At a glance Eli Manning is destined for a short postseason.
The New York Giants quarterback leads a 9-7 team that barely claimed the fourth seed by winning the National Football Conference East. On Sunday, 9 January, at 1pm on Fox Manning hosts the fifth seed Atlanta Falcons who were second in the NFC South at 10-6.
Eli has a propensity to show up in big moments. In the NFC East clincher against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, he threw for over 330 yards with no interceptions. This season many of 4,933 passing yards and 29 touchdowns came in the fourth quarter of games.
Manning also has a good amount of weapons. His receiving core features new sensation Victor Cruz (1,536 yards, nine TDs) and Hakeem Nicks (1,192 yards, seven TDs). Eli also has a pair of formidable backs in Ahmad Bradshaw (659 yards, nine TDs) and Brandon Jacobs (571 yards, seven TDs).
Eli has the ability to keep pace with Falcons QB Matt Ryan (4,177 yards, 29 TDs). Atlanta has a well-rounded attack starring wide-outs Roddy White (1,296 yards, eight TDs) and Julio Jones (959 yards, eight TDs) plus running back Michael Turner (1,340 yards, 11 TDs).
For all of that offence, the game figures to hinge on defence and which pass rush is most effective. The numbers and Atlanta’s recent form may favour John Abraham (team-high 9.5 sacks) and Curtis Lofton (team-high 147 tackles). But look for Jason Pierre-Paul (16.5 sacks) and Osi Umenyiora (nine sacks) to guide New York to a narrow victory.
The other NFC wildcard match-up sees the New Orleans Saints hosting the Detroit Lions on Saturday, 7 January, at 8pm on NBC. New Orleans won the NFC South and earned the third seed with a 13-3 record. Detroit finished second in the NFC North at 10-6 and nabbed the sixth seed.
New Orleans have one of the league’s best QBs. Drew Brees had arguably the greatest season in pro football history, setting new records with 5,476 yards, 468 completions off 657 attempts, a 71.2 completion percentage and he amassed 46 touchdowns (fourth-most in league history).
Brees had a number of weapons around him in Jimmy Graham (11 TDs), whose 1,310 yards are second-most all-time in a season for tight-ends, wide-out Marques Colston (1,143 yards, eight touchdowns) and all-around threat Darren Sproles (710 yards and seven TDs receiving and 603 yards, two TDs rushing). The running attack features a two-pronged assault with Pierre Thomas (562 yards, five TDs) and Chris Ivory (374 yards).
Detroit is led by QB Matthew Stafford (5,038 yards, 41 touchdowns) who has a stellar cast of receiving threats in Calvin Johnson (1,681 yards, 16 TDs), Brandon Pettigrew (777 yards, five TDs) and Nate Burleson (757 yards, three TDs). The running game sees Jahvid Best (390 yards), Kevin Smith (356 yards, four TDs) and Maurice Morris (316 yards) splitting carries.
Regardless of any positive statistics, both teams are shoddy on defence. They allow a lot of points and big plays, which means the match comes down to who can score the most. The Saints set numerous scoring records this season and odds are they will march to a resounding victory.
Related Videos
