It's funny how perspective changes as the football season progresses. At the start of the year, a .500 record seemed like a reasonable goal for the Giants. At the midway point, when they were 6-2, the playoffs seemed to be a lock. After losing to Washington three weeks ago, the playoffs seemed unlikely.
Now the Giants are in the playoffs and they seem to have lost their perspective. Back-to-back wins over the Jets and Cowboys have led players like Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka to start talking about a Super Bowl appearance. Never mind that with a win this week, the Giants will have to go on the road and defeat a team they have already lost to this year; beating Atlanta will not be an easy feat.
The Falcons have a top-10 offense and a defense that ranks in the top half of the NFL. Matt Ryan had an almost identical quarterback rating as Eli Manning and Michael Turner rushed for the third-most yards in the NFL. Ex-Jet, John Abraham led the defense with 9-1/2 sacks.
The key to the game will be the Giants' pass rush. If they can disrupt Ryan's routine, the Giants should be ok. If they can't get to Ryan, the Giants pass defense will have a long day. Expect the defense to do just enough, while Eli does plenty, and the Giants to squeak out a win.
