Brett Favre.
He owns records for wins (160), touchdown passes (442), passing yards (61,655) and completions (5,377). His record is 43-5 at Green Bay when the gametime temperature is 34 degrees or colder, and thanks to the Giants knocking off the Cowboys, he doesn't have to travel to Dallas where he is 0-9 lifetime. In his last meeting with the Giants, Favre had his way with the Giants defense who were still playing with their training wheels on, trying to learn Steve Spagnuolo's new defense. Favre completed 29 of his 38 passes for 286 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and had 1 interception.

Eli Manning.
He's thrown eight touchdown passes with one interception over these critical last three games, and no picks in the playoffs. They'll probably call him 'Cool Hand Luke' if he puts on a successful showing against Green Bay. Not only for his demeanor, but you see, Eli doesn't like to play with a glove on his throwing hand, and the temperatures are predicted at around 4 degrees with a 10 mph wind. Manning had a real hot 132.4 passer rating last week at Dallas, but it tends to dip in the cooler regions and that could be trouble. Last time against Green Bay, Manning was playing with an injured shoulder, and he completed 16 of his 29 passes for 211 yards, had 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception. Brandon Jacobs did not play in that game and Derrick Ward carried the ball 15 times for 90 yards.

Giants Offense.
They'll have a stronger running game this time against the Packers, and will probably need it the way the temperatures will be. A physical Brandon Jacobs and an elusive Ahmad Bradshaw can be tough for any defense and both can handle options and screen passes. It also doesn't hurt Eli Manning that rookie Steve Smith is stepping up and that another rookie, tight end Kevin Boss, is filling in nicely for Jeremy Shockey. Amani Toomer caught two touchdown passes last weekend, is nearly always a sure target when Plaxico Burress is getting all the attention.

Giants Defense.
They went easy on Tony Romo in the first half last week letting him complete 8 of 14 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown with no sacks. They sacked him twice, chased him around, and held him to 10 completions on 22 passes for 119 yards and no touchdown passes after that. Cornerback R.W. McQuarters iced the game with his interception in the end zone. Aaron Ross suffered a dislocated shoulder and he was still playing. Corey Webster had to deal with Terrell Owens, and rookie Geoffrey Pope was in the game as the nickel back after spending the regular season on the practice squad. It seems whoever is in to play for the Giants secondary, be it rookie, injured veteran or both, can get the job done and more. One of the big reasons for that is having Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora on the defensive line and Antonio Pierce in the middle of the linebackers, assisting the Giants fierce pass rush. Together, this group has contained Jeff Garcia and Tony Romo in successive weeks. Neither quarterback threw for more than 202 yards, and the defense has a combined 3 interceptions while giving up just 2 touchdown passes.

Green Bay Defense.
Last week their defense held the Seahawks to just 28 yards on 18 attempts for a 1.6-yard average per carry. Ryan Pickett makes things like that happen, because when he went down with a groin injury against St. Louis, they gave up a season-high 173 yards rushing. Against the Bears they gave up 139 yards. He played last week and it showed. They're ranked third in the NFL in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 33 percent of their third-down chances. Cornerbacks Charles Woodson, the fourth overall pick in the 1998 Draft, and Al Harris can make any passing game difficult even without bad weather conditions. Aaron Kampman leads the team with 12 sacks and could cause trouble for a nicked up Kareem McKenzie.

Green Bay Offense.
Brett Favre is the team trademark quarterback and he certainly makes the passing game work. Suddenly, the Packers have also come up with a nice running game, courtesy of the Giants who traded him for a sixth-round pick. When Ryan Grant came in for an injured DeShawn Wynn in a Monday night game at Denver and finished up with a 104-yard rushing game, he became a key player for the offense. Six games were already gone by that point, but Grant ended the season just 44 yards short of 1,000 yards rushing. He became the big story last week when he fumbled twice on the Packers first three plays, leading to two quick touchdowns by Seattle, but came back with a franchise-record 201 yards in 27 carries and three touchdowns. Osi Umenyiora played in the last meeting with a shoulder injury, and will a bit trickier to handle this time out.

Notes.
Giants have won nine straight road games.
They are the first team to win nine straight away from home in a single season.
The visiting team has won the last four meetings, dating back to 1998.

Giants Jeff Feagles,will play in his first NFC Championship Game after 320 games in 20 seasons.

Giants Michael Strahan or Green Bay's Brett Favre may be playing in their last game if they chose not to return next season..

Green Bay reached the NFC title game for the first time since the 1997 season, and played to the largest crowd ever at Lambeau.

This game on January 20 is the latest date in winter a game is being played in Green Bay.

Website by Mike