The NFC Championship boils down to this: Brett Favre and Lambeau Field

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Looking at the numbers, an argument could easily be made as to why the New York Giants could win against the Green Bay Packers. The Giants give up less yards on defense and rush for more yards every game.  A solid running game plus a better defense usually is a winning formula. Two overriding factors to throw in the mix, though, are Brett Favre and Lambeau Field.

It's one thing to have home field advantage but it's another to be Brett Favre playing on the frozen tundra. New York of course is used to cold weather but by the end of the game they can chalk this one up as life experience for rising star Eli Manning, while the Packers can chalk up a "W".

Eli vs. Brett

Perhaps it's unfair to compare Eli Manning to Brett Favre. At this point, I hesitate to compare Hercules to Brett Farve, so Manning should not take it personally. Manning is deserving of headlines like "coming of age" while Brett is deserving of "immortal". To judge accurately how well the two quarterbacks will play we have to dig a little deeper than the headlines and gaze at the captions.

Brett Favre has 4155 yards passing (28 TDs) compared to Eli Manning's 3336 yards (23 TDs). The Giants secondary is riddled with injuries so I fully expect the Packers to line up 3 wide and dial up long distance to their playmakers, including veteran Donald Driver.

Ryan Grant has been tearing defenses apart giving the Packers a solid ground game. Interestingly, Grant was traded to the Packers this year for a 6th round pick from the Giants. New York has to be regretting that move right now, given their rash of injuries throughout the season and this year's unlikely road to the Super Bowl through Wisconsin.

For Eli Manning, he needs to hope that the offensive line can hold up against an agressive front 7 for the Packers. Linebackers Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk are both playmakers, while Aaron Kampan could terrorize the offensive line for New York.

If Eli can buy some time he also has safety valve Plaxico Burress to throw jump balls too. Burress is someone that any coach would want in a big game. He makes clutch, acrobatic plays at key moments on a regular basis. TE Jeremy Shockey is injured, so rookie Kevin Boss will need to step up to help the Giants move the chains. This is a tall task versus a Packers team prone to shutting down Tight End's. 

Brandon Jacobs leads the Giants rushing attack. He'd gained over 1000 yards at 7.6 ypc. Those are good enough numbers to make Tiki Barber jealous, which I'm sure he is. If the Giants pull of an upset, Jacobs will find seems and exploit them for over 100 yards on the game. For the Giants to win, they'll need to score point.

Destiny is a term best kept to mythological crusades and away from sports. Still, it would be hard to see Favre lose this game to a young Eli Manning. On top of that Favre has presently a better, healthier surrounding cast. However, this should not be a reliable factor when deciding on your betting odds, since injuries are can heal faster than anticipated. During the final regular season game for the Giants against New England, they proved in defeat that they were ready to play football come playoff time. They were a very good football team that night against a great Patriots squad. This Sunday at Green Bay, they'll face an even tougher task.