To get out of the wild-card round for the second straight season, the Packers are going to have to do something they've never done before in the playoffs: beat Eli Manning.
The Packers have faced Manning twice in the postseason (2007, 2011) and lost both times. In an eerie coincidence, Sunday's game is setting up to look a lot like the first two playoff meetings.
In both previous playoff games, the Packers beat the Giants during the regular season, only to lose as a huge favorite in the playoffs a few months later. This time around, the two teams will be meeting roughly two and half months after a Week 5 meeting where the Packers beat the Giants 23-16.
If the Packers are going to pull off another win, they're going to need to do their best to emulate the game plan they put together during that October win. In the first meeting, the Packers' beat-up secondary was able to shut down Odell Beckham and the other Giants receivers. Beckham, Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz combined to catch just seven passes for 70 yards in the game.
If that happens again on Sunday, you can pretty much move the Packers on to the next round in your homemade NFL playoff bracket. Of course, shutting down the Giants' receiving unit won't be easy this time around due in large part to the fact that someone in the Packers secondary seems to suffer a new injury every week.
During the Packers' Week 17 win over the Lions, they lost three defensive backs -- Quinten Rollins, Damarious Randall and Makinton Dorleant -- and there's a good chance that all three will miss Sunday's game. Dorleant (injured reserve) and Rollins are definitely out, while Randall has been listed as questionable.
To make up for the depth they'll be missing, the Packers had to promote an undrafted free agent from their practice squad (Herb Waters). Having an undrafted free agent potentially playing a big role in your secondary obviously isn't ideal when you're about to play the biggest game of the season.
That being said, the injuries to Green Bay's secondary might not matter if Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' offense can light up the scoreboard. Rodgers has been the hottest quarterback in the NFL over the past seven weeks (18 touchdowns, zero interceptions), and if he keeps it up, the Giants might get blown out of Lambeau.
However, putting up points won't be easy against a Giants defense that only gave up 17.8 points per game in 2016, which ranked second in the NFL. That number was even better over the past four weeks of the regular season, with the Giants surrendering just 11.8 points per game.
The blueprint for the Giants' past two Super Bowl wins has been simple: Put a powerful defense on the field and then cross their fingers and hope that Eli does just enough to on offense to pull out a win. It worked in 2007 and 2011, and that's the exact formula the Giants will be rolling with this year.
No matter what happens on Sunday, don't be surprised if this game ends up being the best one of wild-card weekend, and that's mainly because we'll be watching two Super Bowl MVPs duke it out in the wild-card round for the first time ever in NFL playoff history.
And remember, if the Giants lose, blame Justin Bieber.
How to watch
- What: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers
- When: Sunday, Jan. 8, 4:40 p.m. ET
- Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- TV: Fox (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call, Erin Andrews on the sideline)
- Streaming: Game will be available on Fox Sports Go (Live stream only available if you have a subscription to certain cable and satellite providers)
- Online: NFL Game Pass (Available to watch online after midnight)
- Odds: The Packers are 4.5-point favorites (via SportsLine)
Injury Report
Giants
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle) -- Out
- DE Owa Odighizuwa (hamstring) -- Doubtful
Packers
- RB James Starks (concussion) -- Out
- CB Quiten Rollins (neck/concussion) -- Out
- OL Bryan Bulaga (abdomen) -- Questionable
- WR Randall Cobb (ankle) -- Questionable
- LB Jayrone Elliott (hand) -- Questionable
- CB Damarious Randall (shoulder) -- Questionable
- LB Nick Perry (hand) -- Questionable
- LB Joe Thomas (back) -- Questionable
- OL J.C. Tretter (knee) --Questionable
Prisco's Pick
This is the game of the week. The Giants have won their last two playoff games at Lambeau Field on their way to winning a Super Bowl. So quarterback Eli Manning knows what it takes to win in this venue against a good team. The Giants, who lost to the Packers earlier this season, have the second-ranked scoring defense in the league, so they will make it tough on a hot Aaron Rodgers. But I think the way Rodgers is playing, he will get his yards and will throw a couple of touchdown passes. The key will be whether Manning can keep up. I think he can for a while, but in the end Rodgers will pull out a close one with a drive to a game-winning field goal in a playoff classic.
Pick: Packers 24, Giants 21
