The New York Giants take on the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card week of the 2012 NFL Playoffs. At 10-6, the Falcons secured a Wild Card berth finishing second in the NFC South behind the New Orleans Saints. They’re coming off a 45-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 17 action.

The Giants clinched the NFC East championship last week with a 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

This NFL playoff game will be played on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 1:00 PM ET in Metlife Stadium (formerly the Meadowlands).

The Giants are on a roll. They are healthy, have Eli Manning at the helm and all the confidence in the world. Here are 8 reasons why the Giants will beat the Falcons in the 2012 NFL Playoffs.

1. Eli Manning
   Not only is Eli Manning having his best year, he’s been in this position before and succeeded in leading the New York Giants to a Super Bowl in 2007.And don’t forget that Eli is at his best when the chips are down, leading the Giants to 6 4th quarter comebacks during the 2011 NFL regular season. In head-to-head match-up with Falcons QB Matt Ryan, Manning has more completions (359 vs 347) and passing yards (4933 vs 4177).
2. Peaking at the Right time
   The Giants are coming off two impressive victories in must-win games (Week 16 vs NY Jets and Week 17 vs. Dallas Cowboys). The defense is healthy again, wide receiver Victor Cruz has been electrifying. He has 82 catches, 1536 yds, 9 TDs, a crucial 99 TD reception in week 16 against the Jets, and another for 74 yards against the Cowboys in week 17.The Defense is playing the best it has all season and the running game has significantly improved.
3. They’re Healthy
   RB Ahmad Bradshaw, DE Justin Tuck, DE Osi Umenyiora and TE Jake Ballad will suit up.
4. Giants Defense Is Back
   The Giants defense, ravished by injuries to key pass rushers, has been exploited by their opponents all year. If it weren’t for the All Pro play of of defense end Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants wouldn’t be playing in the 2011 NFL playoffs.Last week, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora showed they were healthy enough to be major factors in the win over Dallas.
5. Deja Vu
   The Giants have been here before. Back in 2007, the Giants reeled off 4 consecutive victories and won the Super Bowl. 14 Giant players from that championship team remain.
6. 12th Man
   The Giants play at home. You can bet the crowd will be a factor.
7. Team Chemistry
   Those last two wins have the Giants believing they can go all the way.
8. Tom Coughlin
   You can be Coach Coughlin will have his players ready to execute a solid game plan.

On Wednesday, Jan 6, the New York Daily News reported that Pepper Johnson, the former Giants linebacker and current Patriots defensive line coach, is a possible candidate for the Giants defensive coordinator position.

According to two people familiar with Pepper Johnson’s thinking, he would also be “very interested” in becoming the next Giants defensive he job. He has never been a defensive coordinator, but he has won two Super Bowl rings as a player and three as a Patriots assistant.

He also is a brilliant defensive mind, according to those who know him, and his presence and winning background would certainly get the attention of the Giants’ deflated defensive players.

“Yeah, definitely, it would be instant respect,” said Carl Banks, the former Giants linebacker and a teammate of Johnson’s from 1986-92. “But even if they know nothing of his history and care nothing about Giant tradition, they’ll respect his knowledge of the game. They’ll respect the success he has in this league and the teams he’s coached.”

Johnson, 45, has been a defensive assistant under Bill Belichick for 10 seasons, after lasting 13 years as a player in the NFL. In all, this will be his 16th season playing or coaching for the man Banks called “one of the brightest minds in football.”

And according to Banks, who is part of the Giants’ broadcast team on WFAN, that pedigree should count for a lot when Coughlin considers a replacement for Bill Sheridan, who was fired Monday after one miserable season as defensive coordinator.

“You could get another guy that might be bright, but in my opinion you’ve got to look at everything,” Banks said. “You’ve got to bring a guy who subscribes to winning principles and has been a part of it. You look at the Yankees. They don’t settle. The Yankees don’t bring in guys that could be good. They bring in guys that are good.

“And if you listen closely to what John Mara said (on Monday), I think it’s pretty clear what his standard is.”

What’s not clear is where Johnson sits on Coughlin’s short list, which one team source said is actually long. According to various team and NFL sources, it includes several coaches with defensive coordinator experience, including former Bills interim coach Perry Fewell, who was Coughlin’s defensive backs coach in Jacksonville (1998-2002) and who will reportedly interview for the job tomorrow.

Other experienced candidates on the list include former Bills and Bears coach Dick Jauron, Coughlin’s former defensive coordinator in Jacksonville (1995-98); Jets linebackers coach Bob Sutton (the Jets defensive coordinator from 2006-08) and Dolphins linebackers coach George Edwards (the Redskins defensive coordinator from 2002-03).

It may also include Dom Capers, another of Coughlin’s former Jacksonville defensive coordinators, although Capers currently holds that job with the Packers and makes more than $2million per year. Also available is Romeo Crennel, the former Browns head coach and Giants assistant who ran Belichick’s defense in New England from 2001-04.

But according to a team source, previous experience as a defensive coordinator isn’t necessarily a requirement. And it shouldn’t be, Banks said.

“When you look at what’s needed to straighten out the defense, it’s a culture that’s conducive to accountability and winning,” he said. “That’s how (Johnson) was brought up as a player. And then if you take the intangibles, I guarantee you guys will work for him.”

Now that the Patriots season is over, it’s time for the Giants front office to sign Pepper Johnson as Big Blue’s defensive coordinator and bring back the soul of the Giants - it’s DEFENSE.

source: nydailynews.com

Going into week 15 of the 2009 NFL season, the NFC playoff picture is pretty clear. Four teams have already clinched a spot in the NFC playoffs; they are the Saints (13-1), Vikings (11-3), Cardinals (9-5) and Eagles (10-4). Three other teams are in the hunt for the final two NFC playoff spots, they include the Cowboys (9-5), Packers (9-5) and the Giants (8-6).

Here is the NFC playoff picture going into week 15 of the NFL season:

New Orleans Saints (13-1)

• Clinched the the NFC South and a first-round bye
• Clinches homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
  A win or tie OR
  Minnesota loss or tie

Minnesota Vikings (11-3)

• Clinched NFC North
• Clinches first-round bye with:
  A win and Philadelphia loss or tie OR
  A tie and Philadelphia loss

Arizona (9-5)

• Clinched NFC West

Philadelphia (10-4)

• Clinched a playoff spot
• Clinches NFC East with:
  A win and Dallas loss or tie OR
  A tie and Dallas loss

Green Bay Packers (9-5)

• Clinches a playoff spot with:
  A win and Giants loss or tie OR
  A win and Dallas loss OR
  A tie and Giants loss

Dallas Cowboys (9-5)

• Clinches a playoff spot with:
  win and Giants loss or tie OR
  tie and Giants loss

The New York Giants are still in the NFC playoff picture but it will take a loss by both the Packers AND Cowboys over the next three weeks in order for them to have a chance.

sources: NY Daily News, nfl.com, espn.com