Lines, Odds, Picks and Preview |
The New York Giants will look to advance their improbable postseason run all the way to Super Bowl XLVI when they square-off against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday afternoon at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship Game. The kick-off for this clash is slated for 6:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
New York finds itself back in the conference championship after stunning the No.1 seed Green Bay Packers 37-20 this past Sunday as an eight-point road underdog. The Giants now stay on the road where they went 6-3 both straight-up and against the spread this season. The total went ‘over’ in six of the nine games.
Everything has been clicking for New York over the past four weeks with an offense that is picking teams apart with both the pass and the run to go along with a defense that rediscovered its swagger at just the right time. The main key is that Eli Manning continues to play at a high level with 607 yards passing and six touchdowns in his first two playoff games while completing 67.6 percent of his throws.
San Francisco was able to beat New Orleans at its own game in a wild 36-32 shootout that was decided by an Alex Smith to Vernon Davis touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in the game. The 49ers covered as 3.5-point home underdogs and the total easily went ‘over’ the 47-point line. They are now 8-1 SU at home this season and an impressive 8-0-1 ATS. The total has gone 5-4 in the nine games.
Look for San Francisco to get back to basics this Sunday with Frank Gore running the ball while the defense tries to keep Manning in check. However, it is good to know that Smith can lead a vertical attack with the passing game if this game ends up turning into another shootout.
New York is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games in the playoffs and 5-1 ATS in its last six games against the NFC. The total has stayed ‘under’ in seven of its last nine games in the postseason.
San Francisco is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 games overall and 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 games against the NFC. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of its last five home playoff games.
Head-to-head, the 49ers pulled-out a 27-20 victory in Week 10 as four-point home favorites, but the Giants are still 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of the last five games.
San Francisco’s defense will keep this game close until the end, but New York’s experience in games such as this carries it to the straight-up win.
The Pick: New York 27 San Francisco 24
