and Smith in 2005. For Manning, the question has always been whether or not he would become elite, which he has. For Smith, the question has always been whether or not he was actually a starting caliber NFL quarterback, and he has more than answered that question this season.
The Giants ask much more from Manning than the 49ers do of Smith, and a look at the passing yards (4,933 for Manning, 3,144 for Smith) and attempts (589 to 445) tells you as much. Manning averages 308.3 yards per game passing and Smith a pedestrian 196.5.
Yet, both quarterbacks have done exactly what their teams have needed this season. Manning has won six games for the Giants in the fourth quarter. Smith threw only five interceptions as the 49ers offense revolved around the running game and tried not to get in the way of its top-flight defense. Smith showed in the NFC Divisional Round that he can win big games lates, engineering a game-winning touchdown drive that ended with a 14-yard pass to Vernon Davis with just nine seconds left to propel San Francisco to its title game opportunity.
Advantage: Giants ... Both guys do what their teams need, but there is only one elite quarterback in this game and that is Manning.
The 49ers have the league's fifth-ranked rushing attack at 143 yards per game, led by Frank Gore (1,211 yards, 4.3 yards per carry). Gore has surpassed 1,000 yards five of the past six seasons. When the Giants and 49ers played earlier this season an injured Gore carried just six times for zero yards.
The Giants have the two-headed backfield of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. While they have been better in recent weeks, and while both are quality backs who are important to the Giants offense, neither is the caliber of Gore. The Giants finished last in the league with just 89.2 yards per game running the ball.
Advantage: 49ers ... Gore will do better than zero yards rushing this time around. The 49ers hope he does significantly better.
Vernon Davis has become a star for the 49ers. He caught 67 passes for run-first San Francisco, and will severely challenge Giants rookie linebacker Jacquian Williams -- who has become the guy the Giants use quite often to cover tight ends.
Jake Ballard had a nice season for New York with 38 catches for 604 yards, averaging 15.9 yards per catch. That's an amazing YPC for a slow 6-foot-6, 270-pound tight end. Ballard has surprisingly good hands and a deceptive ability to get open, but he isn't Davis.
Advantage: 49ers
The Giants have the dynamic duo of Victor Cruz (82 receptions, 1.536 yards, nine touchdowns) and Hakeem Nicks (76 catches, 1,192 yards, seven touchdowns) and two incredible 2012 postseason performances. They also have Mario Manningham as their third receiver. Manningham, in fact, might be better than anyone San Francisco has on the outside.
Michael Crabtree (72 catches, 874 yards, four touchdowns) is the closest thing the 49ers have to a weapon on the outside.
Advantage: Giants ... Clearly, the Giants rely on getting big plays from their wide receivers as part of their winning formula. For San Francisco, big plays from the receivers seem like a bonus.
The Giants have clearly struggled to run block all season, while San Francisco's offense is built around power running. The Giants have surrendered only 28 sacks, or a sack on 5.1 percent of pass plays. The 49ers have surrendered 44 sacks, or one every 8.4 percent of pass plays. That's not good when you consider Smith is probably more mobile than Manning.
Advantage: Even
The Giants have the more explosive offense, averaging 385.1 yards and 24.6 points per game to San Francisco's 380 yards and 17.6 points. The Giants have the better quarterback and more big-play weapons, but Gore could be the equalizer if the 49ers can run on the Giants.
Advantage: Giants
San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said during his Monday news conference that he expects the New York Giants to be a "much different than the team we played earlier" when the 49ers and Giants meet Sunday at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship Game (6:30 p.m. ET/FOX).
"Healthier is the biggest thing, especially on the defensive side of the ball," Harbaugh said.
Related: Tom Coughlin Monday News Conference
The 49ers defeated the Giants, 27-20, earlier in the season when defensive end Justin Smith batted down an Eli Manning pass on fourth-and-two from the San Francisco 10-yard line in the waning seconds to seal a victory.
"Probably surprises a lot of people that the Giants and the 49ers are in the NFC Championship Game," Harbaugh said.
The Giants upset the Packers Sunday, while the 49ers outlasted the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints, 36-32.
-- See Big Blue View for more Giants coverage, and Niners Nation for 49ers discussion.
New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle today discussed the mindset of the team as they prepare for the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 22 at Candlestick Park.
We're not going to be denied at this point. We understand what we have as a team. It's not all about talent. It's about chemistry. We're gelling at this point. Coaches and players are on the same page at the same time. We have one goal in mind, which is to win the championship.
Rolle also said that this year's Giants team feels different to him than when he was on the 2008 Arizona Cardinals.
This run feels different - more of the fact that this is what I expect from this team. I've always expected greatness from this team although we didn't do it week-in and week-out throughout the season. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we're here and we're striving and we're fighting to get better each and every week.
The 2008 Cardinals went 9-7 like this year's Giants and reached the Super Bowl, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Can this year's Giants team top that Cardinals team?
The SB Nation New York StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
The first time the New York Giants went to Candlestick Park this season to meet the San Francisco 49ers they were 6-2 and coming off an impressive road victory over the New England Patriots. The Giants came out of that game with a 27-20 loss, a game that sent them spiraling into a six-game stretch where they lost five times.
That game was a back-and-forth affair the Giants thought they had a chance to win right until the end when Justin Smith batted away an Eli Manning pass on fourth-and-two from San Francisco's 10-yard line in the waning seconds, killing a Giants' comeback attempt.
"I thought we were in perfect control. I thought we would get there, score, put it into overtime, win it in overtime," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said after the loss.
The Giants led that game 13-12, but in a season where fourth-quarter magic has been their specialty they watched the 49ers score 15 straight points to take a 27-12 lead. This time, their rally fell just short.
Complete coverage of the first game
The Giants dominated time of possession in the game, 34:36 to 25:24, but could not push across enough points against the San Francisco defense.
Just like with Green Bay, which narrowly defeated the Giants during the regular season, the Giants have been pining for another shot at the 49ers.
"They are a good team. We are a good team. We will run back into them," said Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham after the loss.
Now, the Giants have that chance they wanted. Question is, can they take advantage of it the way they did against Green Bay? A trip to Super Bowl XLVI depends on it.
The New York Giants now have 3-1 odds of winning Super Bowl XLVI, according to oddsmakers from Bovada. The Giants reached the NFC Championship Game Sunday by upsetting the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, 37-20.
The Giants will face the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in San Francisco. The 49ers are also 3-1 Super Bowl choices, according to Bovada. The teams met earlier this season, with the 49ers earning a 27-20 victory.
The New England Patriots, the top seed in the AFC, have been established as 6/5 Super Bowl favorites. The Patriots will host the fourth-seeded Baltimore Ravens this weekend. The Ravens are the fourth choices of oddsmakers at 6-1.
-- The SB Nation StoryStream will have everything you need to know leading up to the Giants-49ers matchup. Check Big Blue View to join a discussion with Giants fans. For complete coverage of the NFL playoffs you can also visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.
Praise for the New York Giants is pouring in from all corners in the wake of Sunday's 37-20 thrashing of the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Divisional Round game. Peter King of SI.com joined the praise-party Monday morning in his weekly 'Monday Morning Quarterback' column.
King recounted the decision by then-GM Ernie Accorsi to trade for Eli Manning in 2004, and refuse to include Osi Umenyiora in the deal. Manning was brilliant, as usual, Sunday and Umenyiora had a strip/sack of Aaron Rodgers that was probably the game's critical defensive play.
In his 'Fine Fifteen,' King had the Giants, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers as co-No. 1s. The Giants certainly have come a long way.
Here is part of what King said in reviewing Sunday's New York victory:
The Packers looked a lot more like a 7-9 team Sunday than 15-1. Credit the Giants quarterback for being better than the presumptive MVP, the Giants receivers being better, and the Giants defense being loads better.
Here is what he said in ranking the Giants atop his 'Fine Fifteen':
Memories of 2007 are so valid they're scary. Eli Manning hitting every receiver even slightly open, and a pass rush that won't quit. Big, big trouble for anyone right now.
The New York Giants will be the underdogs in the NFC Championship, which will hardly come as a surprise to New York Giants fans. By now Giants fans — and the Giants themselves — should be used to the underdog role.
After defeating the heavily-favored Green Bay Packers to reach the NFC Championship Game, the Giants have been established as two-point underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers in the early odds.
Related: SB Nation Calls For An Upset By The Giants
The 49ers won the NFC West and advanced to the title game with a thrilling 36-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. The Giants won the NFC East and have now earned four consecutive victories.
The teams met in San Francisco during the regular season and the 49ers came out with a 27-20 victory. Like Sunday’s title game that matchup was in San Francisco.
— See Big Blue View for more about the Giants. See Niners Nation and SB Nation Bay Area for complete coverage of the 49ers.
All week long leading up to their NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers the New York Giants made no effort to hide the fact that they were looking forward to a rematch against once-beaten Green Bay after a 38-35 last-minute loss in the regular season.
After dispatching the Packers Sunday by the stunning score of 37-20 the Giants get a chance to play in the NFC Championship Game, and settle another score in the process. The Giants will travel to Candlestick Park next Sunday to face the San Francisco 49ers, a team that defeated the Giants in a hard-fought regular-season game back in November, 27-20.
Giants 37, Packers 20: Complete Coverage
The Giants reached the San Francisco 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter of that game with a chance to tie, but Eli Manning had a fourth-down pass batted down at the line of scrimmage to end the Giants hopes. The Giants had entered that game 6-2, and the loss began a stretch during which they lost five of six and nearly fell out of playoff contention.
San Francisco (14-3) won the NFC West championship. They advanced to the championship game with a thrilling 36-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith hit tight end Vernon Davis with a 14-yard pass for the winning touchdown with just nine seconds remaining.
In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens will meet the New England Patriots for the right to go to Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5.
-- See SB Nation's NFL Hub Page for complete NFL playoff coverage
Giants Headed For 2012 Super Bowl: NFC Championship Post-Game Reactions
The New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl! Headed there thanks to a 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in an overtime thriller in the NFC Championship Game.
From SI.com
- Coughlin, Manning Lead The Giants
- Post-Game Grades
Here are some of the Giants post-game reactions:
David Baas: “It’s amazing. I’m still kind of in shock. I don’t know what emotion to show.”
Giants quarterback Eli Manning: “We had to fight for every yard that we got. Wew knew we couldn’t afford to make many mistakes, turn the ball over.”
Defensive end Justin Tuck: “This is a team effort. Not pretty, but this team knows how to win these types of games. Great team effort.”
Giants fullback Henry Hynoski: “Were goin to the ship boy were goin to the ship! What a great experience…thank u giant nation!”
— Stay with us for much more reaction to New York’s victory, and visit Big Blue View to celebrate with happy Giants fans.
Jan 23 12:24a by Ed Valentine