NFC Championship Game Kribbles, 2.0: Packers' O vs. Giants' D

With the divisional round invariably comes at least one surprise, and this season we got two, as the suddenly upstart New York Giants offed the Cowboys to the chagrin of few outside of Terrell Owens and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The swell thing about these Giants—aside from nearly completely detaching the choker label affixed to Tom Coughlin's version of the team—is the old-breed, hardcore, straight-up scary defense.

What happens when the smash-mouth meets the high-flying, do-anything-for-a-win youngsters-plus-Favre Green Bay Packers? While rubbing my hands in anticipatory C. Montgomery Burns-like glee, a few kribbles somehow were compiled.

• The Giants shouldn't expect to see quite as an explosive Packer offense this week: After all, you'd have to go back to Week 5 of the 2005 regular season to see Green Bay score more than 42 in a game and all the way to a meaningless Week 17 game in 1999 to find the Pack scoring that many points post-November.

• Not to be afforded: The duplication of the last Dallas drive in the second half. Tony Romo found every Cowboy this side of Drew Pearson in the most leisurely, time-killing drive of the 2007 season—a 20-play, 10:28-long cruise until 0:53 in the half. Thanks primarily to this stroll into the end zone, Dallas came about a) one dropped pass by Clayton, b) Owens' inexplicable invisibility in the second half, or c) one meltdown with 0:53 in the half away from winning this ball game. The Packers figure not to make nearly that many mistakes.

• And if they do, the divisional game implies they'll happen early.

• Naturally, the man to watch this week in the Green Bay offense—yes, yes, besides Brett Favre—will be the incredible Ryan Grant. 'Nuff said about that, except this: While Gibril Wilson, Corey Webster and the guys in a depleted secondary held together with baling wire and duct tape made Romo look very bad, reported last-minute starter Marion Barber had no troubles at all against the Giants' defense, going 129 yards on 27 carries (and 125 on 24 attempts n the first three quarters).

• More damn statistics: Though ranked eighth in the league in running yards allowed at 97.7 per game, the Giants' other numbers are average: 12 rushing TDs allowed against just seven fumble recoveries, and more points surrendered as a defense (21.9 per game) than any playoff team.

• Injury questions for New York specifically on the 'D' make the waters of prediction for this game murky indeed. What is the extent of Aaron Ross' injury? (And ultimately, was it wise for him to reenter the game in the second half?) What about Sam Madison, who missed his second straight game? And Kevin Dockery? These guys might simply be undermanned against Favre & Co.

• Explosive meet and re-meet and re-meet...: Chad Clifton vs. Michael Strahan. Of his 27 carries, Grant went left 15 times, mostly off-tackle or wider as Clifton held his ground against the sliding Seahawks. This week, Clifton will not only have to hold the gaps for Clifton, he'll be defending his quarterback against Favre's old frienemy Strahan and his insane pass rush. Maybe they should use the pass to set up the run ...

• Favre's just crazy enough to do it, too.

• But in a matchup of the Giants' D-line against the Packer O-line—a real case of unstoppable force versus immovable object—go with the New Yorkers. Here's to thinking the Packers don't score much.

Always taking notes all year-round at RealFootball365.com.