NFC Wildcard Preview: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers; Winner Plays Dallas Cowboys

WISCONSIN — The Dallas Cowboys await.

Sunday afternoon's NFC Wild Card game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants may be the marquee matchup of the opening weekend of the NFL Playoffs. And the winner gets the Dallas Cowboys on the road the following week.

Everyone knows what Eli Manning and the Giants can do when they get hot in the postseason (look away, New England.) Speaking of hot, MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers and the Packers reeled off six straight wins to capture the NFC North and officially become the Team Nobody Wants to Face.

Game Info:

NY Giants (11-5) at Green Bay (10-6), 3:40 CDT,
Odds: Green Bay -4; Over/Under 44.5

The Packers beat the Giants 23-16 in Week 5, but these two teams are vastly different compared compared with their early-season versions.

The Packers
The Packers have a retooled running game that features former wideout Ty Montgomery and FB Aaron Ripkowski. Gone are RBs James Starks and Eddie Lacy. Their passing offense has gained traction after early-season struggles. WRs Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams have stepped forward. Newcomer Geronimo Allison is a new trusted target and TE Jared Cook is running roughshod through defensive secondaries.

The defensive secondary will need to rebound after sustaining several injuries in the season-finale versus Detroit. By the time that game was complete, Safety Morgan Burnett and Micah Hyde were covering wide receivers after decimating injuries to the team's CB position.

The Giants
According to the USA Today, the Giants are allowing only 17.8 points per game. And after a slow start, the pass rush has been ferocious, generating eight sacks in the last four games. The USA Today says the Giants defense may be Rodgers' toughest task yet.
“Aaron is playing out of his mind right now. He’s on fire, taking care of the ball, and is moving very well...” said McAdoo in a conference call on Monday reported in the USA Today's Giantswire. “I don’t have any kryptonite.

McAdoo was Rodgers quarterbacks coach in 2012-13 and knows the veteran signal-caller well.
The Giants have one of the league's best secondaries. Safety Landon Collins is in the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Janoris Jenkins had an all-pro season in 2016, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has four interceptions in the last three weeks.

>>> image via patch.com