NFC Conference Championship: Giants at 49ers

The 49ers don't miss tackles. Holy crap they were a tough team. They were resilient and hard hitting. Just ask Eli who got hit twelve times and got sacked six times. Seriously, at times he looked like a bullied 5th grader. But he never got rattled. Even after being under constant pressure he kept his cool and didn't make mistakes, even after attempting fifty-eight passes. Eli Manning is a machine and I'm not afraid to say it. He has proven that he is the heart of this scorching hot Giants team.

"Eli Manning is not afraid to kill a sucka."--Eli Manning

However, Eli wasn't the only quarterback being hit. Alex Smith got reacquainted with the Giants defense getting sacked three times and getting hit six. However, Alex Smith is not a machine. He was a human that got beat up by bigger and stronger humans. Just like the undercover SF police dressed as Giants fans, the Giants pass rush kept things reasonably in check. Vernon Davis had two big catches but there isn't much you can do to stop him. Not even penicillin can stop this VD. 

After a bunch of punts and a few scoring plays the game was tied at 17 and the contest headed into overtime. After a few possessions of watching the two defenses dominate their opponents I thought, this game will be decided on a screw up. It's either gonna be the Giants or the 9ers. Then it happened... Kyle Williams loses the football because of a tackle by Jacquain Williams. This was the second fumble from Kyle Williams. The first being a bouncing ball that hit off his knee. Sometimes a team needs to get those breaks. Some call it luck... and others call it luck. But I've heard luck be defined as, "When hard work meets opportunity." (Yes that was Lee Corso in the NCAA Football games.) But the Giants were able to capitalize on these mistakes. That you cannot take away from this team.

"I hate New York."- Joe Buck

So with one great snap adjustment by Weatherford and one good kick by Tynes the Giants are heading to the Superbowl again (much to the dismay of Joe Buck). And surprise, surprise they are facing the New England Patriots again. Thank God it's on NBC so we don't have to listen to Buck's riveting commentary. "Manning under pressure. Escapes pressure. Throws downfield, and caught by Tyree." 

So what have I learned?

-The offense and defense are both playing with so much intensity and heart. They are feeding off of one another and have created a winning atmosphere that motivates everyone on the field.

-I also learned that this mind set comes directly from Coach Coughlin. The players never lost faith in him, They never stopped playing for him.

Luckily the Patriots defense if much more flexible than the 49ers. This means we should be able to see the high flying Giants offense that has been around all season. Hopefully, this results in some much needed salsa dancing.

The Pats do present some problems, however. Those problems being Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. This two headed monster did some damage against the Giants last time they met in November. I think they key is to contain those guys. They also have hit Brady early and often. If he's on his ass every set of downs it will rattle his cage a bit. Maybe mess his hair up a bit. The Giants also need to unleash the offense that was bottled up against the 9ers, which will not be difficult on the Pats defense.

The Giants have a very good shot of winning the entire thing. The most unlikely of seasons is coming to a close on February 5th. Not bad for a 20/1 shot in July.