New York Giants Resemble 2007-08 Team in 24-2 Demolition of Atlanta Falcons

Ladies and gentlemen, the New York Giants are in business. After an up-and-down season that ultimately resulted in an NFC East title for Big Blue, the Giants throttled the Atlanta Falcons, 24-2, at MetLife Stadium in their first-round playoff matchup on Sunday, setting up a date with the 15-1 Green Bay Packers in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin next week.

This was easily the most complete game New York played all season, and they picked a great time to do it.

Eli Manning was fabulous, completing 23-of-32 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns, good for a 129.1 quarterback rating. Hakeem Nicks also had an incredible game, catching six passes for 115 yards and two scores, including a 72-yard touchdown that put the Giants up 17-2 in the third quarter.

Also important was the impact that Mario Manningham had on this game. After dealing with a nagging knee issue the past several weeks, he made his presence known for the first time in what seemed like ages, tallying six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.

That said, you kind of expect the G-Men to put up big numbers in the passing game. You don't, however, expect them to be able to run the football well, as they ranked last in the league in rushing this season. That wasn't the case on Sunday afternoon, as Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and even Manning gashed the Falcons for 172 yards on the ground.

You also don't anticipate them shutting opposing offenses down, but they did it today to Atlanta, as the Giants defense pitched a shutout (the Falcons' only points came off of a safety, obviously). New York applied constant pressure on Matt Ryan and clearly had him flustered all game, and even though the defense only recorded two sacks, the pass rush was almost always in Ryan's face. The D has really been coming together in recent weeks. Just ask Ryan, Mark Sanchez and Tony Romo.

Dare I say that this Giant team looks very similar to the one that made a late-season push and won it all during the 2007-08 season?

The similarities are certainly there. The difference this time, however, is that Eli and company have experience. Yes, the roster is quite contrastive than it was during that magical run, as the receiving corps is entirely different and there have been many changes defensively and along the offensive line, but the fact that the team's quarterback and some of its key players on defense remain intact is going to mean a considerable amount.

These Giants also abide by the same formula that got them the elusive Vince Lombardi trophy in February of 2008: rush the passer. This New York defensive front is every bit as fierce as it was four years ago, and with Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora now looking close to 100 percent, it makes it that much more dangerous, especially with Chris Canty now playing extraordinarily well at defensive tackle (people really do not talk about Canty enough).

Perhaps what makes this Giants defense all the more lethal is the fact that its secondary is much more talented than it was during the 2007-08 campaign. It boasts one of the better safety duos in the league in Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips, and Corey Webster began developing into the elite cornerback that he is today during that Super Bowl run.

The G-Men simply have a very different look in their eyes as of late. I think that's most evident in their huge stops in short-yardage situations. Last week, the Giants stopped a quarterback sneak attempt from Romo on 4th-and-1 in the red zone. This week, New York stuffed Ryan on a quarterback sneak attempt on 4th-and-inches on the Giants 21-yard line. It also halted halfback Michael Turner on a 3rd-and-1 on the drive succeeding Nicks' 72-yard score.

Credit also has to be given to Tom Coughlin and the much-maligned coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, both of whom have been subjects of harsh criticism over the course of the last two seasons, called incredible games against Atlanta. Fewell in particular will have to be on the money against Green Bay (a team that is statistically one of the greatest offensively in NFL history) next week.

Are the Packers the favorite next week? Absolutely, but let's not forget that, much like in January of 2008 when the Giants took the New England Patriots to the wire and then proceeded to beat them in the Super Bowl a few weeks later, Big Blue played a phenomenal game against Green Bay several weeks ago, falling 38-35 in a barnburner at the Meadowlands.

If New York can establish the kind of running game it did today against the Falcons next week in the bitter cold of Green Bay, it will have a great shot at upsetting the Super Bowl favorites. The Packers are certainly not invincible, as evidenced by the fact that they lost to Kansas City this season and finished with the worst defense in the NFL.

If anyone has has the formula to beat the Aaron Rodgers-led Pack, it's the Giants, much like they had the formula to take down the Tom Brady-led Pats in '08.

Big Blue certainly has a long way to go to reach the promised land, but the journey certainly got off to a great start Sunday against Atlanta, and if that 22-point drubbing is any indication of how the Giants are going to play for the remainder of the playoffs, then don't be surprised if you see Eli hoisting yet another trophy come February.