NFL Playoffs 2012: Why the New York Giants Will Beat the Atlanta Falcons

It was just a few weeks ago that the Giants were considered in serious danger of not making the playoffs.  Tom Coughlin was on the hot seat, and Perry Fewell was sure to lose his job.

The fate of the New York Giants changed on Dec. 11, when the G-Men defeated Dallas, and saw its defense begin to come alive.

This Sunday at 1 p.m. EST two hungry NFC teams will clash in hopes of advancing to the Divisional playoffs.

As the home team and fourth seed, New York is favored by three over the fifth-seeded Atlanta Falcons.

Here are five reasons why Big Blue can take down the Falcons this weekend. 

The Falcons Are on the Road

Matt Ryan is known for being unbeatable at home, sporting a 26-4 record and a 98.3 passer rating in the Georgia Dome.

But what about Ryan on the road?

His 17-15 record and 81.0 passer rating are a far cry from the comfort of his climate-controlled dome.

This season, Ryan is 4-4 away from the Georgia Dome, and posts an 84.7 passer rating as opposed to a 102.9 rating at home.

As a team, the Falcons are 2-2 in games played outdoors this year, with both coming against -.500 teams.

It should also be noted that four out of six losses by the Falcons this season came on the road.

Ryan may be a great quarterback at home, but his numbers take a dip once he leaves the comfort of Atlanta.

Eli Manning

Eli Manning enters Sunday's contest with much more playoff experience than Ryan.

Manning is 4-3 in the postseason, with a Super Bowl Ring to show, while Ryan is 0-2.

He hasn't needed to use his fourth-quarter craft of late, but Manning's six fourth-quarter comebacks are enough to give the Giants an edge in this matchup.

Need more confidence?

Manning has more completions and yards than Ryan, a better passer rating and is 3-1 against the Falcons in his career.

East Rutherford, NJ may see some rain and possibly snow flurries on Sunday. I'd rather have Manning leading my team in the wet weather than climate-controlled Ryan. 

The Giants' Pass Rush Has Come Alive

Over the course of their first seven games, the Giants' D racked up 24 sacks (an average of just under 3.5 per game).  

Then they went south.

From Week 9 to Week 13, Big Blue averaged less than one and a half sack per game.  Coincidentally, the Giants went 1-4 during that stretch.

Fortunately, the Giants have amped up their pass rushers at the right time.  In the last four games of the season, New York has accumulated 15 sacks, or 3.75 sacks per game.

Jason Pierre-Paul has been a monster all season, leading all NFL defensive ends in tackles, and leading his team in sacks, with 16.5.

Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora had their best combined effort last weekend against Dallas, sacking Tony Romo three times combined and sending the Giants on their way to six sacks in the game and an NFC East title.  

New York is 4-2 when they have four or more sacks in a game.  With Ryan being a pocket passer, I'm willing to bet the Giants' D will be getting after him all day. 

The Giants Are Heading into the Playoffs Strong

With two victories over the division-rival Dallas Cowboys, as well as a Christmas Eve win over the city-rival New York Jets, the Giants are approaching the playoffs on a high note.

They've seen Victor Cruz become an offensive highlight reel, JPP turn into a sack monster and their defense as a whole play with more aggression and success.

Throughout the course of the season, New York has also shown that they can win in big situations, or at least play tough.  

They may have lost to New Orleans, but the Giants beat New England in Foxborough, Dallas twice and barely lost to the reigning Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

Atlanta, on the other hand, hasn't been tested much lately.  Weeks 14 and 15 saw them victorious over two teams with a combined record of 11-21 (Carolina and Jacksonville). 

In Week 16, the Falcons were assaulted by the Saints, and saw Drew Brees break Dan Marino's 27 year-old record for most passing yards in a single season.

And in Week 17, the Falcons toppled the 4-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The battle-tested Giants will be ready for the Falcons this Sunday.

The Running Game Is Coming Alive

Don't get me wrong; the Giants' running game has been abysmal in 2011.

But since Ahmad Bradshaw returned from injury, it has been much improved.

Since Week 14, the Giants are averaging 105.5 yards on the ground, and have scored six rushing TDs.  During that span, the Giants are 3-1.

Atlanta is pretty stingy on the ground, ranking No. 6 in the league and conceding only 97 rushing yards per game.  Then again, so was Dallas (No.7), and the Giants rushed for 110 and 106 yards against them.  

New York is 7-0 this season when rushing for 100+ yards.  If they can get it going on the ground, they'll be rushing their way to the Divisional round.