Giants vs. Packers: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info, Game Time and More

The New York Giants and Green Bay Packers have a rich postseason history.

Packers team historian Cliff Christl notes on Packers.com that no two teams have faced each other more in NFL championship games (including Super Bowls).

Between 1938 and 1944, the G-Men and Pack faced each other in the NFL Championship three times, with Green Bay taking two of three.

In 1961 and 1962, Vince Lombardi's Packers defeated quarterback Y.A. Tittle and the Giants in consecutive NFL Championships.

The Giants and Packers would not face each other in the playoffs until 35 seasons later in the NFC Championship Game, when New York upset Green Bay at Lambeau Field, 23-20 in overtime, in Brett Favre's last game as a Packer. The Giants went on to win Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated New England Patriots.

And then just five years ago, the Giants went into Lambeau Field again and upset the Aaron Rodgers-led Pack, who went 15-1 in the regular season, by a 37-20 score. The Giants then defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game before beating the Patriots again in the Super Bowl.

This game has the potential to be an all-time classic. Let's take a look at the information surrounding the game before diving into the matchups.

Giants vs. Packers Game Info

When: Sunday, Jan. 8, 4:40 p.m. ET

Where: Lambeau Field in Green Bay

TV: Fox

Odds: Packers (-4.5), per OddsShark (as of Friday, January 6)

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Last Time Around

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Packers beat the Giants, 23-16 on Sunday Night Football on October 9, but the score doesn't indicate how lopsided the game felt.

Green Bay out-gained New York, 406-221, and the Giants couldn't get much of anything going offensively at all. They rushed for only 43 yards as a team. Bobby Rainey led the way with just 22.

Eli Manning threw for 199 yards and a touchdown, but he rarely had time to set up, as the Packers defense pressured him all night and sacked him four times.

The score was an eight-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. with just two minutes and 54 seconds left in the game.

For Green Bay, running back Eddie Lacy was rolling with 81 yards on just 11 carries before leaving with an ankle injury. The Packers' pass offense didn't find too much success, but Rodgers was able to do just enough for the win, throwing for 259 yards and two touchdowns (along with two interceptions).

Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson caught those touchdowns, but it was Randall Cobb who proved to be the difference-maker for Green Bay. He caught nine passes for 108 yards and was a thorn in New York's side all night.

Cobb's 13-yard catch on 3rd-and-10 with two minutes remaining sealed the win for Green Bay.

When Green Bay Has the Ball

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Packers have scored at least 21 points in 11 straight games. During Green Bay's six-game winning streak to close out the regular season, they've averaged 30.8 points per game.

Let that sink in for a minute.

The Pack may not have a prototypical running back with Lacy lost for the season, but it doesn't matter. Rodgers is a future Hall of Famer playing some of the best football of his storied career.

The sportsbooks are so impressed by Green Bay's recent offensive onslaught that they are giving the Pack the third-best odds to win the Super Bowl, behind only No. 1 seeds New England and Dallas and ahead of No. 2 seeds Kansas City and Atlanta, who have byes through the Wild Card round.

Green Bay will face its toughest test of the season Sunday, though, as the Giants have the second-best scoring defense in the NFL, behind only the 14-2 Patriots.

In particular, the pass defense is making its case as arguably the best unit in the league, with 15 interceptions in their last 10 games.

It's hard to give either side the edge in this matchup. Aaron Rodgers, at some point, will scramble around four Giants defenders for 10 seconds and find a wide-open receiver for the first down, as he usually does, but it's possible New York gets the better of Rodgers and picks him off a time or two as well.

When New York Has the Ball

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The key here is whether New York is able to run the ball against a Packers defense that allows only 94.7 yards rushing per game, good enough for eighth in the NFL.

They didn't last time around, but Rashad Jennings was sidelined and rookie running back Paul Perkins hadn't assumed a complementary role in the backfield just yet.

Now the duo has rushed for at least 90 yards in their last four games, including 154 against Washington Sunday.

If the Giants can run effectively and keep the ball out of Rodgers' hands, it will go a long way towards a road victory.

As far as the passing game goes, the Giants can take advantage of a patchwork Packers secondary that will be missing cornerbacks Quinten Rollins and Makinton Dorleant. Odell Beckham Jr. is capable of taking a five-yard slant for a long touchdown against any team, and Sterling Shepard caught 65 passes and eight touchdowns in his rookie year.

That being said, the Giants offense stagnates at times, either because the run game can't get going, a pass-catcher aside from Beckham can't make the big play or the pass rush gets to Manning.

Much like the matchup between the Packers offense and Giants defense, expect each side to have their wins on the field, with neither side dominating.

Special Teams

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Both teams have middle-of-the-road special teams units, per Football Outsiders, with the Giants ranking 15th and the Packers 20th.

Veteran kickers are on either side. Robbie Gould is a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals for the Giants after replacing Josh Brown. He's 20-for-23 on extra points, although two of those misses came on a windy day at the Meadowlands against Chicago.

Mason Crosby had another solid year for Green Bay, making 26 of 30 field goals and 44 of 47 extra-point attempts.

Giants return man Dwayne Harris has the potential to break the game open. Since becoming a full-time kick and punt returner in 2012, Harris has three punt-return touchdowns and a kickoff-return touchdown. Green Bay is 14th in punt-return yardage and 24th in kickoff-return yardage.

Prediction

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

This game is the hardest one to call over the weekend. The only easy prediction to make about this game is that it should stay relatively close.

It comes down to a gut call and a fear that betting against Rodgers, given how hot he's been the last few months, isn't a wise move, especially when he's at home.

In Vegas, I'd take the Giants and the four-and-a-half points.

Straight-up, give me Green Bay in an overtime thriller.

Green Bay 20, New York 17 (OT)