5 Things the New York Giants Need to Do to Upset the Atlanta Falcons

The New York have been one of the hottest teams going into the playoffs. They just knocked off a division rival in the Dallas Cowboys to advance to the postseason and are playing at a very high level. They have their first round matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. 

The didn't face the Falcons in the regular season, so it's hard to dictate what will happen when these two teams clash. However, if the Giants come to play and do five things correctly then they'll come out victorious. This is what the Giants NEED to do to win next Sunday against ATL. 

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5. Shut Down the Falcons Run Game

The Atlanta Falcons are most dangerous when they have a potent run game to along with a passing attack. For the New York Giants, they will need to pick their poison, but it would be much more wise for them to stop the Falcons run game, specifically RB Michael Turner. 

The Atlanta Falcons are 5-1 when Michael Turner rushes for a 100 yards or more. Which also means that they are a pedestrian 5-5 when he rushes under 100 yards. The Falcons sometimes fall in love with the passing game, and that's what the New York Giants have to force them to do. Granted, they do have deep threats in Julio Jones and Roddy White, but their deep passing game only works effectively when they have the play-action, which is why the Giants can't allow the Falcons to establish a run game. 

4. Establish Their OWN Run Game

While the Giants can't allow the Falcons to develop a running attack, they must themselves establish a solid run game with their two effective backs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. The Giants mediocre record of 9-7 can mostly be attributed to them not having a consistent running game due to not having both their best backs healthy at the same time. 

In six games in which Ahmad Bradshaw has had over 15 carries, the Giants are 5-1. And in four games in which Brandon Jacobs has had over 15 carries, the Giants are 3-1. Clearly, the Giants are at their best when their run game is effective and healthy, which also allows Eli Manning to use play-action passes. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs should have 25+ carries between them and over 100 yards. 

3. Find Other Receivers Outside of Victor Cruz Early

Victor Cruz has come out of nowhere to become one of the best receivers in the NFL. He is just third behind Wes Welker and Calvin Johnson in receptions and has been the Giants best wideout. So you can bet that the Falcons game plan will be to find Cruz early and shut him down, or perhaps double him. Cruz has tore up defenses with 11 games of 80-plus receiving yards. 

Eli Manning needs to finds his other wideouts, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, to make defenses pay more attention to them, instead of just doubling Cruz. Many people forget that Hakeem Nicks is a great WR as well; he's had eight games of 70-plus receiving yards. The Giants overall have a great receiving corps outside of just Victor Cruz and need to utilize them to the fullest. 

2. Have Their Front Four Get to Matt Ryan Early and Often

The Giants defense has been one of the few consistent aspects of their game. Especially their front four of Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka. If they can get to Matt Ryan early and often, then it should lead to great things for the Giants. Putting pressure on Ryan will absolutely shake his game and confidence. 

Jason Pierre-Paul is an absolute STUD in every sense of the word. He has been the Giants defensive MVP, and he's fourth in the NFL with 16.5 sacks. Umenyiora is also in the top 25 leaders, with nine sacks on the year. The Falcons offensive line is pretty potent at protecting Ryan, as he's only 21st in the NFL in QB sacks. So it's imperative that the Giants defense makes life miserable for Ryan. 

1. Eli Manning Has to Play Like a Top 5 QB

Finally, it all comes down to Eli Manning. 

He is the engine that drives the New York Giants car. He needs to show the world that you can't spell E-L-I-te without Eli. Manning has played like an elite QB this year, with the fourth most passing yards in the NFL, only behind Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Matt Stafford. He also has the sixth most touchdown in the NFL with 29 and has the seventh best quarterback rating in the NFL. 

Manning has been amazing all season long and needs to come up big once again vs. the Falcons. The Giants are 6-3 when Eli completes more than 60 percent of his passes. Over the last six weeks of the season, outside of one poor game vs. the Redskins, Eli has thrown 12 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He has put the team on his shoulders all season long as has taken them to the playoffs. How far the Giant go from here will depend a lot on Manning's play. 

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