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What: NFC wild-card game. When: 3:40 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Lambeau Field. Television: Fox. Radio: AM-620.

Series: Packers lead, 32-26-2. Line: Packers by 5.

Weather: 10-15 degrees, partly sunny. Surface: DD GrassMaster.

Coaches: Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy (122-68-1) vs. New York’s Ben McAdoo (11-5).

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

THEY MEET AGAIN: When Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning last met in a playoff game, it was the 2011 divisional round at Lambeau Field. The Giants won, 37-20, as Manning finished with a passer rating of 114.5 compared with 78.5 for Rodgers. “The most amazing thing to me about Aaron Rodgers is all the different places and positions that he can throw the football and be accurate,” Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Thursday. “A lot of guys have to be perfect when the ball is accurate. Aaron can be anywhere. He can be running right, running left, being up inside, off his back foot, not having his feet set and he can flick the ball anywhere. He is just accurate with every throw that he makes.” Added one scout: “He’s the exact opposite of Eli. Eli is a sitting duck. He just goes down.”

ONCE THEY WERE TEAMMATES: Free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix started 20 of 38 games at Alabama from 2011-’13 before declaring for the draft a year early and being the 21st pick in the ’14 draft. Strong safety Landon Collins started 23 of 41 games for the Crimson Tide from 2012-’14 before declaring a year early and being a second-round pick (No. 33) in the ’15 draft. Each made the Pro Bowl this year. “Collins has really been a playmaker,” said an executive in personnel. “Impact player, especially when they bring him up in the box. Clinton-Dix is a rangy centerfielder with ball skills and can tackle. Collins is more physical in a short area. I’d take Clinton-Dix, but Collins is playing well.” Another scout called Collins the Giants’ MVP. “Everybody feeds off him,” he said. “Coverage, blitzing, run support. He’s been phenomenal.”

ATTACK ATTITUDE: The Giants are tied for 20th in blitz rate at 23.9%, according to Sportradar. For about the last month, however, Spagnuolo has increased his pressure numbers in part to compensate for the loss of DE Jason Pierre-Paul (sports hernia). “Looks like they just said, ‘Look, we got Janoris (Jenkins), who is locking people down, and ‘DRC’ (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) has been locking people down and (Eli) Apple has been really good,’” said one scout. “It was, ‘All right, let’s go get these guys.’ They got those guys in the back end so they started getting after them.” Added another scout: “They’re bringing a lot more people now than earlier in the year. By a lot. Especially Collins.”

BOMBS AWAY: The Giants are a base three-wide receiver team. At times, TE Will Tye will flex to the slot creating a four-wide look. With the Packers struggling at cornerback, look for Manning to throw often to the perimeter. “All day long,” said one scout. “That’s what I would do to the Packers. ‘Hey, let’s empty their secondary because our third and fourth receivers … Victor Cruz is going to be better than Morgan Burnett in the slot. I’d take Victor Cruz over the Packers’ top corner. That’d be a good matchup for the Giants, and that’s their third receiver. Then you’ve got (Odell) Beckham and (Sterling) Shepard.”

BELLY BUMPERS: The Packers rushed for 147 yards on Oct. 9, the most against the Giants all season. Eddie Lacy had a field day, carrying 11 times for 81 yards (7.4) before departing with an ankle injury in the third quarter. The Giants limited Dallas to 101 and 106 rushing yards in their two victories. Part of the reason for the Packers’ success on the ground was the ability of center JC Tretter to reach and snatch nose tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison, the 350-pound fulcrum of New York’s run defense. “It’s not like he’s a slob or anything,” said one scout. “Everything on him is big. The guy’s in shape. It’s a crime he didn’t get voted to the Pro Bowl.”

Bob McGinn

VIEWS OF THE GAME

BOB McGINN

Two extremely confident teams line up at icy Lambeau Field. The Giants trust their defense against any opponent while wondering if Eli Manning still can win a big game. On the other hand, the Packers trust their offense while wondering if their defense can hold up. Green Bay doesn’t play many close games, but this looks like the exception.

TOM SILVERSTEIN

After taking the Packers over the Giants in 2011 and ’07, I vowed never to take them again in a similar playoff matchup. I’m going to stick with that vow. The Packers had to work too hard to get to the playoffs; the Giants are cruising in. I’ll take the team that beat Dallas twice.

Giants 24, Packers 21

MICHAEL COHEN

The Giants arrive at Lambeau Field on the strength of their defense, a unit better than anything the Packers have seen in the second half of the season. But even if the Giants do a decent job of containing Aaron Rodgers and his red-hot offense — and I think they will — I’m not sure Eli Manning can get his team to the end zone on a consistent basis. The Giants’ defense shows up, but the Packers still advance.

Packers 21, Giants 17

PETE DOUGHERTY

The Giants stop the run, and their secondary can match up with the Packers’ receiving corps, so they have a real chance as five-point underdogs. But the guess here is they don’t have enough offensive punch to keep up with a peaking Aaron Rodgers.

Packers 24, Giants 20

RYAN WOOD

The Giants have a good defense that matches up well against the Packers, and that isn’t ideal. But Aaron Rodgers has made good defenses look bad with his torrid late-season play. The Packers have reached 30 points in each of their past four games, two coming against top-six scoring defenses. In a close playoff game that will be higher scoring than expected, the edge goes to the better quarterback playing at home.

Packers 27, Giants 24

FAH1223 wrote:If the Giants scored more points throughout the season, I'd take them easily today.

But their offense has been so bad all year. Then again, we have the perfect cure. DOM CAPERS. Let's see how bad the secondary fares and if they make adjustments. My bet is he doesn't make adjustments.

2007/2011 gave me nightmares of an L last night

Mags FTW wrote:I'm in the same camp as Silverstein. I felt extremely confident heading into the 2 previous Giant losses. Since then I've changed my philosophy to just trust the team with the superior defense will prevail.

That being said, these Giants don't have the same style defense as the other two. The others got pressure with their front 4. With JPP out, this Giants team relies on Apple and Jenkins to engineer coverage sacks and lock down their receivers so other DBs and LBs can blitz.

If we can pick up the blitz, get it to Cook, and protect the ball I'll feel a lot better about our chances.

This is where I think

MickeyDavis wrote:Don't get too cute with play calling. Go with what has worked the past few weeks. Make them try to stop us.

rilamann wrote:It's incredibly frustrating to think that Aaron Rodgers would be going for probably his 3rd or 4th ring today if our defense was perennially ''average'' since 2011.

We have one of the best QBs in NFL history currently playing out of his mind at home in a playoff game today and the smarter pick is probably picking against his team.

Thanks Ted Thompson.

RRyder823 wrote:

rilamann wrote:It's incredibly frustrating to think that Aaron Rodgers would be going for probably his 3rd or 4th ring today if our defense was perennially ''average'' since 2011.

We have one of the best QBs in NFL history currently playing out of his mind at home in a playoff game today and the smarter pick is probably picking against his team.

Thanks Ted Thompson.

So pretty much every professional gambler isn't as smart as you?

And holy ****. 3rd or 4th ring since 2011?

You really do think it's easy to win a ring?

This is why Packers fans are spoiled. Because of expectations like that


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app

rilamann wrote:

RRyder823 wrote:

rilamann wrote:It's incredibly frustrating to think that Aaron Rodgers would be going for probably his 3rd or 4th ring today if our defense was perennially ''average'' since 2011.

We have one of the best QBs in NFL history currently playing out of his mind at home in a playoff game today and the smarter pick is probably picking against his team.

Thanks Ted Thompson.

So pretty much every professional gambler isn't as smart as you?

And holy ****. 3rd or 4th ring since 2011?

You really do think it's easy to win a ring?

This is why Packers fans are spoiled. Because of expectations like that


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app

I don't think winning a Super Bowl is easy but getting to one shouldn't be this hard if your QB is Aaron Rodgers.

And to say Rodgers could be going for his 3rd or 4th today isn't a stretch,probably should have won it in 2014 and very well could have won it in 2011 if our defense wasn't historically bad.At the least should have won it one of those years,which would have Rodgers going for his 3rd today.

Hell Rodgers is in his 9th season as our starter and we've only had top #2 seed and first round bye twice,that in itself is pretty pathetic,never mind getting to Super Bowls.

And fans like you are why winning the Super Bowl isn't the #1 priority for this franchise.

PkrsBcksGphsMqt wrote:Let's make it a bad day for this guy!

Watch on YouTube

RRyder823 wrote:

rilamann wrote:

RRyder823 wrote:
So pretty much every professional gambler isn't as smart as you?

And holy ****. 3rd or 4th ring since 2011?

You really do think it's easy to win a ring?

This is why Packers fans are spoiled. Because of expectations like that


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app

I don't think winning a Super Bowl is easy but getting to one shouldn't be this hard if your QB is Aaron Rodgers.

And to say Rodgers could be going for his 3rd or 4th today isn't a stretch,probably should have won it in 2014 and very well could have won it in 2011 if our defense wasn't historically bad.At the least should have won it one of those years,which would have Rodgers going for his 3rd today.

Hell Rodgers is in his 9th season as our starter and we've only had top #2 seed and first round bye twice,that in itself is pretty pathetic,never mind getting to Super Bowls.

And fans like you are why winning the Super Bowl isn't the #1 priority for this franchise.

A: The Packers not winning in 2014 was more on Rodgers playing like crap in the NFCCG so blaming the defense entirely is wrong.

B: Guess zero other teams put winning number 1. Hell the gold standard Patriots have a whopping one SB win since then. The same as us. Almost as if it's actually tough to win a championship and people shouldn't just pencil them in the trophy case.

C: Your last statement is the dumbest thing spouted on the internet



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app

RRyder823 wrote:

rilamann wrote:

RRyder823 wrote:



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app

And fans like you are why winning the Super Bowl isn't the #1 priority for this franchise.

C: Your last statement is the dumbest thing spouted on the internet

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app

RRyder823 wrote:

rilamann wrote:

RRyder823 wrote:
So pretty much every professional gambler isn't as smart as you?

And holy ****. 3rd or 4th ring since 2011?

You really do think it's easy to win a ring?

This is why Packers fans are spoiled. Because of expectations like that


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app

I don't think winning a Super Bowl is easy but getting to one shouldn't be this hard if your QB is Aaron Rodgers.

And to say Rodgers could be going for his 3rd or 4th today isn't a stretch,probably should have won it in 2014 and very well could have won it in 2011 if our defense wasn't historically bad.At the least should have won it one of those years,which would have Rodgers going for his 3rd today.

Hell Rodgers is in his 9th season as our starter and we've only had top #2 seed and first round bye twice,that in itself is pretty pathetic,never mind getting to Super Bowls.

And fans like you are why winning the Super Bowl isn't the #1 priority for this franchise.

A: The Packers not winning in 2014 was more on Rodgers playing like crap in the NFCCG so blaming the defense entirely is wrong.

B: Guess zero other teams put winning number 1. Hell the gold standard Patriots have a whopping one SB win since then. The same as us. Almost as if it's actually tough to win a championship and people shouldn't just pencil them in the trophy case.

C: Your last statement is the dumbest thing spouted on the internet



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using RealGM mobile app