NFC Championship Game 2012: Giants vs. 49ers Predictions

The San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants will be facing off in the 2012 NFC championship game this Sunday. This marks the eighth postseason contest between the two teams.

Sure, we can get into how both these teams have quietly established a postseason rivalry, how the two franchises have a combined eight Super Bowl victories between them. We can also bring up how both quarterbacks were No. 1 picks in the NFL draft and how both went on to have totally different careers.

Has Alex Smith gone to the "next level," or is Eli Manning "elite"? Or how the Giants look like the 2010 Green Bay Packers. That's neither here nor there.

Let's forget the cliched and meaningless generalizations and get straight to it, shall we?

The 49ers are 2.5-point favorites over the Giants. Is it possible for the Giants to pull off an upset? Absolutely. Manning will most likely outperform Smith on Sunday. He has had solid performances in the playoffs so far, but will he be able to keep it up against the 49ers' stingy defense?

If I had to put money on this game, I'd take the 49ers and the over (42 points).

This game can go either way, as both teams are more than capable of pressuring the quarterback.  The Giants offense is on a roll and their running game seems to be coming back, but I think the 49ers squeak out a win.

A few notes that led to my predictions:

• The 49ers were tied for seventh place in the NFL with 42 sacks this season. Note that the 49ers did that without blitzing much. Aldon Smith, Justin Smith and Ahmad Brooks will put Manning under a lot of pressure this Sunday and slow down the Giants run game.
• The Giants did play an efficient game in their last visit to San Francisco, but their O-line struggled with the quickness of the 49ers front line.
• The 49ers secondary matches up well with the Giants receivers. All-Pro CB Carlos Rogers, who had a good game against the Giants in Week 10, is capable of shutting down Victor Cruz. Both Tarell Brown and Chris Culliver have been playing good ball in recent weeks.
• The athleticism of linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman will make it hard for the Giants to run the ball effectively, and their quickness will make it hard for the Giants to run outside or execute screen plays.
• San Francisco will definitely be focusing on running the ball, which they do very well. If they get the run game established, the Giants will more than likely change their defensive schemes and concentrate on stopping the run, which will leave the 49ers' Vernon Davis with matchups against the Giants linebackers—and that would be an advantage for the 49ers.
• The 49ers' Ted Ginn Jr. is averaging 27.1 yards per kickoff return and 12.3 yards for punt returns. He can give the 49ers excellent field position, giving the 49ers a huge edge in special teams.

But wait! Let's play devil's advocate for a bit. Some things to consider that would prove my predictions wrong:

• The 49ers tackles aren't great, so look for the Giants' four-man rush to disrupt Alex Smith from getting into any sort of rhythm. Forcing the 49ers to keep extra tights ends to help block, leaving Smith with fewer targets to throw to, and to make quick decisions—not really Smith's forte.
• The Giants are a much better football team this time around; they are healthier, the offensive line isn't struggling, their defense has come to life and Manning is playing very good football. Also, Ahmad Bradshaw, who didn't play against the 49ers in Week 10, will be in this game.
• Manning looks sharp, and is willing to take chances throwing into tight coverage; if he can continue to conjure big plays to his athletic receiving corps, then the Giants have a good chance.

Expect this to be a very close and exciting game that will go down to the last second, with the 49ers pulling off the win.

Final Score: 49ers 26, Giants 23.