NFL Playoff Predictions: Why New York Giants Will Beat San Francisco 49ers

This Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST, the New York Giants will be seeking revenge against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Giants lost a close one to the Niners in Week 10 that sent them into a downward spiral, as they lost their next three games and put their playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.

What's good for New York, and is bad for San Francisco, is that the Giants' defensive line and running attack is playing at a much higher level than they were back on Nov. 13 when they lost 27-20 in Candlestick Park.

The Giants enter the NFC Championship Game as the hottest team and will look to advance to the Super Bowl with a win over the 49ers on Sunday.

Here are a few reasons why the G-Men will beat the Niners this weekend.

49ers' Weak Passing Attack

The fact of the matter is that while Frank Gore and San Francisco's running game has excelled this season, Alex Smith and the passing offense has been subpar.

Unluckily for San Francisco, the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans already proved that run-heavy offenses can't survive in the 2011 playoffs.

The 49ers ranked No. 29 in the league in terms of passing yards per game with 183.1, as opposed to the Giants, who finished within the top five, tossing 295.9 a game.

Smith managed to throw only five interceptions in 2011, but also only threw for 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns.  To put this in perspective, rookies Andy Dalton and Cam Newton both threw for more yards and touchdowns than Smith, who's in his seventh year.

San Francisco also lacked in the receiving department, as no receiver accumulated more than 875 yards or six touchdowns, and had only one receiver who caught more than 67 passes (Michael Crabtree).

While Smith performed well against the Saints last weekend, he did it against a New Orleans team that not only has a weak secondary, but also has trouble getting to the quarterback. The Saints finished the 2011 regular season tied for No. 19 in sacks with 33,  whereas the Giants finished tied for third with 48 sacks.

New York will be looking to get Smith into third-down situations, as he posted a 76.0 passer rating on third down during the 2011 regular season.

Look for Smith to have a tough time this weekend against a hungry Giants' D and for the G-Men to come out on top and return to the Super Bowl.

The Defensive Line

Tied for third during the regular season in sacks with 48, the Giants have continued their pursuit of opposing quarterbacks into the postseason.

Six sacks in two playoff games, including four of likely MVP Aaron Rodgers, gives the Giants the most sacks out of the four teams left in the playoffs.

New York spent most of its season without the three-headed monster that is Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora all healthy and playing together. Those days are over.

While Tuck and JPP have yet to record a sack this postseason, Umenyiora has three, and other guys are stepping up to help. Rocky Bernard recorded a sack of Atlanta QB Matt Ryan in the Wild Card Round, and LB Michael Boley sacked Rodgers twice in last Sunday's 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

So the bad news for Alex Smith?

He was the most-sacked QB in the regular season and has been sacked twice as much as Eli Manning in half the amount of games as Manning.

I'll take the Giants' defensive line over a weak 49ers' pass attack.

Eli Manning > Alex Smith

This is a no-brainer.

Eli Manning crushed Alex Smith in every statistical category this season, so of course I'm going to say he's the better QB.

Need further evidence?

Manning's fourth-quarter passer rating was more than 15 points higher than Smith's during the regular season (110 to 94.8), and on third or fourth down with nine or more yards to go Manning's passer rating was more than 19 points higher than that of the 49ers' starting QB (104.9 to 85.8)

Granted, Manning was forced to rely more on the pass than his rushing attack, as the Giants' offensive line and running backs weren't able to get it going this season.

However, despite the rushing troubles, New York RB Ahmad Bradshaw scored more rushing touchdowns than Gore, and fellow backfield mate Brandon Jacobs finished one TD behind Gore, with seven.

The reality is that the Giants overmatch the 49ers in almost every major offensive position.

The Giants' WRs

The Giants have arguably the most underrated receiving tandem in the NFL.

Victor Cruz set multiple records in his first complete season as a starter, completing his 2011 campaign with 82 receptions, 1,536 yards and nine TDs.

Hakeem Nicks notched yet another solid season, catching 76 balls for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns. Furthermore, Nicks has established himself as the deadliest wideout in the 2011 NFL playoffs due to his 13 receptions for 280 yards and four TDs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown were the only other WR tandem in the NFL this season to each eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark.

Throw Mario Manningham into the mix, who has suddenly emerged in the postseason with two touchdowns, and the Giants have the deadliest receiving corps in the playoffs.