Sorts of Sports

NFL Playoff Preview: NFC Divisional

This weekend's NFC side of the divisional round will feature the best two games of the playoffs so far. One game will feature a rematch between the New York Giants and the 15-1 Green Back Packers. The two teams faced off in December in the Meadowlands and it was a pretty close game. It was the first time all season we saw the Packers trail in the 4th quarter and the first time Aaron Rodgers led his team from behind to a game winning field goal. The second game features what will likely be the best game of the weekend in my opinion. It will be he red-hot top ranked offense of Drew Brees and the Saints against the red-hot, top ranked defense of Patrick Willis and the 49ers. Something will have to give.

#3 New Orleans Saints at #2 San Francisco 49ers

It's been an incredible year for the 49ers. New head coach Jim Harbaugh has changed the culture of a franchise that has been a loser for the last decade. He instilled enough confidence in Alex Smith to get him to finally play well. It took 7 seasons, but the 49ers are finally seeing things pay off for picking Smith #1 overall in 2005. Harbaugh also turned the defense into the number one ranked unit in the league. They allowed only one rushing touchdown all season long. That is unheard of in today's NFL. The talent was always their in San Fran, but no one could seem to put it all together. Jim Harbaugh has finally done it and turned the Niners into a viable contender.

Although the Niners went 13-3 and received a first round bye, they now come face to face with the hottest team in the NFL; the New Orleans Saints. The Saints finished the season on an 8 game win streak and are coming off an explosively offensive win against Detroit last weekend. Drew Brees passed for the most yards ever in a non-OT playoff game. Add that to his list of accolades. The Saints are a different team away from the Super Dome in New Orleans. They play differently outdoors and on grass.

What the Niners need to do to win: The Niners need to stick to their formulas for success that they've used all season long. They will need to establish the run early and often with Frank Gore. Long drives and running the clock will be key in this game because it will keep Drew Brees and his offense on the sidelines. A successful running game will allow Alex Smith to flourish in the play-action and short pass department. All of these things will be used to set up the few big play shots the Niners take in the course of a game. If the Niners can turn their red zone visits into touchdowns instead of field goals, then they will be able to keep the Saints within strike distance and have a shot at winning this game.

Defensively, the team will have to have its best game of the season. The Saints are loaded with weapons on offense. I expect the Niners to be physical with tight end Jimmy Graham at the line of scrimmage and a spy to be placed on Darren Sproles to contain his big-play abilities. The Niners front 7 has been dominant all season long in stopping the run and creating a pass-rush that has allowed rookie Aldon Smith to have multiple sacks. Defensive end Justin Smith has also had a great year. The Niners can stop the run and effectively prevent the deep ball, so they have to be weary of Brees and the short passing game. The Saints are great downfield passing team, but Brees can dink and dunk his way to the end zone as well.

What the Saints need to do to win: Offensively it's pretty simple here. The Saints offense is good at wearing down defenses and eventually causing them to break. They will face their toughest challenge this weekend, so it will be an interesting matchup. The Lions proved last week what happens when you can get to Brees and disrupt him...at least for one half of football. If Brees has enough time and protection he will dissect the Niners defense as only he can.

Defensively, the Saints have not been good during the season. They allow big chunks of yardage. They will need to find ways to pressure Alex Smith into throwing turnovers. The way to do that is to stop Frank Gore and the San Fran run game. Gregg Williams is known for his blitz schemes, so I expect him to come after Smith.

This will be a fun game to watch and one that I have a lot of interest in being a 49ers fan. In the interest of fairness I will not make a pick for this game, but you can guarantee I will be rooting for my 49ers until the final whistle.

#4 New York Giants at #1 Green Bay Packers

In what should be the 2nd most exciting game of the weekend, the Giants head into the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to take on the top seeded Packers. These two team faced off in a tight game earlier in the season in which the Giants almost pulled off the win.

In my opinion this New York Giants team has a magical feel to it, much like the 2007 team did. In '07 the Giants were road warriors and snuck up on the Bucs, Cowboys, and the Packers en route to defeating the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl 42. This time the Giants managed to win their division and actually won a home playoff game. They are entering this game with the same (if not more) momentum that they entered the NFC title game back in '07. The defense is playing great and Eli Manning is finally turning into the elite QB most people thought he'd never become.

The problem is they are running into quite arguably the best QB in the league in Aaron Rodgers. That doesn't seem to phase the Giants defense, especially Jason Pierre-Paul who guaranteed a win on Sunday. If the Giants can somehow manage to rough up Rodgers and get him rattled, then they have a great chance to win this game.

Look for the Packers to utilize the quick, short passing game. I expect Rodgers to have a lot of 3 step drops and get the ball out quick. This will be the best way to neutralize that nasty Giants pass rush. Once Rodgers gets them on their heels, you will see more balance in the run game and more shots down the field.

The Giants will be coming hard at the Packers' injury-riddled offensive line and will be looking to get some hits on Mr. Discount Double Check.

On offense, the Giants will look to pound the ball with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Statistically, the Packers had the worst defense in yards allowed all season long. I expect Eli to take advantage of this with his big-play threat receivers Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and of course Victor Cruz. I don't think any team left in the playoffs has a deadlier 3 receiver combo than the New York Giants do. The Packers will have to force turnovers in this game if they don't want it to get out of hand.

I can see another shootout in the works here. The kicking game may turn out to be the determining factor in this game. We all know how cold it gets in Green Bay. I hate to say it, but there's just something about this Giants team that I like. I smell upset.

Pick: New York Football Giants