Prediction Time: Packers And Giants » Brats & Beer

January 18, 2008
posted under: Giants, NFC Championship, Packers

It’s the NFC Championship. It’s Brett Favre and Lambeau Field. It’s going to be around 0 degrees at game time. It’s going to be the Green Bay Packers advancing to Super Bowl XLII.

Okay, you probably saw that prediction coming a mile away, but I will go out on a limb and say that the Packers will cover the spread, which the last time I checked was seven points. They might just cover, maybe 24-17, but they’ll cover.

Green Bay on offense has too many weapons on the field for the New York Giants to shut down. The game will probably start off slowly, but Favre will find his guys eventually and start to move the ball against New York’s banged-up secondary. Ryan Grant — please hang on to the ball — will find the holes and help grind out yards when needed, and if he gets to the second level he’ll break a couple of those patented big runs against his former team.

On defense the key will be to stop New York’s running back tandem of Brandon Jacobs (who better not smash the play clock at Lambeau Field) and Ahmad Bradshaw, which means the spotlight will be on Ryan Pickett and the linebackers. The more they can put the game on Eli Manning the better because Al Harris and Charles Woodson match up well against the Giant’s primary receivers, and a healthy dose of pressure from the front four will rattle Manning the Lesser into making some mistakes.

One of the keys to New York’s victory over Dallas last week was their special teams, especially punt returns. Tracy White has been solid on coverage all year and needs to have another big game Sunday, and hopefully Mike Stock has drilled his squad on rushing the punter so there will be no roughing penalties this week.

This might not play out like the Ice Bowl with Brett Favre diving across the goal line for the winning touchdown with only seconds to spare (or maybe it will, who knows) but it will be a good game to watch. It will be even better when none other than Bart Starr hands the Halas Trophy to Bob Harlan and the Lambeau faithful all go ape-friggin’ nuts because their Packers are going back to the Super Bowl.