While form held in the AFC side of the NFL playoff bracket, both the New York
Giants and San Francisco 49ers pulled upsets last week to set up an NFC
Championship Game matchup that few anticipated. San Francisco opened as a
3-point favorite on Bovada’s NFL odds and there will be live betting
available.
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New York (11-7) only got into the playoffs on the
last night of the regular season but has been dominant in beating Atlanta 24-2
on wild-card weekend and then stunning the Super Bowl favorite Packers in Green
Bay last week, 37-10. Giants QB Eli Manning totally outplayed
likely NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, with Manning throwing for 330
yards and three scores. Manning did the most damage with his throws to WR
Hakeem Nicks, who caught seven passes for 165 yards and two
touchdowns, including a Hail Mary score to close the first half that changed
everything. Manning has thrown for 953 yards, nine touchdowns and one
interception in the last three games. Nicks, by the way, is the Bovada favorite
this weekend to have the most receiving yards of any player.
The New
York defense held the NFL’s highest-scoring offense 15 points below its season
average and forced four turnovers. The Packers' longest play through the air was
for a measly 21 yards. The Giants have won four games in a row and are allowing
just 12.5 points in that stretch.
San Francisco (14-3) was a home
underdog against the Saints last week but pulled out a 36-32 shocker on an
Alex Smith to Vernon Davis 14-yard touchdown
pass with 9 seconds remaining. Smith was terrific in his playoff debut, throwing
for 299 yards and three scores while also running for a crucial 28-yard
fourth-quarter score with just over two minutes remaining. Davis was a best with
seven catches for 180 yards and two scores.
The Niners’ defense, ranked
No. 4 overall, No. 1 against the run and No. 2 in scoring during the regular
season, allowed a ton of yards but forced five turnovers. This will be San
Francisco’s first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since January 1998.
The Giants are 3-4 against the 49ers in the playoffs, including their memorable
collapse in a wild card game at San Francisco on Jan. 5, 2003. New York led
38-14 in the third quarter but fell apart and lost 39-38.
This game also
is a rematch of a Week 10 game in San Francisco. The Niners won that one 27-20
as Manning came up short in the fourth quarter for one of the few times this
season. His pass was knocked down on fourth-and-2 in the final seconds at the
49ers’ 10 after driving the Giants down the field. Manning threw for 311 yards
and two scores but also two picks. Smith threw for 242 yards with a TD and a
pick. The Giants outgained the Niners by nearly 100 yards and held the ball
almost 10 minutes longer. San Francisco star RB Frank Gore did
get hurt in the game and watched nearly the entire second half.
The
forecast for the game calls for temperatures in the mid-50s and a good chance of
rain at Candlestick Park. That could make it tough to get traction on a wet,
muddy field that might alter the strategies of the 49ers and Giants. I would
argue this favors the Niners, who have better special teams.
Get all your NFL player props and NFL team props at
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