Instead of just giving you one perspective on the NFL playoff games to be played this season, GuysNation gives you a whole round table discussion!
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers
Rob (@GuysNation): The New York Giants may be on a great run, but they’re not a great team. They barely got into the playoffs. Their rushing game is inconsistent. Their top playmaker Victor Cruz has some great games and then others where he gets minimalized. Their defense can be stout but also has questionable skill in the secondary. The 49ers only lost three times this season – once to a divisional opponent in a close game, once to the Ravens. The 49ers have already beaten the Giants once this season in San Francisco, and on Sunday it’s going to happen again, with the 49ers punching their ticket for the Super Bowl.
XIV (@sirmhayesxiv): Ugh… My soul was crushed. I was like that girl sobbing about her sparkly Packer nail polish (coming to a Tosh.0 Web Redemption near you.). Rodgers was rusty. The receivers were super rusty. The defense… well the defense was what we thought they were. And so this week I’m stuck talking about the Giants… … … sorry just threw up in my mouth a little bit. And the 49ers … … … sorry I just dozed off a little bit. People are giddily reminded of these two teams clashes in the 80s. With Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and Phil Simms and Lawerence Taylor. Only in the 2011 version (don’t correct my year, I KNOW its 2012, but this is the 2011 campaign). – The 2011 version has the Giants with the air attack. The 49ers with the stout defense a running back they can lean on. A quarterback who has enough of a skill set to get the job done. So what wins out here? G-Men’s experience and advantage at the QB position? Or does home field and the best defense left in the playoffs (sorry Baltimore, they’re younger, faster, and statistically better) have what it takes to get it done? People really want either a rematch of the Giants/Pats Superbowl. OR, Harbaugh Bowl II, only this one would be for the Lombardi Trophy. As you’ll see, I’m thinking they get neither. 49ers at home. NYG having to travel cross country. This will be the best secondary Eli has seen in the playoffs, and arguably this season. Niners run defense will neutralize the tandem of Jacobs and Bradshaw, and the awesome pass rush of the 49ers will insure that we see the “Sad Manning Face” when the clock strikes 0’s. Giants:20 49ers:31
Danny Rouhier (@funnydanny from 106.7 The Fan DC): Ugh. I say again: UGH. I’m already sick of the Giants/Pats super bowl rematch stories, replays of David ‘no longer in the NFL’ Tyree’s catch, Michael Strahan comparing the two teams, the stories of the ‘maturation of Eli’ and all the rest. Eli still throws off his back foot and spins away from hits (the INT in the GB game was the perfect example), the real difference? Some great play-making receivers who make him look great. 130 yards and 2 TDs last week were on Hakeem Nicks superman plays. And yes, I realize I’m looking for ways to be critical of Eli and the Giants because I hate them. That leads me to my next point, I think the Giants are going to win this game on Sunday. I think that because I’m not supposed to be happy. If I root against something, best bet is to go to Vegas and put the farm down. The 49ers won last weekend because Alex Smith made some incredible throws like he hasn’t done… well ever in his whole career. Is he really going to do that again against a D that has been nasty for 4 straight weeks? I just watched them shove it on the best offense in the world on the road. They were a brutal official’s call of a Greg Jennings fumble away from giving up 13 points to the Pack. That’s on the heals of a shutout of ATL. I’m already pissed about this one. We were robbed of an entertaining GB/NO game by these 2 teams and we’re going to be subjected to 2 full weeks of Giants/Pats II.
Adam Green (@theAdamGreen from ArizonaSports.com): Every time I think about this game I want to pick the Giants. The 49ers just aren’t that good. They can’t be. Then I remember they won 13 games this year, went 7-1 at home and had Alex Smith outduel Drew Brees. The 49ers are good – really good. Sure, the Giants are hot, and I’d probably pick them if the game was back east. But it’s not. The 49ers just don’t lose at Candlestick (is it still called that?), and are not as bipolar as their opponent. The Niners have a strong defense, one that will actually get after Eli Manning, and will force at least two turnovers. By the time the game is over the Niners will have won 24-21, and everyone will be asking themselves “how did the 49ers win that game?”
Wallace (@bwall87): The Giants going across the country to play a game against a very stout defense is going to be difficult for them. The Giants are going to need to pound the ball with their RB’s and hope Eli doesn’t meltdown like he has done in some games this year. I see the 49ers defense making some big plays and giving Alex Smith short fields to work with where he will be able to run a lot of short passing plays and let his WR’s or Frank Gore make the plays after they catch the ball. I see Frank Gore getting 25+ touches this game and him helping the 49ers control the game. I’m going with the 49ers winning this game.
Mike Frandsen (Examiner.com Profile): Eli Manning is on a roll, his receiving corps is among the best in the league, and the Giants have won four in a row. But their run ends here. The Giants have become media darlings because they’re from New York, but let’s not forget that this team finished 9-7 during the regular season. The inconsistent Giants are due for a loss. San Francisco has an edge at tight end, where Vernon Davis should be able to get past the Giants’ linebackers and secondary. Another major factor will be the home field advantage for San Francisco. It’s tough for any east coast team to play on the west coast because of the time difference. The 49ers should be able to keep the Giants’ offense in check as long as they control the time of possession with Frank Gore. Former Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers knows Manning well, and defensive end Justin Smith and linebacker Patrick Willis round out one of the NFL’s best defenses. San Francisco 27, New York 24.
Another IWC Jerk (@AnotherIWCJerk): This game is probably the hardest for me to try to pick. On one end, you have the best defense in the NFL in the 49ers, and on the other end, you have the Giants riding on a tidal wave of momentum. It’s that momentum which may be the deciding factor in this game. Sure, Eli Manning isn’t the greatest QB out there, but he’s a better QB than Alex Smith, and he’s having a career year. The Giants’ D is the Giants’ D, meaning they’re just as stingy as the Niners.
Another factor I see you guys using is the “Giants playing on the road.” Yes, they already lost in San Francisco, but they also lost at home to the Packers, and look how that affected them last week in Lambeau. The 49ers had a great season. I’m happy to see them back to their winning ways, and I hope it continues, but the Giants are the proverbial Team of Destiny, and I won’t pick against that. It won’t be a high-scoring game, but the Giants will come out on top and head back to the Super Bowl. Official pick: New York Giants
Mark C: It is so difficult to pick between two teams that you just don’t like. I have to agree with what Rob said right off the bat about the Giants. They are just not that good of a team at 9-8 for the season, just barely making it into the playoffs. I am still shocked that Green Bay is sitting at home for this game. I think Giants will run out of gas and San Francisco will beat them down. I am also hoping for both Harbaugh brothers to coach in the Superbowl. That would be a unique opportunity for two brothers to be having an arguement in their 80s so that one can yell back, “yeah, but I beat you in the Superbowl.” Official pick: 49ers!
JMB: The Niners really impressed me last week with how they were able to initially disrupt Drew Brees and Co., and were continually able to stuff the run and put pressure on Brees throughout the game, even when the Saints managed to score. I think that bodes well for them to keep the game close and give them a great shot against the Giants. However, the Giants will be able to score on San Fran, just like the Saints – the difference being in this game I don’t see Vernon Davis being able to take over and make the Giants look foolish. The Giants will again get pressure with the front four, keep the run game in check, and put all the pressure on the 49ers to pass. Alex Smith has improved, but I just don’t like the SF WR’s to get free and make plays as the coverage works to keep Davis in check. Call me crazy, but I like the Giants here in a close one 27-21.
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So the Round Table has spoken, what say you?
