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BY CONNOR McCANN
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
COMMENTARY
1. Eli Manning leads again
To quote Jim Rome, “You can’t spell Elite without Eli” and that is exactly what he has been. He has thrown for 29 touchdowns this year and averages 8.4 yards per throw but the numbers don’t even show half of it. He has been clutch and a leader this year when leading this team when they need it. In his early years of his career, nobody though Eli would be a leader and he may not be the vocal leader everyone expects out of a quarterback but he is a leader on the field and leads by example. On his career, Eli has led the Giants to 18 fourth quarter comebacks and if the defense gets in trouble on Sunday, we may see another.
2. The Defensive Line
In my opinion this Giants defensive line is the best in the NFL this year. Jason Pierre-Paul has been the epicenter of this. With 16.5 sacks on the season Pierre-Paul has been the surprising anchor of the defensive side of the ball and in only his second year in the league his future is very bright. The 49ers rushing attack is led by Frank Gore and if he is let loose into daylight, he will run all over the Giants. If the line can stay as consistent as it has all year, Alex Smith and the 49ers will be in big trouble and have a long day ahead of them though.
3. The Secondary keeps rolling
My last article was on what Giants secondary everybody would see come last Sunday against the Packers. It turned out that embattled secondary stepped up and played their hearts out. Now some may argue that the Packers wide-outs dropped passes helped the Giants and I won’t argue with that. I will say though, that when Aaron Rodgers would throw the ball down field last Sunday, the receivers were tightly covered. With a resurged Alex Smith at the helm of the 49ers, it may be a tough day for the secondary but I believe they can play well.
4. The Run Game Performs
The 49ers defense is very good facing the run game, so if the ground game can’t get the wheels in motion it’s not going to be a good day. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs did virtually nothing on the ground against the Packers but luckily the passing game carried the team. The Giants can’t have another game on the ground like they had last week if they want to be in contention to go to Indianapolis. Bradshaw has to perform like the usual Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs needs to crunch up yards between the tackles.
5. The Offensive Line
Two words, Patrick Willis. The man is a monster. Period. The Giants’ offensive line needs to contain him in order to have a shot at being able to move the ball effectively. They have played well for the most part in the two playoff games and all Giants fans hope it won’t be any different.
Overall, if the Giants do what they need to do, they should prevail in with the victory and their momentum could carry them too.
My Prediction: Giants: 31 49ers: 28
ALSO BY CONNOR McCANN
Giants secondary needs to rise to occasion to stop Packers
