Giants vs. 49ers: Ranking the 10 Biggest X-Factors in NFL Title Game

The San Francisco 49ers take on the New York Giants in a 2012 NFC Championship Game that will feature a bunch of players who could end up being an x-factor.

The x-factor doesn't necessarily have to be the best player on the team either. The title can be given to a player who has a hard-to-describe but crucial role in the game.

For example, even though Vernon Davis and Hakeem Nicks are the two best offensive targets on each team's respective offense, they might not be a x-factor since defenses will be allocating a couple of defenders to shut them down.

However, there are other players on each team who could be the deciding factor.

Here's a power ranking of the 10 biggest x-factors in the NFC title game.

10. Michael Boley

The New York Giants will have a much healthier linebacker unit this time around.

When the San Francisco 49ers and the Giants played during the regular season, Michael Boley injured himself during the game and made the already thin linebacking core even thinner.

But Boley is healthy again, and the unit as a whole is playing well at the moment.

Boley is a versatile linebacker who can do a lot for the defense. He can rush the passer, cover tight ends and is a very physical tackler.

He was partly responsible for shutting down Jermichael Finley of the Green Bay Packers last weekend, which was a point of emphasis for the Giants.

But since Antrel Rolle will likely be marking Vernon Davis this game, expect Boley to focus more on pass rushing and shutting down Frank Gore.

9. Michael Crabtree

It was a tough game for Michael Crabtree last weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

He caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter to make it a 14-0 game, but then, he dropped a few passes after that and seemingly disappeared from the game plan.

However, he doesn't seem like the guy that slept well the Saturday night after the 49ers beat the Saints. His team won, but he played poorly. Crabtree is going to come into this game feeling like he has something to prove.

The 49ers need Crabtree to be a difference-maker against the Giants. Outside of Vernon Davis, the 49ers' second-leading receiver against the Saints was Frank Gore, who had seven receptions for only 38 yards.

The New York Giants are going to try to make other receivers on the 49ers besides Davis beat them. This is why Crabtree is going to need to step up and play like the No. 1 receiver that he capable of.

Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman will be dialing up plays to get the ball into Crabtree's hands all game. It'll be up to him to make some plays when given the opportunity.

8. Mario Manningham

The New York Giants are stacked at the wide receiver position.

Victor Cruz is having a breakout year in 2011, and Hakeem Nicks is finally healthy and has been burning opposing secondaries lately. He has four touchdown catches this postseason, which is more than any other receiver.

But then there's Mario Manningham. He's the forgotten one at times since he's the third wide receiver playing behind Nicks and Cruz. He had six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown during the regular-season matchup in Week 10.

He'll likely be lining up in the slot, so Chris Culliver, the 49ers nickle back, will have his hands full trying to shut him down. Even though Culliver is a rookie, he has been playing well as of late. However, that could all change on one play if he bites on the pump fake and gives up a deep ball to Manningham.

With the 49ers defense focusing more on Hicks and Cruz, expect Manningham to get his fair share of touches.

7. Joe Staley

This game is going to be won in the trenches.

Whichever defensive line is able to supply the most amount of pressure on the opposing quarterback is going to come out victorious. That's what is going to make this game so interesting since both teams have exceptional defensive lines that can pressure the quarterback when only rushing four.

One individual matchup in particular to keep an eye on is left tackle Joe Staley trying to block the right defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Staley was elected to the Pro Bowl this year and has been one of the more consistent offensive linemen in the unit. He's also one of the more athletic linemen in the NFL, and that was made evident after his crucial block on the Roman Harper that sprung Alex Smith to the end zone. Offensive linemen aren't supposed to run that fast when pulling out to block.

Staley has the athleticism to block Umenyiora and Pierre-Paul, but it's imminent that he does so on every play in order to prevent them from hitting Smith's blind side.

One sack and a forced fumble at a crucial time could decide the game.

6. Osi Umenyiora

Speaking of Osi Umenyiora, he's healthy and playing well at the moment, and that can be a scary thing for Alex Smith and the 49ers offensive line.

Umenyiora has five sacks in the past three games, including one against Aaron Rodgers that could've been the play of the game. If Umenyiora doesn't get to Rodgers on that play, the Packers score an easy touchdown, and it becomes a three-point game early in the third quarter.

You could potentially go with any of the Giants pass-rushers for this spot. Justin Tuck wasn't 100 pecent healthy when the 49ers played the Giants during the regular season, so he could potentially be an x-factor in this game.

And you can't forget about Jason Pierre-Paul either. He has arguably been the most consistent player on the Giants defense this season.

However, Umenyiora beat Joe Staley during the regular-season matchup, and that was before he got hot.

The Giants are going to make a conscious effort to shut down Frank Gore and the 49ers running game, but they can't sleep on the passing game either. If Smith has time in the pocket to make a play, he's going to move the chains.

The Giants need to put pressure on Smith if they want to win this game, which means they're going to need Umenyiora to step up.

5. Donte Whitner

Donte Whitner was the player of the game for the San Francisco 49ers when they beat the New Orleans Saints last weekend.

His hit on Pierre Thomas at the goal line during the Saints' first drive might've been the deciding factor. Not only did it set the tone for the game, but it knocked the ball loose and the 49ers recovered it.

If Whitner doesn't make that tackle, Thomas dances into the end zone, and the Saints sideline is beaming with confidence that they scored on the 49ers defense on the first drive.

Either Whitner or fellow starting safety Dashon Goldson need to make a play like that early in the game against the New York Giants and let the wide receivers know that they're going to be punished every time they catch the ball.

Whitner needs to play stout pass coverage as well. He might be marking Giants tight end Jake Ballard, so it's imperative that he doesn't bite on the play-action and let his man get behind the defense.

Any time a defense is going up against Eli Manning, it's going to be a busy day for the safeties.

4. Antrel Rolle

Antrel Rolle might not be the main reason why the Giants win if they happen to pull it off, but he could end up being the scapegoat it they lose.

Rolle made a questionable decision when he decided to call out 49ers tight end Vernon Davis. It wasn't one the most controversial trash-talking moments in football history, but it was probably more than enough to catch Davis' attention.

Davis will now get a chance to get the last word because Rolle will likely be marking him throughout the course of the game.

We saw how dangerous Davis can be in the passing game after he accumulated 180 yards and two touchdowns through the air last weekend. The New Orleans Saints, however, went with a lot of man-to-man defense that game, and Davis was able to take advantage of it.

The Giants are going to try to minimize the times where Rolle will be matched up against Davis in man-coverage. But there will be times throughout the game where that won't be an option.

The middle of the Giants secondary was the weak spot this year, so expect Davis to try and exploit that.

Rolle will need to step up and prevent Davis from getting into the open field. The 49ers offense can put up points in a hurry if Davis gets involved in the passing game.

3. Justin Smith

If you hadn't really heard of Justin Smith before the New Orleans Saints game last weekend, you became fully aware of how good and disruptive he actually is.

His bull rush against Jermon Bushrod got everyone talking about him, but Smith has actually been doing that all season.

The 49ers sent four or fewer pass-rushers after the quarterback 80.9 percent of the time this year, which was the second most in the NFL. However, they have hit the opposing quarterback 102 times, which was the third most in the league, and tied for seventh in quarterback sacks with 42.

The main reason for this was Smith—the best 3-4 defensive end in the NFL.

He can rush the passer with his brute strength and has the speed and acceleration to stuff running plays to either the left or right side. He also constantly demands a double team every play, and when he isn't doubled, plays like the one he made against Bushrod are inevitable.

Also, when Smith is doubled, it gives his teammates the opportunity to remain scot-free and make a play. You can credit at least a few of Aldon Smith's sacks to Justin Smith because of his ability to eat up blockers.

2. Alex Smith

Every time the San Francisco 49ers have needed Alex Smith to step up this season, he has without any hesitation.

Smith has also came through in the clutch this season by leading six fourth-quarter comebacks in 2011. The most recent and remarkable one was against the New Orleans Saints in the divisional game last weekend. Smith technically should've had two that week since he conducted two 80-plus yard drives in the final four minutes.

Also, when the 49ers have needed Smith to take the reigns and be the focal point of the offense, he has thrived in each of those situations. This was even the case against the New York Giants in Week 10 when Justin Tuck called out Smith and claimed that he was "playing decent."

Smith then went out and moved the chains against the Giants defense all game. It was arguably Smith's best game of the season up to that point.

It will be interesting to see how the Giants plan to defend Smith this game. With a healthy Frank Gore and a much more balanced offensive attack than earlier in the year, the Giants will have to respect both the running game and the passing game of the 49ers.

Plus, all you have to do is look at Smith's numbers at home this year. He has completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,646 yards, 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions. That was good enough for a 102.3 quarterback rating.

1. Eli Manning

All eyes will be on Eli Manning during this game—and rightly so.

If given the time, he has the ability to pick apart opposing secondaries. This week will be no exception, but protection will be key. How well the Giants offensive line protects Manning could be the deciding factor of the game. But with Aldon Smith and Justin Smith coming off the corners, that won't be a simple task.

We were able to see how Manning handled the 49ers stifling defense earlier in the year. He played admirably by throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He started the game off going 11-of-11 and looked as sharp as ever against a very talented 49ers defense.

If it wasn't for a few dropped passes and communication lapses, Manning could've easily led the Giants to a victory in San Francisco.

The 49ers are likely to prevent the Giants from getting anything going on the ground, so expect Manning to throw the ball around 40 to 50 times this game.

If the Giants pull off the upset, Manning will have led them.