NFL: Giants and 49ers Battle in NFC Championship Game

It’s a battle of East meeting West as the NFC East champion Giants travel to the Bay to take on the NFC West champion 49ers. Al Dannity breaks down the key battles in this contest to decide the NFC’s representative in Super Bowl XLVI.

Eli gets ready for face full of Justin
The MVP of the first two weeks of the playoffs has unquestionably been Eli Manning. The Giants quarterback has been in championship form in the post-season. Unfortunately for the younger Manning, his excellent displays have come in games where he had little to no protection. Every one of the Giants five starting linemen against the Packers gave up at least two pressures each. The 49ers defense makes Green Bay’s unit look like a JV squad. Look for Justin Smith to lead an aggressive approach from San Francisco all day on Sunday.

Can 49ers establish the run?
It would be remiss to discuss dominant defensive fronts without giving due attention to the Giants. They bring the pain like nobody’s business and will look to feast on Alex Smith. In order for Smith to stay effective, the 49ers must do a better job establishing the running game. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter must make their presence felt early to keep the air game relevant. Vernon Davis won’t have the same space he enjoyed against the Saints. That means the 49ers must mix up the offense enough to give Smith options. The former #1 pick took a long time to make it by the Bay but he delivered with some serious guts last week. To do it a second time, he must get help from those around him.

The verdict
David Diehl and Kevin Boothe’s struggles for the Giants against Green Bay should worry NFL betting fans. For the most part these Giants look like the same team that hit perfection at the right time en route to ending the Patriots perfect season in their last Super Bowl appearance. The offensive line however is a notable exception. Brilliant as Eli has been, few teams can consistently maintain that imbalance in performance between a signal caller and his offensive line. This promises to be a low-scoring game dominated by defense, although probably less than Baltimore’s win over Houston. Home advantage is going to pay off for Alex Smith. I like the San Francisco 49ers to book their place in Super Bowl XLVI.

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