2008 NFC Championship Game Picks, Predictions, and Odds
Written January 19, 2008 by Jack Jones
We like New York +7
The New York Giants head to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game in a battle of two of the NFL’s most storied teams. Oddsmakers have the Packers listed as touchdown favorites at home this week, but don’t count the Giants out. Last week’s win over Dallas should have taught you that already. The Packers are certainly happy about playing this one at home where they are 8-1 straight up and 7-1-1 ATS this season. And the Giants certainly won’t complain about going on the road where they have won 9 straight and have covered the spread in 8 of 10 road games this season.
Eli Manning has been the difference maker to get the Giants over the hump offensively. Instead of trying to thread the needle to make the homerun play, he has taken what the defense has given him to avoid costly mistakes and the result has been a pair of postseason wins. We expect a more confident Manning to continue to manage a good football game this week to give the Giants a chance. The other thing that has really sparked the Giants has been its big time pass rush. The front line sent Jeff Garcia running for his life in round one and did the same to Tony Romo in round two. A quick word to fellow members of the sports media; the Giants pass rush was the reason for Romo’s performance, not a trip with his girlfriend to Mexico. Make sure you guys get it right and give credit where credit is due.
The Packers are playing with extreme confidence. These guys went down 14-0 early on against the Seahawks before storming back to win by 22 points. They didn’t think for even one second that the game was over when they were down early. Brett Favre makes this offense one of the most deadly in the NFL. He has done a much better job of not forcing plays this season and the result of his patience has been win after win. Some of you out there who don’t follow the Packers still might not know who Ryan Grant is. That will change this week when you watch this one. He rebounded from two fumbles early on last week to torch the Seahawks for over 200 yards rushing. Donald Driver will make the Giants pay if they do not shade him with two. This guy is a great possession receiver and great at finding holes in zone defenses which makes it much tougher for teams to take away his touches than it is for them on a guy who is basically a deep threat. Green Bay is solid at every level of its defense with a pair of lockdown corners, fast linebackers and beef on the line. New York can’t give these guys an inch and expect to win.
NFC Title Game Odds:
New York Giants +7 at BetUS
Green Bay Packers -7 at BetUS
Total is set at 42
Predicted Score:
New York Giants 17
Green Bay Packers 24
