Phillips was listed as doubtful going into the game, he saw limited action last Monday night against the Washington Redskins.  In the Giants win over Green Bay on November 25th, Phillips aggravated an MCL injury that kept him out for most of the seasons’s first half. He’s been laboring since then.

Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network reported that head coach Tom Coughlin said that Phillips and Pierre-Paul will be ready to play tonight. Phillips had come into today listed as “Doubtful” after hurting his knee last week in the Giants win over Green Bay. Pierre-Paul missed two days of practice last week because of  back problems, however was listed as questionable for tonight’s game. The Giants felt more confident about his chances of playing than they were about Phillips.

Here is the full Injury / Inactive List for the Giants tonight …

QUESTIONABLE: RT David Diehl (shoulder)

PROBABLE: C David Baas (shoulder), RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), CB Jayron Hosley (shoulder), S Antrel Rolle (illness), DE Justin Tuck (foot.).

INACTIVES: LB Jacquian Williams (knee), TE Travis Beckum (knee), RB Ryan Torain, DE Adewale Ojomo, TE Adrien Robinson, DT Marvin Austin and WR Domenik Hixon (ankle).

Here are some key points to look at for today’s game against the Bengals:

ELI MANNING AND THE PASSING ATTACK

It’s offical, Eli Manning is in a slump. The last 3 weeks have not been kind to Manning and the numbers clearly indicate that. The Giants are going to need to tinker with their passing game because opposing teams are finally beginning to take away Manning’s favorite target, Victor Cruz. Hakeem Nicks has not been 100 percent healthy this season and that has also clearly effected how the Giants gameplan with their wide receivers. Rueben Randle has not played up to expectations as of yet and it might be a good time for the Giants to get Ramses Barden more involved. Adjustments will be key.

STOPPING THE RUN

Opposing games are running the ball on the Giants and doing it well this season. What makes it all the more alarming is that the running backs who are causing the damage are not exactly household names. Albret Brooks? Isaac Redman? Head coach Tom Coughlin went as far as to call his defense soft right now and it would be hard to argue against that.  The Bengals have not been known for their running attack this season and the Giants must make sure that stays the same this week.

OUTLOOK

This game is big for the Giants. They are heading into a bye week with the Green Bay Packers standing on the other side waiting for them when they return. The Bengals are also looking to right their ship before it’s too late. They come into this week struggling and on the ropes, a loss today could take them out of the playoff picture. The NFC east division currently is being handed to them with the Cowboys and Eagles both struggling to stay afloat. A win today gives the Giants more breathing room and puts them in prime position to secure the division title.

INACTIVE

Keith Rivers, Adrien Robinson, Kenny Phillips, Jacquian Williams, Jerrel Jernigan, Marvin Austin, Adewale Ojomo

Rivers was hoping to be ready for today’s game against his former team, however he is still being hindered by a calf injury.

NOTABLES

Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), Hakeem Nicks (knee) , and Chris Snee (ankle) are all listed as active and expected to play today. The Giants passing attack can really use a productive Nicks who hasn’t looked fully recovered from his injury problems from earlier in the season.

Chase Blackburn (hamstring) is listed as Probable for today and the Giants missed his presence on defense at the linebacker position last week against the Steelers. Keep an eye on Andre Brown (shoulder) and Chris Canty (groin) who are also both listed Probable.

LB Keith Rivers, DE Adewale Ojomo, TE Adrien Robinson, TE Bear Pascoe, LB Chase Blackburn, LB Jacquian Williams.

The Steelers are going to be without a big chunk of their running game today, running backs Rashard Mendenhall (Achillies) and Johnathan Dwyer (quadriceps) are both inactive.

The Giants head into this week’s action on a roll with a 4-game winning streak and a win today could give them a controlling grip on first place in the NFC east division. This will be a good test for the Giants who have not played as well at home this season as they have on the road. It won’t be easy because the Steelers also come into this week playing solid football and are looking to run their win streak to 3 games.

Check back here at GMen HQ as I’ll have gameday blogs at halftime and after the game providing analysis and updates.

S Kenny Phillips (knee),  LB Jacquian Williams (knee), DT Rocky Bernard (quad), WR Jerrel Jernigan, DE Adewale Ojomo, T James Brewer, TE Adrien Robinson.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw is listed as ACTIVE and will play today. DT Chris Canty is also ACTIVE and expected to see some playing time, however Markus Kuhn will be starting in Rocky Bernard’s place at DT.

One notable for the Redskins … WR Pierre Garcon is inactive today.

New York Giants

OUT:

DT Rocky Bernard, RB Andre Brown, S, Kenny Phillips, WR Jerrel Jernigan, DE Adewale Ojomo, OT James Brewer, TE Adrien Robinson

Wide Receiver Hakeem Nicks will start today. He’ll replace Domenik Hixon in the lineup. Stevie Brown will be starting at saftey in place of Kenny Phillps. David Diehl is also back from injury and available to play today. However Sean Locklear will remain as the starting RT with Diehl being used as an extra blocker.

San Francisco 49ers

OUT:

QB Scott Tolzien, WR A.J. Jenkins, RB LaMichael James, S Trenton Robinson, RB Brandon Jacobs, G Joc Looney, DT Ian Williams

Last year, both the Giants and 49ers were teams of extremes. The Giants had a terrible run game, but a high-flying pass offense that led them to multiple come-from-behind victories. Their defense had the best pass-rush in the game, but was very weak behind it. The 49ers, on the other hand, were a conservative pass offense with an excellent run game and arguably the best overall defense in the NFL. A season later, The G-men have become more balanced, while the 49ers have stuck to the blueprint of defense and ball control.

The Giants again have a high-flying pass offense, averaging the third most yards through the air of any team in the NFL. But this year, that passing attacked is flanked by a serviceable, if not dominant, rushing attack. Through week 5, the Giants have averaged 120.2 yards per game on the ground, good for 12th in the league, and have already matched the number of 100-yard rushing games they had all of last year (2). Most importantly, the Giants have turned these yards into points, outscoring every team other than the New England Patriots.

On defense, the Giants have had similar results, but achieved them in a very different way. A season ago, the Giants compiled 48 sacks, behind only Minnesota and Philadelphia for the league lead. This year, they have only 8, placing them 24th in the NFL and prompting the defensive line to express frustration at their own lack of production. Despite so few sacks, however, the overall performance of the defense hasn’t been that different from that of the Giants’ Super Bowl team in 2011. If anything, this year’s version has been slightly improved, as they’ve allowed fewer yards (376 v. 372) and fewer points (25 v. 22) per game.

The 49ers, on the other hand, have stuck to their blueprint from a year ago that saw them improve by 7 wins over 2010. Last year’s team was led by its defense, which allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game and the second-fewest points of any team. This year’s ranks? Second in yards, and first in points. On offense, the additions of Mario Manningham and Randy Moss were intended to bring the 49ers passing offense into the 21st century, but those two moves have accounted for a measly 12 yard improvement in passing yards per game. Where their offense has improved is in the running game, where what was already a solid attack in 2011 (127 yards/game, 8th in the league) has become the best in the NFL (196 yards/game, 1st in the league).

These are two very different, yet incredibly well-matched teams, with the Giants’ strength on offense nearly equaled by the Niners success on defense and vice versa. The most notable difference between this match up and the NFC championship game will likely be the weather, with sloppy and cold conditions replaced by sun and 70 degrees. Though I doubt the game will follow the same dramatic narrative of last January, one thing should stay the same: this is gonna be a good one.

Here is the updated inactive list for the Giants injury report:

OUT: Amukamara (ankle), LB Keith Rivers (hamstring), RB Da’Rel Scott (knee), DE Adewale Ojomo (hamstring). WR Jerrel Jernigan, T James Brewer, and TE Adrien Robinson.

Rookie Jayron Hosley will get the start in place of Amukamara. Michael Coe started in week 1 against Dallas, however he is hampered by a hamstring injury that will limit his play. Intriguing indeed.

DT Marvin Austin will make his NFL debut today. Austin has not played since the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl for North Carolina.

Here’s what to look for in today’s game: (more…)

This fall, the 5-person Tailgate32 crew, led by Mike and John Trupiano, will criss-cross the country in an RV, hosting a public tailgate at a home game for every NFL team. Sounds crazy, right? It is, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s these guys. The project aims to capture the essence of American tailgating and football fandom in every city they visit. And, get this, you can track their adventure. Following each game, the Tailgate32 crew will release a fast-paced 6-minute episode online, documentary style. Feel free to live vicariously through Mike and John.

In the meantime, head to their website and watch the preseason trailer that was just released for an idea of what to expect. It’s looking good!

New York is the first stop of the tour and the chance for Giants fans to show Tailgate32 what football fandom is all about. Come out to the game, wear your Giants blue and find them in parking lot. Join the conversation and tell them what foods to grill, beers to drink and tailgate crews to seek out on their website (http://tailgate32.com), facebook (http://facebook.com/tailgate32) or twitter (http://twitter.com/tailgate_32).

Game Time: 1:03 pm EST

Location: MetLife Stadium (GIANTS Stadium), East Rutherford, NJ

TV: Fox National Telecasts (ALL FOX Affiliates)

Announcers:  Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Pam Oliver

Radio: WFAN 660-AM (NY, NJ, PA, CT, MA), and 790 The Zone (GA, FL, MI, SC).

Game Time Weather: Is it really January?

Kick Off: 46* Winds 9-11 mph from WNW

Half-Time: 45* Winds 9-10 mph from WSW

4th Quarter: 44* Winds from 5-7 mph from WNW

Current Line: Giants by 3 with Over/Under at 47.5

Dallas Cowboys (8-6) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (6-8): 4:15pm EST. This is a hard game to decide but very simply, we want the Cowboys to win this game. However, it shouldn’t matter. When the GIANTS win their last two games of the season they will clinch the NFC East.

Of importance, the GIANTS cannot make the playoffs by winning a wild-card spot.

The Dallas Cowboys won last night. With that win, they are half of a game ahead of the GIANTS for the lead in the NFC East. Atlanta won on Thursday night. They are in solid position for the fifth play-off spot and one and half games ahead of the GIANTS. The following games impact WILD CARD play-off chances only for the GIANTS. The Giants loose tie breakers to the Bears, Lions, and Falcons.

Seattle at Chicago (1pm start).  Bears lead 14-7. The Bears are ahead of the GIANTS by one game, but neither team is in the play-offs if the Wild Card round started today. We want Seattle to win this game.

Detroit at Oakland (4pm start). Very simple, we need Oakland to win. The lions are currently the sixth and final play-off seed and are one game ahead of the GIANTS.

However, NONE of this matters if the GIANTS win today. A win today and we are the leaders of the NFC East going into next Saturday’s game against that “other” NY team.

Here is a quick look at the games that mean the most to the GIANTS this weekend (these games will be updated at halftime and conclusion):

Atlanta Falcons (8-5) at Carolina Panthers (4-9); The Atlanta Falcons won. The Atlanta Falcons currently are projected as the 6th and final seed in the NFC Play-Offs. They are a tie breaker behind the Bears and a tie breaker ahead of the Lions. They are one game ahead of the GIANTS.We want the Panthers to win this game.

Minnesota Vikings (2-11) at Detroit Lions (8-5); The Lions Won (huge missed face mask call at the end of the game). The Lions are currently a tie breaker behind the Bears and Lions. They are one game ahead of the GIANTS. We want the Vikings to win this game.

Chicago Bears (7-6) at Denver Broncos (8-5); Tim Tebow did it again. He did it again. Broncos won 13-10. The Chicago Bears currently are projected as the 5th seed in the NFC Play-offs. They are a tie breaker ahead of the Falcons and Lions and one game ahead of the GIANTS. We want the Broncos to win this game.

San Francisco 49ers (10-3) at Arizona Cardinals (6-7); The Cardinals won 27-19. The Cardinals are currently two games out of the final Play-Off spot and one game behind the GIANTS. We want the 49ers to win this game.  A loss by the Cardinals all but eliminates them from the Play-Offs.

St. Louis (2-10) at Seattle Seahwaks (5-7); 8:33 Monday Night. The Seahawks are currently two games out of the final Play-Off spot and one game behind the GIANTS. We want the Rams to win this game.  A loss by the Seahawks all but eliminates them from the Play-Offs.

Game Time: 4:15pm EST3:15 CST

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

TV: America’s Game of the Week on FOX. WNYW FOX 5 (NY, NJ, PA, CT), WTIC-TV FOX 61 (CT, RI, MA) and WLUK-TV 11 (WI)

Announcers:  Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Pam Oliver

Radio: WFAN 660-AM (NY, NJ, PA, CT, MA) and  WTMJ AM620 (WI and MI).

Game Time Weather: Kick Off: 54* Winds 7-10 mph from SE

Half-Time: 51* Winds 7-10 mph from SE

4th Quarter: 49* Winds from 5-7 mph from SW

Current Line: Packers by 7 with Over/Under at 54 points