Falcons vs. Giants: 5 Players Who Will Play Biggest Roles in Huge Wild Card Game

The winner of today's Atlanta Falcons versus New York Giants game will get to face the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

Both teams need their star players to show up and perform in order to get a victory. Some players seem to enjoy the spotlight and pressure more than others.

These teams are evenly matched, and the outcome of the game could be determined by one player. Both teams feature players more than capable of dominating this game and playing a huge role in their team's victory.

Victor Cruz, New York Giants

Heading into the season, the New York Giants were facing the tough task of replacing Steve Smith.

Smith played a key role in this offense and was Eli Manning's go-to receiver.

Victor Cruz quickly established himself as the New York Giants' most explosive player.

His is 1,536-yard season was good enough for No .3 in the NFL.

New York needs Cruz to be a major factor in today's playoff game. His ability to attack the deep part of the field will be a key to opening up the running game.

This game may very well come down to one explosive play. Cruz is the Giants' biggest deep threat and playmaker—if somebody is going to make a game-changing catch, it will be him.

Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons' ability to run the football will be a key to earning a road victory.

Michael Turner needs to find early success in order to take the crowd out of the game.

If the Falcons are forced to throw the football, the Giants pass-rush will have a field day.

Establishing an early ground attack will allow the Falcons to keep the Giants defense on their heels. It'll force the defensive ends to respect the run and not go directly up the field.

Keeping Jason Pierre Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora in check depends on the success of Michael Turner.

Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants

The only chance the New York Giants have of stopping the Atlanta Falcons' passing game is by establishing a dominant pass-rush.

Jason Pierre-Paul's 16.5 sacks this season was good enough to rank him No. 4 in the NFL among all pass-rushers.

He is the Giants' top pass-rusher and one of the major keys to the outcome of this game.

If Pierre-Paul is unable to get pressure on Matt Ryan, the Giants could be in for a long day. The more time Ryan has, the more he will be able to feed the ball to Roddy White and Julio Jones.

A lack of a pass-rush will also allow the Falcons to attack the deep part of the field and make some game-changing plays. 

Julio Jones, Altlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons need Julio Jones to make several explosive plays.

If he is a major factor in the game, the Giants will struggle to hold this offense in check.

New York doesn't have the pieces in the secondary to stop both Roddy White and Julio Jones when they are at the top of their game.

Atlanta's pass offense needs to be able to pull defenders out of the box and open the running game. If they struggle to find consistency in the passing game, Michael Turner can expect to see eight men in the box.

The key factor might be the health of Julio Jones, who struggled with nagging injuries all season.

If he is forced out of the game the entire dynamic of Atlanta's offense will change. It will allow the Giants to roll coverage toward Roddy White and bring extra men in the box to stop the running game.

Eli Manning, New York Giants

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Eli Manning is the only reason the New York Giants are in the playoffs this year.

This team has struggled on the defensive side of the ball and ranks dead last in the NFL in rushing.

Manning's ability to limit his turnovers and still make plays has been very impressive.

The Atlanta Falcons know that the Giants are unable to run the football. Most of their attention will be put toward stopping Manning and the passing game.

Eli needs to find a way to continue his success despite the extra attention on shutting him down.

The only way the New York advance is if Eli Manning avoids turnovers and has a few deep strikes.