Giants vs. 49ers: Victor Cruz and 5 Giants Who Will Secure New York Victory

After defeating the returning Super Bowl Champions in the divisional round, the New York Giants are ready to keep winning.

The Giants shocked the country by upsetting the Green Bay Packers by a score of 37-20 and now will have to travel out west to take on the San Francisco 49ers.

This will be a much different matchup, as the 49ers have one of the top defenses in the league. 

If New York wants to continue its run to a championship, it will need to find a way score and defend a surprisingly hot Alex Smith.

These players will especially need to step up in order to win the NFC Championship.

Eli Manning

Like most times in the NFL, the game will be won and lost with the quarterback.

Eli Manning continued his breakout season with a fantastic performance in the victory over the Green Bay Packers. He threw for 330 yards with three touchdowns and only one interception.

That last number will be the key to a victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Drew Brees was able to throw for 462 yards against this defense, but he had two interceptions as part of a five-turnover game for the New Orleans Saints.

The Giants will struggle to run the football, so the pressure is on Manning. If the quarterback can have a good game while limiting turnovers, the Giants will come away with a victory.

Jason Pierre-Paul

The biggest difference between Alex Smith this season compared to past years is his ability to avoid turnovers.

He has taken sacks instead of throwing the ball away, so the New York Giants need to force him to choose.

Jason Pierre-Paul has been the leader of this defense all season with 16.5 sacks and 86 tackles, but has been quiet in the playoffs so far.

He and Osi Umenyiora need to get to the quarterback and disrupt his rhythm so he cannot complete passes down the field.

Kenny Phillips

Anyone who watched the San Francisco 49ers win last week should know how good Vernon Davis can be.

The tight end finished the game with 180 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with nine seconds remaining.

New York does not have too many players that will be able to defend Davis, but Kenny Phillips might be the best option. The strong safety has the size and speed to match up with him, as well as good instincts in coverage.

Phillips will be the hero if he can at least slow down the red-hot tight end in the NFC Championship Game.

Chris Canty

Most people know the defensive line as a group of athletic defensive ends who are good at rushing the passer, but defensive tackle Chris Canty will have a huge role on Sunday.

He will be the biggest part of the game plan to stop Frank Gore and the running attack of the San Francisco 49ers.

Gore was still recovering from an injury the first time these teams played, but the 49ers will want to get him going against the New York Giants this time around.

The running back was mostly quiet throughout the win against the New Orleans Saints except for an important 42-yard run late that helped secure the victory.

Canty will need to take on blockers to stop the rushing attack and make the 49ers win through the air.

Victor Cruz

Last week it was Hakeem Nicks who stole the spotlight with 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Next game it will be time for Victor Cruz to shine.

As good as the defense of the San Francisco 49ers is, the unit struggles at stopping the big play. At the end of the divisional round game, the 49ers gave up 44-yard and 66-yard touchdown passes with a lot of broken tackles.

Few players in the league can get big plays as consistently as Cruz, who had five touchdowns during the season of 68-yards or longer.

Look for Cruz to have another long reception on Sunday, followed by a little salsa dancing.