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Giants, Packers meet for NFC title

Jan 20, 2008 - 12:45 PM NY Giants (12-6) at Green Bay (14-3) Sunday 6:30 pm EST

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- There will be a Manning playing in a conference championship game this weekend, just not the one most people expected.

Eli - not Peyton - will represent the family on Sunday when the surprising New York Giants face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game.

A year ago, Eli watched big brother Peyton lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl title after the Giants were eliminated in the wild card round of the playoffs.

A year later, the roles are reversed. Now, Peyton will have to watch in street clothes as his baby brother tries to reach his first Super Bowl. The Colts were dethroned last week by the San Diego Chargers.

The Giants advanced to their first conference championship in seven years by upsetting the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys, 21-17, at Texas Stadium. New York avenged two regular-season losses to Dallas.

The Giants continued their remarkable road success with their ninth straight victory away from Giants Stadium, setting a single-season NFL record for most consecutive road wins.

On Sunday, they hope to match the feat of the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, who won three road playoff games en route to a Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

New York also will be looking to avenge another regular-season defeat. The Packers routed the Giants, 35-13, in Week Two at Giants Stadium, with Brett Favre completing 28-of-39 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

Sunday's rematch is a delight for traditionalists, as it pits two of the NFL's oldest and most storied franchises. The teams played for the NFL championship in 1961 and 1962, with Vince Lombardi's Packers winning each time.

As satisfying as last week's win was, New York faces an even bigger challenge this week. The Giants have to contend with the mystique of Lambeau Field, the weather (the early forecast calls for a high of six degrees on Sunday) and a still-hungry Favre, who would love to play in another Super Bowl.

Favre has split his two Super Bowl appearances, beating the New England Patriots, 35-21, in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997 and losing to the Denver Broncos, 31-24, the following season.

Criticized for erratic play throughout the season, Manning clearly benefited from his four-touchdown effort in the Giants' 38-35 Week 17 loss to the Patriots. He has thrown four TDs and no interceptions in the Giants' two playoff wins.

"I don't know if he silenced the critics," Giants running back Brandon Jacobs said. "In this game, you're always going to have critics.

"I think Eli Manning is a great quarterback. He's the best I've ever played with. I love the guy to death."

The 27-year-old Manning may have done some growing up the last three weeks. Still, he played poorly in cold-weather games down the stretch.

That usually isn't a concern for Favre, who has played some of his best games in frigid conditions. He excelled in the snow last week at Lambeau Field, passing for three touchdowns in the Packers' surprisingly easy 42-20 win over the Seahawks.

With the top-seeded Cowboys eliminated, the Packers host another playoff game instead of traveling to Texas Stadium. That is good news for Favre, who has a career mark of 0-9 at Dallas.

In another interesting storyline, the Giants will be re-united with Packers running back Ryan Grant, who will be looking to inflict some damage on his former team.

The Giants gave up on Grant, trading him to the Packers before the start of the season. Not much was known about the Notre Dame product, but he became an instant hit for the Packers, boosting a running game that ranked last in the league for most of the season.

Last week, Grant overcame two early fumbles to rush for a Packers' playoff record of 201 yards on a slippery field.

Green Bay is hosting its first NFC championship game since defeating the Carolina Panthers, 23-10, in 1997.