NFL Playoffs 2012: Giants Victory over San Fran Would Be Biggest in Team History

As big as the upset win in Super Bowl XLII was, defeating the 49ers would be bigger and better. How can a Conference Championship Game ever trump a Super Bowl victory? It is rare, but in this case, the way the Giants played in the regular season makes their presence in the conference title game, and potentially the Super Bowl, more improbable.

The Patriots had gone undefeated in the regular season coming into their Super Bowl matchup with the Giants in 2007, but the chinks in the armor had begun to show. Big Blue had just played them tight in the final game of the regular season, and overall that Giants team was better than the 2011 version.

As good as the Patriots were in 2007, and beating them was certainly huge, the mediocre play of the Giants in 2011 makes this potential victory over the Niners more amazing.

Improbability builds drama,  and from drama comes legendary and memorable moments. If Eli Manning can guide this team, that inched into the playoffs at 9-7, into the Super Bowl, it will be a monumental accomplishment.

The Giants owe this opportunity to two bitter rivals. The Dallas Cowboys late-season collapse and the drastic underachievement by the Philadelphia Eagles facilitated the Giants division crown and subsequent playoff berth as much as the G-Men's play. The Giants were -6 in point differential for the entire season.Yet now, the Giants sit one game away from the franchise's fifth trip to the Super Bowl.

Defeating the Niners is going to be a difficult task. San Francisco tied for the league lead in forcing turnovers this season, and they continued this trend last week against the Saints. Ball control has been an issue for the Giants this season, as 17 of their 24 turnovers came in their seven losses.

The Niners are the best run defense in the NFL, whereas the Giants had the worst rushing attack in the league in the regular season, though it has improved in the playoffs. Despite Eli's brilliance, the Giants are at their best when they run the ball. They average 106 yards on the ground in their 11 regular season and playoff wins, and only 75 in their seven losses.

What are the chances they rush for 100 yards against the Niners? The Giants are 3-6 when the rushing attack doesn't reach 100 yards. This adds to the level of improbability.

All of this supports the thought that defeating the Niners is unlikely; but if it happens, there will be no greater victory recorded in the Giants' storied history.

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