East Rutherford, NJ - The biggest question on the minds of New York Giants fans when they faced the Atlanta Falcons Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium was which Giants team would show up. Would it be the team that won its last two games of the season against the Jets and Cowboys? Or would it be the team that lost 5 of 6 games that made it mandatory for them to win those last two games in order to qualify for the tournament? During that losing streak, the Giants defense was nowhere to be found. Offensively, the ground game disappeared and they had to rely on Eli Manning to keep them in every game except the loss to New Orleans. They seemed to right the ship against the Jets and Cowboys and hoped the momentum carried over in their first playoff game since the 2008 season.

Giants Playoff1 Eli-Manning Credit Bill Menzel LSVNew York won the toss and elected to receive spurred on by a crowd of more than 79,000 waving their white towels on a cloudy and overcast afternoon. Beginning on their own 25, Eli Manning, out of the shotgun, sees his first pass attempt go thru the hands of Victor Cruz. Ahmad Bradshaw's first rushing attempt gains no yards. A false start penalty by Hakeem Nicks pushes them back 5 and Manning's first completion only gets them 11 yards forcing them to punt. The Falcons themselves would go 3 and out on their first possession as both teams struggled to establish an early running game.

The Giants offense continued their early struggles when it looked like Atlanta would get on the board right before the end of the first quarter. Starting on their own 10, QB Matt Ryan, mixing the pass and run, would move them all the way down to the Giants 25. Faced with 4th and 1, Atlanta decides to go for the first down instead of the field goal and Ryan is stopped short on his sneak attempt. That stop would lead to the first score of the game, although it was not to the advantage of the New York.

Starting on their own 24, they immediately get pushed back 10 yards courtesy of a Chris Snee holding penalty. They lose another yard after a Manning pass to Bradshaw behind the line of scrimmage. Out of the shotgun, Manning gets flushed out of the pocket and retreating into the end zone, he let the pass go. The problem: No receiver in sight resulting in a safety and a 2-0 Falcons lead.

Said head coach Tom Coughlin "there was pressure on the edge and in the face of the quarterback. He (Manning) just wanted to get rid of it."

Atlanta failed to take advantage of the free kick possession giving the ball back to the Giants on their own 15. Thirteen (13) plays and 85 yards later, New York would take their first lead of the game and never look back. They ran the ball 9 times for 69 yards bolstered by a power run of 34 yards by Brandon Jacobs and a 14-yard scramble by Manning.

"That was really instrumental because we were struggling to make a first down," said Coughlin.

Manning caps the drive hitting Hakeem Nicks with a 4-yard touchdown pass.

The defense that kept Ryan and the Atlanta offense in check up to that point, seemed to get even more energized. The Falcons touched the ball 2 more times before the half and came away empty. Down by only 5, they got the ball to start the second half hoping to get their offense going. Although they didn't manage a first down with that possession, they put a scare in the Giants defense as both Aaron Ross and Jean Pierre-Paul were hurt on an incomplete Ryan pass attempt. Pierre-Paul would return while Ross was diagnosed with a concussion and would not return. It didn't affect the defense as after Lawrence Tynes nails a 22-yard field goal to increase the lead (10-2) the Falcons failed once again to convert a fourth and short quarterback sneak.

The Giants didn't take long to put more points on the ball the very next time they touched the ball. Manning (23-32,277 yards and 3 TD's) finds Nicks with a quick pass across the middle then he splits 6 Atlanta defenders streaking 72 yards for his second touchdown of the day.

Manning's 3rd and last touchdown pass (27 yards) to Marion Manningham start to the 4th quarter put Atlanta out of its misery. They limited Ryan to only 199 yards, sacking him twice. They only allowed 64 rushing yards with no runner gaining more than 13 yards in any one attempt.

Now the New York Giants travel to Green Bay in hopes of not only derailing the defending Super Bowl Champions but wanting to avenge their 3 point home loss back in December. They had to go through Green Bay when they won the Super Bowl in 2008.

Said Coughlin" we'll look at the tape of the last game and make adjustments defensively."

They are going to have to if they want to keep their season alive.