There’s no doubt that the premier game of Wildcard weekend is the last game of the week’s slate of games. The Green Bay Packers won six straight at the end of the year to win the NFC North and Aaron Rodgers was brilliant during that time, throwing 15 touchdowns without an interception as his Packers knocked off three playoff teams in that stretch. Green Bay will be hosting a team that has rode Wildcard magic to two Super Bowl wins over the last decade, the New York Giants.
Don't miss this NFL playoff game from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. Catch every moment of the game live on FOX.
NFL Playoff Odds at BookMaker.eu
Packers -4
Giants +4
Over/Under 44
When the Packers Have the Ball…
It’s all going to be about No. 12 when the Packers have possession. This may have been Rodgers best season yet in Green Bay. Without any sort of running game to help balance out the Packers attack, it was once again thrust on his shoulders to lead the way for the Packers. Again, he responded beautifully, eviscerating defenses through the air with ease, including a Seattle secondary that is one of the best in the NFL.
However, his worst game of the season was a two-interception performance against these Giants and Steve Spagnuolo is great at scheming against elite quarterbacks. According to Football Outsiders, New York had the second-best defense in the NFL this season and its pass defense was ranked 4th best in the league.
The trio of Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, and Jordy Nelson has been extremely effective for Green Bay this season as teams have had to choose which one to try to stop. The problem is that Rodgers is so good, he will pick on your defense’s weak link throughout the game and leave you completely exposed one way or the other. That’s the issue that Spagnuolo will have to solve.
When the Giants Have the Ball…
We’ve seen this script before from the Giants. Twice, we have seen Eli Manning have a mediocre regular season, but catch fire in the postseason and lead his team to a Super Bowl. Manning was the second-worst quarterback to make the playoffs according to Football Outsiders’ DYAR metric, only in front of Houston’s Brock Osweiler. The main reason for that is Manning’s predilection for throwing interceptions as he threw 14 or more picks for the eighth straight season.
While everyone knows about Odell Beckham Jr. at this point, Sterling Shepard quietly put up a solid rookie campaign alongside of him. Shepard saw a lot of single coverage opposite OBJ but wasn’t always able to shake free going against physical cornerbacks. He was virtually nonexistent against the Packers when the teams met in early October, tallying just 2 catches for 14 yards, but should have a much better performance this time.
Shepard has developed as a receiver and will be going against one of the worst defensive backs in the league in Damarious Randall. Randall has been burnt often this year as Dom Capers’ blitzing tendencies have left him exposed. Teams are having a lot of success throwing Randall’s way and look for the Giants to follow that trend.
The X Factor
Can the Giants get a pass rush on Aaron Rodgers? New York spent a lot of money on its defensive line in the offseason and although Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison are better run-stuffers, they need to be able to put pressure on Rodgers if the Giants want to pull off the upset. Rodgers is deadly if you give him time and if New York can’t disrupt him, he is going to pick apart its secondary all day long. The Giants have a solid cornerback duo in Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins, but with Jenkins hampered by injury, a pass rush is all the more important.
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