Giants vs. 49ers Predictions: Strength and Weakness Pairing Favors New York

Styles make fights, or so they say in boxing and now mixed martial arts.

The same can very easily be said for evaluating success or failure in the NFL playoffs, including Sunday's NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. As with any massively important football game, matchups will be key.

Fortunately for the Giants, most of the matchups that matter fall squarely in their favor.

Defensively, New York should have its way with both phases of San Francisco's attack. The obvious mismatch for the G-Men here lies up front, where their front line of Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Chris Canty and Jason Pierre-Paul figures to have its way with a Niners offensive line that ranked 25th in pass protection, according to Football Outsiders.

If Alex Smith was sacked four times in 42 drop backs against the New Orleans Saints' subpar pass rush, how can he so much as hope to stay on his feet when the Giants come hard after him?

And don't expect Vernon Davis to be left wide open like he was against the Saints' defense. The Giants will look to defend the Pro Bowl tight end with Michael Boley, one of the best pass-coverage linebackers in the NFL, along with safety Kenny Phillips.  

Contrary to the fireworks on display at Candlestick Park last weekend, the 49ers' offense isn't predicated on the passing game, with head coach Jim Harbaugh instead favoring a physical, run-first approach to moving the ball. The Giants rank in the bottom half of the league against the run but will be up against a San Fran unit that, frankly, isn't all that productive in the ground game.

Granted, Frank Gore more or less had his way with New Orleans, piling up 127 yards on 20 total touches. Then again, Gore's production had fallen off considerably due to injury prior to the divisional round and could very well dip again after appearing to injury his right leg on the Niners' final drive.

On offense, New York would be at a severe disadvantage against San Francisco's league-best run defense...if running the ball were a big part of the Giants' game plan to begin with. Big Blue's ground game was the least productive of any in the NFL this past season and finished near the bottom in run blocking.

Of course, that doesn't much matter so long as Eli Manning is still playing like a man possessed. Peyton's little brother has thrown 10 touchdowns against just two picks in his last four games, all of which have resulted in victories for the Giants by 15 points or more.

The Niners' pass defense is good, but not great, while Big Blue ranks among the league's elite when it comes to protecting the quarterback. Should Eli be granted time to throw, he'll have little trouble picking apart a San Fran secondary that was badly exposed by Drew Brees at times last weekend.

But let's not completely discount the Giants' running game, either. New York's ability to move the ball on the ground has improved significantly along with Ahmad Bradshaw's return to health. Meanwhile, Brandon Jacobs will be plenty motivated to after getting dissed by Jerry Rice on national television.

That's not to say that the chips are bound to fall in New York's favor, much less overwhelmingly so. As hot a team as the Giants are, the Niners are on a pretty good streak themselves, having won 14 of their 17 games this season and parlaying the "Nobody believes in us" routine into a win over the NFL's most-prolific offense.

Still, if the Giants get pressure on Alex Smith, protect Eli Manning and make at least some hay on the ground in both directions, then Big Blue will be partying on its way to Indianapolis like it's 2008.

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