Giants vs. Packers: Who Has the Edge at Each Position?

The Green Bay Packers had the best record in the NFL this season, but it will not mean anything if they cannot defeat the New York Giants on Sunday.

These teams gave a preview of the upcoming matchup back in Week 13, with the Packers finishing on top, 38-35. It was the closest then-undefeated Green Bay had come to losing, and it needed a field goal by Mason Crosby as time expired to secure the victory.

This time around, the Packers do not even want the game to be competitive. Wide receiver Greg Jennings still remembers the loss in the NFC Championship Game that ended the season for the Packers a few years back, saying: "The team that kept us from our potential Super Bowl in 08 is back on OUR turf now"

Meanwhile, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is guaranteeing a win for his team, saying: "One hundred percent we’re going to win...because we’re the best.’’

Talking is fun, but the true battle will be on the field. Which team has the advantage in this postseason battle?

Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the upcoming game.

Quarterback

There is an obvious answer here, but it is closer than you think.

Aaron Rodgers did just pull off one of the best seasons in the history of the NFL. He broke the record for passer rating with a mark of 122.5, and will most likely be named MVP of the league.

However, Eli Manning had a great season of his own, setting a career high of 4,933 passing yards. He also does not have the consistency around him like many of his peers. In the last five years, five different receivers have led the team in receiving yards.

Manning has truly improved his game to the point where he is an elite quarterback.

Still, Rodgers is considered by many to be the best player in football at the position. He also makes fewer mistakes, throwing only six interceptions all season, compared to the 16 that Manning threw this year.

Both quarterbacks should perform well on Sunday, but Rodgers is better with more consistency.

Edge: Green Bay Packers

Running Back

There is a reason that football games are not decided on paper. The fact that the New York Giants have statistically the worst running attack in the league is one of them.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw was missing for part of the season with a foot injury, but is now back on the field to help Brandon Jacobs form a solid tandem.

The Giants were 1-3 without Bradshaw, but they were able to rush for 172 yards in the first-round victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Green Bay struggled to run the ball all season. The duo of James Starks and Ryan Grant were not often needed in a pass-heavy offense, but neither player topped 100 yards in a game this year.

The running game will be important for the Giants if they want to control the clock and keep Aaron Rodgers off the field.

Edge: New York Giants

Wide Receiver

This is the closest positional matchup in the game, as both sides have an elite group.

The New York Giants have three good young players in Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham. Cruz and Nicks combined for 2,728 receiving yards as the best mark for a wide receiver tandem in the league.

On the other hand, the Green Bay Packers have a much deeper receiving corps with Greg Jennings returning from a knee injury.

After Jennings, contributors include Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Donald Driver and Randall Cobb. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers can rely on any one of them in a big moment and each player can come up with a big play.

Both units are great, but the Giants receivers have shown they are able to do more on their own.

Cruz is second among receivers in yards after the catch and has five touchdowns this season of 68 yards or longer. He is truly a threat from anywhere on the field.

Edge: New York Giants

Tight End

Jake Ballard of the New York Giants provided a steady hand when Eli Manning needed him, but Jermichael Finley is one of the best tight ends in the game.

At 6'5" and 247 lbs, the Green Bay Packers tight end can use his size to beat smaller defenders, but is athletic enough to sprint past larger ones.

Finley is most dangerous around the end zone. He was third in the NFL among tight ends with eight touchdown receptions.

The Texas native is just another weapon on the dangerous Packers offense.

Edge: Green Bay Packers

Offensive Line

Like most football games, this matchup will come down to the battle in the trenches.

There is plenty of talent on both teams. Scott Wells of the Green Bay Packers will represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl at center, while New York Giants guard Chris Snee has been an All-Pro for the past three year.

In a game like this, the most important factor is how well each side protects the quarterback.

Eli Manning was sacked less often than Aaron Rodgers this season, despite attempting 82 fewer passes. When the less-mobile Matt Flynn was in the game for the Packers, he was sacked an additional five times.

In fact, the New Orleans Saints are the only team remaining in the playoffs that allowed fewer sacks than the Giants during the regular season.

This will be key if New York wants to pull of the upset.

Edge: New York Giants

Defensive Line

The Green Bay Packers struggled to defend the pass this season, and a big reason was that they could not get pressure on the quarterback.

There is no such problem in New York as the Giants were third in the NFL with 48 sacks, despite having to rotate players all year due to injuries.

The defense is led by Jason Pierre-Paul, who is a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 16.5 sacks and 86 tackles. They will also have a boost with Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora being on the field after having various injuries throughout the season.

Green Bay has a good run-stopper in Pro Bowl nose tackle B.J. Raji, but the defensive line for the Giants is more likely to provide impact plays in the playoff game.

Edge: New York Giants

Linebacker

The fact that safety Antrel Rolle leads the New York Giants in tackling is a sign that the linebackers have been ineffective this season.

Rolle is a good player, but too often the linebackers are out of position or simply miss a tackle to allow offensive players get to the next level. Tackles are being made 10 yards down the field instead of three.

Michael Boley and Jacquian Williams are not good enough to be leaders of a playoff defense, and this is a need the team must address this offseason.

It is nothing compared to the dynamic that the Green Bay Packers have at the linebacker position. Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk are usually all over the field, while Clay Matthews provides an outside pass rush.

This unit will need to make sure they tackle well, because the running backs and receivers on the Giants are known to break quite a few tackles.

Edge: Green Bay Packers

Defensive Backs

Both teams struggled against the pass this season and were at the bottom of the league statistically with over 4,000 yards allowed through the air.

The difference was that the Green Bay Packers were by far the best in the NFL at intercepting the football. They finished with 31 picks, eight more than the next closest team.

Future Hall of Fame cornerback Charles Woodson led the league with seven interceptions on his own, and is always one of the best defensive playmakers in the NFL.

The New York Giants have a solid cornerback in Corey Webster, but there is not enough depth at the position to handle the type of offense that Green Bay uses. Even talented safeties Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips struggle when facing an elite quarterback, giving up over 300 yards to Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Tony Romo.

Each of these secondaries are likely to give up a ton of yards, but the Packers are more likely to make up for it with game-changing plays.

Edge: Green Bay Packers

Kicker/Punter

The punting game is basically a wash for these teams.

Tim Masthay and Steve Weatherford had similar numbers this season and are both a little above average at pinning it deep in opponent territory.

With the way these teams can move the ball, the punters should not make too big of an impact in the game regardless.

On the other hand, field goals can make a huge difference.

Lawrence Tynes of the New York Giants is solid from in close, but cannot kick deep field goals as well as his counterpart. Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby hit more field goals (24 to 19) at a higher percentage (85.7 percent to 79.2) than Tynes this season.

Crosby also hit a 58-yard field goal in October, which is something that could come in handy if points are needed.

Finally, the Giants will remember the Packers kicker making the game-winning field goal as time expired the last time these teams met. He is certainly capable of doing it again.

Edge: Green Bay Packers

Returner

Randall Cobb did not wait long to make an impact this season. His 108-yard touchdown on opening week against the New Orleans Saints was the longest kickoff return in the NFL all year.

The returner for the Green Bay Packers continued to impress throughout the season, and finished second in the NFL with an average return of 27.7 yards. Cobb was also one of only three players to return both a kickoff and a punt back for a touchdown.

The New York Giants have not been able to count on a consistent return man like that this year. Devin Thomas and Da'Rel Scott have each tried but have been unable to do too much on the field.

If anyone on special teams is going to make an impact, it will be Cobb.

Edge: Green Bay Packers

Conclusion

The odds are stacked against the New York Giants in this divisional matchup.

The Green Bay Packers just finished off a dominant season from beginning to end and will be close to double-digit favorites going into the game.

They also have a distinct edge in many of the positional battles that will be taking place.

For the Giants to have any chance of winning, they will need play to their strengths and win the battle up front with the big men on the lines.

If New York can run the ball and get to Aaron Rodgers on defense, it might be able to pull the upset. Otherwise it will be a long afternoon in Green Bay.