The NFL playoffs has come down to just four teams this weekend with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens battling it out for a chance to be Super Bowl bound. Perhaps the most intriguing of the two championship games this weekend will happen in the Bay Area with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the New York Giants. This will be a battle fought on the defensive side of the football as both teams will struggle to score against two of the best defenses in the NFL.
After a thrilling late-game victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional round, the San Francisco 49ers are flying high right now with enough confidence on both sides of the football to lead this team into the Super Bowl. Despite the fact that the 49ers are firing on all cylinders coming into the NFC Championship game, they will have their work cut out for them against a Giants squad that has been unbeatable over the past month.
Eli Manning
Not only has the Giants’ defense started to play up to the potential of the talent on that side of the football, but one-time Super Bowl champion and perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Eli Manning is playing perhaps the best football of his NFL career. There have been a lot of questions surrounding Manning’s ability to an elite quarterback in this league, but this season and during the playoffs he has really turned some heads around the NFL with impressive play under center for New York.
In Week 10 of the NFL regular season, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the New York Giants in one of the toughest games of the year for Jim Harbaugh and company. The game was as advertised as the two NFC heavyweights battling it out and as a result the game went down to the wire with the 49ers stopping the Giants on a last-minute 4th down play. The 49ers came out on top 27-20 with kicker David Akers hitting four field goals and quarterback Alex Smith finishing with 242 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
One thing to note about the 49ers’ win over the Giants in Week 10 is that they were able to get the best of New York without Pro Bowl caliber running back Frank Gore who went down with a knee injury after just six carries. With that being said, San Francisco wasn’t even at full strength offensively against New York and was still able to get the win.
In the NFC Championship game this Sunday, the New York Giants will have to travel back to Candlestick Park in the Bay Area and get the win to advance to the Super Bowl. The Giants might be a better team in comparison to Week 10, especially on defense, but I don’t believe they will top the 49ers at home.
As of right now, the San Francisco 49ers has the edge with a -3 point spread. That is right on the money in my opinion.
Take the 49ers at -3.
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