NFL 
/ Andy Richmond / 21 January 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Victor Cruz has been very impressive this season
"Adding all of that up I make it that the 49ers have the slightest of edges and further bonus points can be tacked on for their home record (7-1) plus the fact they have had an additional days’ rest..."
These two are very hard to split in most ways and the betting certainly reflects that. So let's look at all the key areas to see who holds the upper hand, says Andy Richmond.
New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers
Sunday January 22
Live on SKYSports3 23:15
Match odds: New York Giants [2.24], San Francisco [1.79]
The expected passing shoot-out between the Packers and the Saints to decide the NFC champions never materialised, both of those two being out-muscled by the hard-hitting franchises of New York and San Francisco, which ushers in a contest surrounded by echoes of the past. Both sides have surprised this season - Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers first-year-coach inherited a 6-10 team and guided them to 13 wins and the franchise's first playoff berth in nine seasons. The Giants started the season well before suffering their now predictable second-half of the season blip before clinching the NFC East by closing the regular season with double-digit wins over the Jets and Cowboys. New York have now become the first team to begin the pos-tseason in the wild-card round and win their first two games by at least 17 points.
As the handicap market suggests, this game is close and the sides are both well-balanced, although not without their flaws in certain areas and small margins will decide this game. To that end: where are the edges in the game's important areas?
At quarterback, well though Alex Smith played in the victory over the Saints, the edge has to lie with the Giants' Eli Manning, who I think it's fair to say has reached elite status in his position this season. Smith makes smart decisions and manages a game well but he will face pressure on Sunday and Manning has been making every throw, whether facing pressure or in tight windows, something he must continue on Sunday. The running game has been vital to the 49ers 'success and if Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter can remain as efficient as they have during the regular season, that will lighten the load for Smith on second and third downs. The Giants have a resurgent running game after that facet of the game was moribund earlier in the season - Ahmand Bradshaw causes the most danger out of the backfield, he's particularly dangerous in the short passing game while Brandon Jacobs is a more typical north/south runner, one that the San Francisco "D" found it easy to handle in the regular season. For sheer power, the 49ers take the plaudits in this department.
The G-Men without doubt have a clear advantage in the receiving game, with their dangerous trio headed by Victor Cruz, aided and abetted by Mario Mannigham and Hakeem Nicks - as a group they rank among the most cohesive in the league. The 49ers have never really stretched anyone deep this year and in truth they don't have the personnel that carries that threat, although I do feel that their tight-end Vernon Davis matches up well with the Giants' secondary and the bottom line is that if Smith finds him open San Francisco win. He had 60 catches in their victories and just seven catches in their three losses.
Defensively, the Giants will generate more pressure up front and it's one of the major strengths of their team that they have four dynamic and quick pass-rushers (Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Dave Tollefson or Mathias Kiwanuka) onto the field at once. That's a load for any O-line, which is why the Giants have 17 sacks in their last four games. Smith will need to deliver quick intermediate strikes and get the ball out of his hands quickly to be effective. Away from that defensive front the superiority lies with the San Francisco linebackers and secondary, who love to be physical and create turnovers, something Manning has been prone to in the past.
Let's not forget special teams either and the kicking game and field position are something that in a game of small margins will be one way of gaining control - in David Akers and Andy Lee San Francisco have the leading kicking and punting duo in the NFL. If it does come down to a last minute field goal to settle the contest, then I for one would take Akers over his rival for the Giants Lawrence Tynes, who is prone to missing a vital kick at times.
Adding all of that up I make it that the 49ers have the slightest of edges and further bonus points can be tacked on for their home record (7-1) plus the fact they have had an additional days' rest and the Giants travel East coast to West coast, which is never easy to do. The G-Men turned around one regular season defeat to the Packers and they need to do the same here in San Francisco but although this playoff campaign looks a lot like the one that took then to Super Bowl XLII, this one might end in California rather than Indiana for Super Bowl XLVI.
Recommended Bets
Back San Francisco 49ers @ [1.80] or better
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