NFL Playoffs: How the New York Giants Are Channeling the 2010 Green Bay Packers

As the final seconds ticked off the board at Lambeau Field Sunday, it was hard not to be stunned. The Green Bay Packers, who were the favorites to win the Super Bowl all season long, were defeated by the New York Giants 37-20.

How could this have happened to the Packers? A loss to the Giants? At home?

The reasoning is simple and ironic in that by beating the Packers, the Giants channeled their inner Packers.

One year ago from today, the Packers scored a very similar upset. As the NFC's sixth seed, the Packers stormed into Atlanta to face the Falcons. The Falcons were coming off a 13-3 season and were seemingly penned into the NFC Championship Game.

After an outstanding performance by Aaron Rodgers, the Packers beat the Falcons to advance to the NFC Championship Game. It may seem like the comparisons end there, but they do not.

The Giants are a team that is fueled by a quality quarterback, a running game that on occasion can get the job done, and a defense that prides itself on getting to the opposing team's quarterback.

In other words, Jason Pierre-Paul is this year's version of Clay Matthews. Ahmad Bradshaw compares to James Starks. Eli Manning...okay...hasn't played as great as Rodgers, but he did throw for 4,000 yards for the second straight year in 2012 and is a cold-blooded assassin in the fourth quarter.

This all leads to a team that has their backs against the wall for months...kind of like the 2010 Green Bay Packers. Both teams started a run toward the Super Bowl around Christmas time when there was no room for error.

Where the Packers pounded the Giants and Chicago Bears to eventually get into the playoffs, the Giants had to go through the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys. In both situations, the playoffs started two weeks early for both teams.

This "back against the wall" mentality fueled the Packers to their fourth Super Bowl last February. There's a strong possibility that history could repeat itself for the surging New York Giants.