NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Giants' Physical Play Will Carry Them vs. Packers

It is not often a defense can finish third in the league in sacks, have tough, hard-nosed running backs like Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs and be considered a finesse team. But there are not a lot of people giving the New York Giants credit for being one of the most physical teams in the NFL. 

Sure, it is easy to look at Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham and get swept up in everything that they are capable of on offense. Make no mistake, the Giants are going to win in Green Bay on Sunday because of their physical play up front on defense and running it down the Packers' throat. 

The Packers have the talent to be a physical team, especially on defense, but for some reason they have lost that edge. They are content to allow opposing teams yards while going for turnovers, which is an effective style, but at some point you have to smack someone in the mouth. 

The Giants are focused and finally playing up to their potential. They aren't always going to look pretty in victory, but at the end of the day they get the job done more often than not.

As Ralph Vacchiano wrote in the New York Daily News, Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has been the man behind the late-season turnaround for Big Blue. 

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"Players were beginning to hint they had questions about his “scheme” – not an outright mutiny, considering they also voiced their support for their coordinator, but certainly a sign that some things were going wrong. Fewell, backed into a corner, was admittedly upset, and he fought back with a few choice words of his own.

He said his players needed a 'kick in the ass to get that motor going.'He called their performance 'disheartening,'said they 'were outplayed, outhustled' and essentially accused them of quitting late in the (Saints) game.

And his players took it, because they knew he was right."

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It is impossible to argue with the results that the Giants have gotten in that time. They have won three straight games, outscoring their opponents 84-30 during that span. 

I am not so naive to think the Packers won't get their points, because Aaron Rodgers and Co. are that good. But the Giants defensive line is going to make him uncomfortable in the pocket all game long and that is going to lead to some mistakes that we aren't accustomed to seeing. 

We have already seen what happens in these playoffs when you match up a physical team with a great defensive line against a finesse offense that gets by using speed and weapons. Just rewind the tape of the San Francisco 49ers knocking off the New Orleans Saints. 

After witnessing that game, would it really be a surprise to see the Giants go into Green Bay and upset the 15-1 Packers? If you think it is, then you should be paying closer attention to what wins and what doesn't in the postseason. 

NFL Divisional Round Schedule

Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1:00 p.m. EDT on CBS: Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:30 p.m. EDT on FOX: New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

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