Giants vs 49ers Predictions: Eli Manning Will Continue His Run of Dominance

Eli Manning has been shredding teams lately, and the San Francisco 49ers are about to be his next victim.

The younger Manning brother is playing Peyton-like this season, picking apart every secondary he faces.

In the regular season, he finished in the top 10 in the NFL in passing yards (4,933), touchdowns (29) and quarterback rating (92.9). He threw for 400-plus yards on three occasions and had four games with at least three touchdown passes. 

His hot play has continued in the playoffs.

He was surgical against the Atlanta Falcons, completing 23 of 32 passes for 277 yards and three scores. The next week against Green Bay he dropped 330 yards and three more touchdowns.

The 49ers have a better defense than both of those teams, but they won't be able to cool off Manning.

Eli's always been talented, but he needed to improve his decision making in order to maximize his potential. This season, he's done just that, taking the rare leap from "above average" to "elite."

His improved patience and poise has taken his game to the next level. He doesn't get baited into as many poor throws, and he's developed into one of the most clutch quarterbacks in football.

He even replaced Peyton atop the NFL record books with 15 fourth quarter touchdown passes in the regular season.

When these two teams met in Week 10, Manning threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns. However, he was intercepted twice and his valiant comeback attempt fell just short.

In the NFC Championship Game, Manning will get his revenge. The Giants' running game has been solid, Hakeem Nicks is on fire and Victor Cruz is just waiting to explode.

It will be a close game, but that's when Manning excels. Screw "Tebow Time"—Manning is the true fourth quarter king and he'll prove it with another clutch performance on Sunday.

Prediction: Giants 27, 49ers 21