The NY Giants improbable run towards the Super Bowl comes to San Francisco on January 22, 2011. The Giants enter this game on a 4 game winning streak with dominating wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers in their 2 playoff games. The Giants also come in at 4-0 in NFC Championship games, with one of those victories coming over the 49ers.
The 49ers are riding Alex Smith's best season into this game but rely more heavily on their defense to get them in a position where whatever Smith comes up with with be good enough for a win. The Giants, on the other hand, have a balanced approach with a dominating defense that has laid absolute waste to their recent opponents and their Eli Manning-led offense that has surged throughout the playoffs.
The 49ers picked up the win against the Giants earlier this season, 27-20, in a game that was within the Giants' reach but came down to turnovers costing them the game. That loss was also during a rough stretch for the team in which questions about next season, not this season's playoffs, were popular. Since that time, starting with a close loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Giants have been running roughshod across their opponents, giving fans a 2007-like feeling: A close loss to an undefeated team followed up with sheer dominance on the way to the Super Bowl.
Weather in San Francisco suggests that field conditions may be sloppy, which only helps the Giants. The Giants, to many fans, are like The A-Team: They specialize in the ridiculous, thrive in it. The Giants are a team that can dominate on the road, in adverse conditions, and not even bat an eye in the locker room. Between the defense that has been laying absolute waste to opposing quarterbacks and an offense that has seen Hakeem Nicks break out in the playoffs after Victor Cruz broke out in the regular season, this A-Team is going all in on Sunday.
It won't be easy, as San Francisco isn't here for no reason. But the experience of the Giants, particularly Eli Manning, when compared to Alex Smith and the 49ers in this position should make the difference. The Giants lost 27-20 to the 49ers in the regular season. This is the playoffs, a time when the Giants turn the tables. This time, they'll turn them completely around and pick up the win, 27-20.
Prediction: NY Giants 27, San Francisco 49ers 20
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