The NFC Wild card game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants could easily be one of the best playoff games of the week.

For the latest odds on the NFL playoffs to include the NFC Wild card game can be found at Bet Phoenix. The New York Giants are starting to see similarities between this season and their 2007 run to the Super Bowl. The Atlanta Falcons are hoping there will be a difference this time from the last two postseasons with Matt Ryan and Mike Smith. These teams have never met in the playoffs, and that will change Sunday in the first postseason game at MetLife Stadium. New York got off to a 6-2 start before a four-game losing streak brought back memories of collapses in recent seasons. The Giants, though, went 3-1 over their final four games and won the NFC East by beating Dallas 31-14 at home last Sunday night. Now the team believes it is playing its best football heading into the postseason, like the Giants did in 2007 when they knocked off three division champions before shocking 18-0 New England in Super Bowl XLII. Atlanta, meanwhile, is back in the playoffs after a 10-6 season. The Falcons were the No. 1 seed a year ago before getting routed by Green Bay in the divisional round and also fell at Arizona in 2008 in Ryan and Smith’s first season with the club. Ryan enters off his best season, throwing 29 touchdown passes to tie the Giants’ Eli Manning for the league’s sixth-highest total. That figure, along with Ryan’s 4,177 yards and 92.2 passer rating are career bests, with receivers Roddy White and rookie Julio Jones combining for 2,252 yards and 16 TDs. Manning, meanwhile, finished 67 yards shy of 5,000 to reach his second Pro Bowl. He set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes and his fourth-quarter passer rating of 110.0 was the NFL’s second-best mark. His season was notable since he led the Giants to five victories when they trailed in the final period. Manning has been aided in his heroics by the stunning emergence of Victor Cruz, who finished third in the league with 1,536 receiving yards. Cruz has made big plays the previous two games—a 99-yard TD reception against the Jets on Dec. 24 and last Sunday’s 74-yard score against the Cowboys. Cruz has added another dimension to a Giants offense in which Manning owns a league-high 35 completions of at least 21 yards through the air. While the Giants are last in the league with 89.2 rushing yards per game, the Falcons have demonstrated more balance with an average of 114.6 thanks to Michael Turner. Turner is third in the NFL with 1,340 yards on the ground. Turner, however, has been bottled up to total 81 yards on 28 carries in the Falcons’ last two playoff losses. Atlanta will want to utilize Turner to help neutralize the pressure Ryan will face from a Giants pass rush that produced 48 sacks to match Baltimore for third in the NFL, led by Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul’s 16.5. The defensive line has been bolstered by Osi Umenyiora’s return last week after he missed a month with a high ankle sprain and knee problems, and Justin Tuck has shown improvement after battling injuries throughout the year. New York has 11 sacks over the last two games. The Giants won all their games in their 2007 postseason run on the road and have dropped their last two home playoff games since a 41-0 victory over Minnesota in the 2000 NFC title game.    

Similar Posts:

• Rangers ink Cruz to two-year deal
• Super Bowl XLVI
• Favre of July: Ten Things We’ll Remember Most About Brett Favre
• NBA Playoff Matchups Preview
• Super Bowl Spread and Odds – Packers Steelers Spread Prediction