Giants vs. 49ers: 4 Reasons to Believe New York Advances to Super Bowl

Has there ever been two more exciting divisional round games than ones the NFC put on this weekend? The San Francisco 49ers outlasted the New Orleans Saints in a game that went back and forth in the final five minutes. 

The New York Giants beat down the defending Super Bowl champs and 15-1 Green Bay Packers on their home field in an incredible upset. 

Now the Giants and 49ers have a date on Sunday afternoon at Candlestick park in what is sure to be an exciting affair. 

The last time these two met in the playoffs was filled with controversy in 2002, and in 1991 they had one of the more memorable NFC Championship Games ever when Matt Bahr kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to send the Giants to the Super Bowl. 

If history is any indication, we will be treated with a great game.

The Giants will look to keep their undefeated record in the NFC championship game in tact, and here are four reasons why that will happen.  

They Are the Hottest Team Right Now

The San Francisco 49ers are definitely going to come in to this game with a ton of confidence after their win over the New Orleans Saints, but the New York Giants are even more on fire right now. 

They have four dominating wins in a row, including this past Sunday's suffocating win over the former Super Bowl favorite, the Green Bay Packers. 

The defense is playing like an elite unit and the offense is still as dangerous as ever. 

They Have Been Here Before

The Giants have gone on a run like this before, but this time they are even better than that 2007 group that made it to the Super Bowl. 

There are several players that were not around during that run, but there is still a solid core of guys that were around during the last run and that know how to win. 

Experience goes a long way in this league, especially when the 49ers and Giants look so equal on paper. 

Combining that experience with a more talented group on both sides of the ball, save for maybe the offensive line, and you have a dangerous team. 

They Have the Better Quarterback

Whenever teams look so close on paper, one tends to favor the team with the better quarterback. Alex Smith came up huge against the Saints last week with two touchdown drives late in the game, but my money still goes with Eli Manning in this matchup. 

Manning is playing the best football of his career, and during this four-game win streak he has been clutch. He has been ridiculous on third downs and in the fourth quarter, which is what will win games in the playoffs. 

The Way They Are Playing, They Are the Most Complete Team

There is no doubt that during the regular season the 49ers were one of, if not the most complete team in the NFL. They had a top-five defense, led the league in turnover margin and had a top-10 rushing offense. While they struggled as a whole offensively, they did not need a prolific passing offense with the way their defense played. 

Plus, whenever they needed to throw the ball to win Alex Smith came up big. 

However, with the Giants recent surge both defensively and in the run game, there is no more complete team remaining in the post season. 

The 49ers have a huge home-field advantage, but if the Giants can overcome that and take care of the football, there is no reason to believe they won't be Super Bowl bound.