So, Here We Go!  The first playoff game in New Giants Stadium takes place this Sunday at 1:00 when the Atlanta Falcons face the New York Giants.  The Giants are healthy and on a roll.  They have ended the Eagles, Cowboys and Jets seasons in the past three weeks, and now look to put together a run in the playoffs.  Let’s take a look at some of the match-ups that will be key on Sunday.

Jacquian Williams and Michael Boley vs. Tony Gonzalez.  It’s going to take both of them and more to keep Tony Gonzalez under control.  Not getting beat deep, or for big plays will be a win for the Giants.  Controlling Tony is all you can ask for.  He is a big target for the Falcons in the red zone.

The Giants D-Line vs the Falcons running game.  The Giants have done better recently against the run.  Getting some negative plays to keep the Falcons off schedule will be another key to this game.  Forcing them into a few third and longs will allow them to rush Matt Ryan and put pressure on the young QB.  Keeping the running game under control on 1st and 2nd down will go a long way towards a good day for the defense.

The Giants receivers vs the Falcons secondary.  With Jake Ballard back, the Giants have plenty of weapons for Eli to utilize.  Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham, D.J. Ware, and others will force the porous Atlanta secondary to make tackles and cover for a long time.  The Falcon defensive line cannot rush Eli with any effectiveness, so they will need help from the linebackers and secondary.  When you blitz Eli, usually you pay the price.  Look for the Giants to get physical with the corners, one who is listed as questionable for the game, and the other who is very young.

The Falcons receivers vs. the Giants secondary:  Really this is not the match-up that will determine the outcome.  The D-line needs to get pressure on Matt Ryan, so the secondary won’t be exposed.  They can easily cover the short passes, and keep the plays in front of them.  Given time though, Matt Ryan will take some shots down field to the very talented Julio Jones and others.

I fully expect the Giants to play well in this game and keep their positive energy moving forward.

We here at Fansided.com are lucky enough to have access to bloggers and fans from all 32 teams.  Jamie Kelly from BloggingDirty.com joined us this week for a little Q and A.

1. It’s been a roller coaster season for the Giants, having some highs with wins over the Cowboys amongst others and some lows with losses such as Washington at home a few weeks ago. How good are the Giants? Do they have a shot in the playoffs?

The Giants are as good as their health will allow them to be.  The Giants, like all teams have had injuries, but the timing of those injuries has been the key.  They lost their starting cornerback Terrell Thomas in the last pre-season game. They lost their starting middle linebacker three days before the opener in Washington.  They lost Osi, Ahmad Bradshaw, Michael Boley, and 5 players in the secondary, including their #1 pick, at different times.  They have played without Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, TE Jake Ballard, starting center David Baas, and All Pro Guard Chris Snee during the season.  This is the first time everyone who is not on IR is back and playing their positions.  A healthy Giants team poses many problems to the opposition.  The Giants are fianlly as healthy as they can be.

In the Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Conan the Barbarian,” the question is asked “What is best in life?” Someone answers “Falconry,” while Conan says it’s to crush your enemies and hear the lamentations of their women. With that in mind, the Atlanta Falcons come to MetLife Stadium to do battle with the Giants. Sorry for the cornball intro. I just couldn’t resist.

Where do we stand right now? First, the venue. The Falcons are a dome team, and the game will be played outside. The original forecast was dicey, but the new forecast calls for temps in the low 40′s with sunshine. There aren’t many less hospitable places to play than New Jersey in January, but weather conditions, at least right now, don’t look like they will be a factor. The fact that the game is outside may cut down on Atlanta’s speed factor. It’s also worth noting that Atlanta played poorly in losses to the Bears in week 1 and to Tampa in week 3. Both games were played outdoors.

The next factor is the Giants’ D against Atlanta’s O. Justin Tuck called the Falcons’ linemen “dirtbags,” based on the fact that they use cut blocking in their schemes. While this is not a favorite technique for defensive linemen to deal with, the Falcons’ o-line hasn’t been haevily penalized. If the Giants defense wants to turn its three headed monster of Tuck, Osi, and JPP loose, they must stop Atlanta’s rushing attack.Michael Turner is a bull, and has actually outgained Bradshaw and Jacobs combined. Jacquizz Rodgers is not as effective, but can spell Turner. If there is an advantage, it’s that the Giants’ backs haven’t lost a fumble this year, while the Falcons’ starters have lost three. The Giants will need to contain the Falcons on first down for the DE’s ro be effective.

When the Giants have run for more than 100 yards in a game this year they are 7-1. The Giants rushing attack this year has been subpar. Typically, this was a Giants’ strength, but this year it has been their weakness. Both Bradshaw and Jacobs have rushed for about 650 yards this year. In order for the Giants to have a better than average chance at winning, they have to run the ball effectively. They don’t need to dominate, just run well enough to keep Atlanta off balance.

When Atlanta passes the ball, Julio Jones is now healthy and is the preferred target for Matt Ryan. Their tight end, Tony Gonzalez, is an all-world talent and a beast to bring down. Ryan doesn’t get sacked very often, which means that the Giants will have their work cut out for them. For the Giants, it looks as if Jake Ballard will be able to play, although Bear Pascoe filled in nicely, and Henry Hynoski also proved to be an effective weapon. Cruz and Nicks have been discussed ad nauseum, and Manningham should be back as well. If Manning can stay upright and get uncranked, he will have a big day.

Lastly, Matt Ryan is suffering from the same issue that Eli Manning was tagged with early in his career: he can’t win a playoff game. The Falcons’ head coach has them playing with grit and poise, and they are a dangerous team. The word is that if the Giants can get to Ryan early they can shake him. Some of Ryan’s former BC teammates who are now with the Giants (Snee, Kiawanuka) will attest to Ryan’s presence. Just the same, he has failed in his two previous playoff games. Actually, Eli Manning came up short in his first couple of tries as well, and faltered against the Eagles in 2008. This is his first trip back to the dance since then, so we’ll see if he has a case of the jitters.

Winding things up, it’s likely to be a high scoring affaisr. The weather won’t likely be a factor, but Atlanta doesn’t play well outside. The Giants need to win the turnover battle, rattle “Matty Ice,” and have a decent running game. The G-Men have been in playoff mode for the past two weeks, so they are likely primed to go again. Giants, 31-27. (more…)