Giants vs. Packers: Keys to Green Bay Holding Serve at Home Against Big Blue

The Green Bay Packers and New York Giants locked horns during the regular season in a game that saw the Pack sneak away with a 38-35 victory thanks to a last-second field goal. That game certainly could have gone either way, but Green Bay is still the decided favorite at home in this playoff contest.

New York may have only finished with a 9-7 record, but the Packers understand that they are far more dangerous than their record suggests. Not only do they perhaps have the best pass rush in football, but quarterback Eli Manning is playing at an elite level and the running game has kicked itself in gear as well.

Even so, the Packers finished the regular season with a 15-1 record and are the defending Super Bowl champions. Here are three things the Packers must do in order to hold off the surging Giants and move on to the NFC Championship.

Establish the Run Early

With quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the helm, there is no question that the Packers are a pass-first team. Seeing as they are taking on the Giants' struggling secondary that shouldn't change this weekend, but Green Bay must still try to get the running game going.

The Packers ranked only 27th in rushing offense during the regular season, but the likes of Ryan Grant and James Starks are capable of racking up some yardage when given a chance.

There are a couple of reasons why it makes sense for the Packers to get Grant and Starks going early. For one, it will open up the play-action passing game. Rodgers is incredibly dangerous without help from his backs, but he becomes that much better when they're producing.

Also, running the ball will keep New York's defense on the field. The Giants have a ferocious pass rush, but pounding the rock effectively will help slow that down a bit.

Slow Down Giants' Pass Rush

Most teams in the NFL would love to have one of Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Chris Canty, but the Giants have the benefit of having them all. Because of that it's no surprise that the G-Men ranked third in the league in total sacks during the regular season. That is something that the Packers will have to counteract to some degree.

It's fair to say that no quarterback in the league handles a pass rush better than Rodgers. Not only is he mobile, but he is able to make quick decisions and deliver the ball accurately.

With that said, though, you have to believe that repeated hits would eventually take their toll. Luckily for Rodgers, it looks as if his two tackles Chad Clifton and Bryan Bulaga are healthy and ready to go, so he should be much better protected than he has been in recent weeks.

Make Life Miserable for Eli Manning

Even after he won the Super Bowl a few years ago, most considered Giants quarterback Eli Manning to be in that middle tier of signal-callers. He began to move away from that last season, though, and it is now apparent that he is among the better field generals in the game.

Manning set a career-high during the regular season with nearly 5,000 yards passing and he also racked up 29 touchdown passes while completing 61 percent of his passes.

One thing that Manning sorely lacks, though, is the ability to escape a pass rush. While he is sometimes able to make a miraculous escape, he is going to be hauled down more often than not.

While the Giants eventually blew out the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 last week, Manning was very uncomfortable early in the game because Atlanta's pass rush was getting to him. If Green Bay's pass rushers, Clay Matthews chief among them, can get to Manning, then it will really disrupt the offense's rhythm.