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Playoff Game Prediction(s): Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants

For the entire playoffs, all of the EDSFootball.com contributors including myself are making a prediction (including the final score) for each playoff game.

Here are the predictions from the EDSFootball.com crew for the the Packers-Giants game:

John (follow on Twitter): New York Giants 30, Green Bay Packers 24

The Giants are looking to mimic their success from the 2007 season, and they appear to be doing just that. They have played their best football these past three weeks, defeating the Jets, Cowboys, and now the Falcons, all with relative ease. They have been getting pressure on the quarterback with that athletic front four, and the offense has been extremely impressive. Victor Cruz, the team's leading receiver, had just two catches for 28 yards against the Falcons, and New York still went on to score 24 unanswered points to finish the game. In short, the Giants seem to be peaking at the right time. Going into the playoffs, I had picked the Packers to win the Super Bowl. They've been the best team all year, and the inevitable MVP Aaron Rodgers seems determined to put the finishing touches on a virtually perfect season. Once again, though, the Giants have changed my mind. They looked focused and primed to run the gauntlet of NFC powerhouses, and I'm now calling for the upset. When the playoffs began, I made my picks based on the information from the regular season. But combining the season with the new information gained from last week's games, I believe that the Giants will end the Packers season. Let it be known I'm a huge Giants fan, and you can call me a homer if you want. [Editor's note: HOMER.] But in being as unbiased as possible, the Giants are getting better and better each week, and they are ready for the Packers. The first game between these two teams was a narrow 38-35 victory for Green Bay. I expect a little lower-scoring game this time around, with the Giants defense disrupting the Packer offense.

Sean (follow on Twitter): Green Bay Packers 23, New York Giants 19

The game of the week is the last game of the weekend. It is the game I am looking forward to most. We have seen the Giants on one of their late-season runs. Eli Manning played great last weekend, and the ground game should be solid this Sunday versus the Packers defense. There is nobody in the league who makes more big plays than Eli Manning, unfortunately with big plays comes mistakes. I think Eli will get picked once or twice in this one and that will be the difference. I think the Packers will struggle in the beginning of the game, mainly due to a little rust, but once Rodgers gets going I think he will pick apart a terrible Giants secondary. The Giants front four is going to have to play the game of their lives to stop Rodgers and the Pack. This game will be lower scoring than most people think. The O/U is set at 52.5. I like this game to be under that mark, and I also think the Giants with the points is a good play. I like the Giants to come out strong, perhaps get a double-digit lead, and then Rodgers and the Pack to come back from behind in the 4th quarter to win it.

Dan (follow on Twitter): Green Bay Packers 38, New York Giants 27

The Giants are starting to get the same look as when they went on their Super Bowl run, while the Packers were machine-like this year cranking out an impressive 15-1 record. The Packers and Giants also matched up this year, with the Packers driving down the field with a last-second field goal. The Giants surprised everyone last week by running all over the Falcons with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, and will look to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field going against a rush D that allows 4.7 yards per carry. Eli Manning has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this year, and was able to rack up 347 yards in the last game against the Packers. Green Bay has been the purveyor of the big play this year as their passing game averaged 308 yards per game, 9.4 yards per pass and 51 touchdowns. As great as the Giants front four have been, the Giants secondary has been week giving up 255 yards per game and 4,000 yards in total. I love the Packers at home going against the weak Giants secondary, Packers 38-27.

Steve: Green Bay Packers 23, New York Giants 17

Can we get this game taken off due to the death of offensive coordinator, Joe Philbins’ son? A tragic situation and my best goes out to all. When they played earlier this season, the Giants played their best game of the year only to fall a little short. For all the struggles the Giants have seen on defense over this season, it’ll be the offense that lets them down this game. Eli Manning has carried the defense, and the running game has been lackluster. Without a running game, the Giants will be unable to control the clock, and subsequently create too many possessions for the Packers. The Giants play another competitive game against the inspired Packers and come up a little short again.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): Green Bay Packers 31, New York Giants 24

The Giants certainly have plenty of momentum and confidence going into this week's game. In their past three games, all wins, they have not allowed more than 14 points and have won by double-digits. Heading into Lambeau, however, they will face their toughest test of the past four weeks. While the Packers defense has not played nearly as well this year as they did last year, their offense is as good as it gets. Green Bay averaged a league-high 35 points per game and 405.1 yards of offense this season. The Giants have a talented receiving corps, but the Packers' group is as talented and perhaps even deeper with the expected return of Greg Jennings. While Eli Manning has cut down on his mistakes (16 interceptions) from last year (25), I see Manning making a critical late-game mistake against the defense with the most picks this season to seal the win for the Packers.

More Predictions: 49ers vs. Saints | Patriots vs. Broncos | Ravens vs. Texans

Later today, we will release fantasy football rankings for the divisional round of the playoffs.

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