Last time the Giants and the Patriots met in the Super Bowl, the game was decided on two plays. First was the helmet catch by David Tyree off a scramble by Eli Manning, in which he was nearly sacked a couple of times, for a first down.

A blown coverage ended the game as Manning found Plaxico Burress alone, allowing Burress to walk into the end zone. That score ended the Patriots chance at an undefeated season and sent them into a three year playoff funk.

How fitting is it that standing in New England’s way once more is the New York Giants. A chance at redemption for the Patriots against the team that their quest for ruined perfection.

The rematch storyline is being played up even though these teams have different personal on both sides of the ball. Biggest reason for the rematch talk is that principle figures are still in place in Manning, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Tom Coughlin.

New York only has five starters from Super Bowl XLII on offense and two from defense still on the team. New England has three starters on offense and one on defense that played in Super Bowl XLII.

That Super Bowl saw the Giants defensive line getting to Brady on a regular basis. New York had five sacks and multiple quarterback hits. One of the best ways to beat New England is getting pressure on Brady.

The Patriots also got to Manning with three sacks and several hits. Getting pressure on Manning will force him to float passes or force throws but defensive backs must make him pay for those mistakes. Even with pressure, Manning as the ability to make a big play if defenders do not take him to the ground.

These two teams also played in week nine of this season. The Giants defeated the Patriots 24-20 on a touchdown pass from Manning to tight end Jack Ballard with 15 seconds left.

The game was scoreless at the half but New England missed chances to put points on the board. Brady threw an interception on the first play of the second quarter from the Giants 29 yard line that could have set up a long field goal attempt.

Late in the second quarter the Patriots left more points on the field. New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 27 yard field goal that would have given the Patriots the lead at the half.

New England received the ball to start the second half but Brady was once again intercepted near midfield. New York used that pick to drive down the field to take a 3-0 lead.

Keeping score, New England left 10 to six points on the field in the first half due to turnovers and missed field goal, while the Giants used a turnover get three points. Missed scoring chances would come back to haunt the Patriots.

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The NFL Playoffs gave fans three out of four great games last weekend. Throw out New England’s blowout win over Denver and the other three games were close till the end or late into the fourth quarter.

Best game of the weekend was the San Francisco 49ers upsetting the New Orleans Saints. The final five minutes of that game was back and forth the whole way.

Baltimore survived against the upstart Houston Texans. The Ravens used their familiar formula of defense to carry the day.

Green Bay was off on offense and defense and the New York Giants took advantage of the miscues to knock off the defending Super Bowl Champions.

Tom Brady played lights out against the Denver Broncos in a game that was over by halftime. The Patriots offense was unstoppable against the Denver defense.

The top favorites (preseason) in the NFC, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, are gone. One of the top favorites in the AFC, Pittsburgh Steelers, didn’t survive past Wild Card weekend.

Left in the NFC is the 49ers who are having a resurgent season under Jim Harbaugh in his first year. Harbaugh has revived the career of quarterback Alex Smith and got tight end Vernon Davis to play up to his talent.

In the 49ers way is a Giants team everyone left for dead after a four game losing streak in mid-November till early December. New York got healthy and got on a roll late to make the playoffs and have looked good against the Atlanta Falcons and the Packers.

The AFC has two of the top three teams left. New England finished the season winning their final eight games and is on a nine game winning streak.

The Patriots haven’t lost since a 24-20 defeat to the Giants, which came after a loss to the Steelers. New England wouldn’t lose again on their way to the number one seed in the AFC.

Baltimore wanted to get past the Steelers to win the AFC North. The Ravens defeated Pittsburgh twice in the regular season to own the tie breaker.

No question the Ravens have some head scratching loses this season. Baltimore showed up flat against Tennessee, Seattle, Jacksonville, and San Diego.

The great part of NFL Playoffs is each game is: win or go home. In the divisional round of the playoffs winning teams only had four turnovers combined and losing teams had 14 turnovers combined.

Only one team has lost the turnover battle and won a playoff game this year: New England. The rest either tied in turnovers or outright won.

Five teams that won the rush battle won the game. Only teams that won rushing battle was Pittsburgh (wild card), Green Bay (divisional) and Houston (divisional) all lost, mainly due to the turnovers that set the winners up for easy points.

The eight that teams that won playoffs games averaged 33.4 points and eight losing teams averaged 17.3 points. Old school football says, run the ball and force turnovers to win games.

In this pass happy NFL season, the post season is showing that no matter how much things change they stay the same. Championship Sunday could bring defense back into vogue as the Ravens and 49ers will try to defense to beat Patriots and Giants offense.

The road to Indianapolis is nearing the end. Could it be that in the house Peyton Manning built his brother Eli or his biggest contemporary Brady playing for a trophy he has only won once?

John and Jim Harbaugh be vying for the first Super Bowl title that one brother can hold over the other brother. After this weekend we will find out.

Read the preview and prediction on JFPSPorts.com.

Before the NFL shifted teams around in the 2002 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers were in the same division. Many Saints fans remember the old NFC West that featured the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams with Saints and 49ers.

The Carolina Panthers were in the old NFC West for a cup of coffee as well. In that old division, everyone most seasons looked up at mighty San Francisco.

From 1970-2001 (with Saints, 49ers, Falcons & Rams), San Francisco won the NFC West 16 times. The 49ers were also a wild card team four times.

During that same time period the Saints won the division a total of two times (1991, 2000) and were a wild card team three times (1987, 1990, 1992). The 49ers made the playoffs 20 times and New Orleans just five times in those 31 years.

After the formation of the NFC South 2002-11), New Orleans has won the division three times and has been a wild card team once. San Francisco on the other hand has won the division twice and has not been a wild card team.

Here is a little more history for you. The last time the 49ers beat the Saints was January 6, 2002. New Orleans has been San Francisco (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010) six straight times since that game.

New Orleans has become a different team since leaving the NFC West. In the NFC South the Saints won their first playoff game and broke through for their first Super Bowl.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s the 49ers were one of the best teams in the NFL. San Francisco was loaded with talent and future hall of famers.

Roles have reversed since the 2000’s with the Saints being the team loaded talent and future hall of famers. New Orleans now can step over their former division rival on their way to the NFC Championship game.

This game will be all about defense versus offense. San Francisco is ranked fourth in total defense and New Orleans has the first ranked total offense.

The 49ers are the NFL’s best ranked rushing defense (ranked first) only allowing 77.3 yards per game and the Saints bring in the sixth best rushing offense averaging 132.9 yards per game.

San Francisco’s biggest challenge will be getting their 16^th ranked passing offense that is allowing 231 yards per game to stop the New Orleans passing offense that is ranked first in the NFL putting up 334 passing yards each contest.

The Saints are putting up 34.2 points a game and the 49ers are only allowing 14.3 points. San Francisco offense must find ways to keep up with New Orleans on the scoreboard.

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NFL Wild Card Weekend proved just how big the NFL is in America. The ratings for last weekend were huge for the NFL and showed how much we love football in this country.

Houston won its first playoff game in franchise history in their first playoff game ever as a franchise. The Texans defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 in a game that changed off an interception return for a touchdown by JJ Watt.

Even though the Bengals lost it looks like the Bengals’ future is bright. A couple of nice drafts have stocked Cincinnati with talent including a young quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver AJ Green.

The Bengals have some good pieces on defense and should build on this past season. A great storyline to watch next season is can the young Bengals continue to grow up.

Speaking of teams with a bright future, the Detroit Lions finally made the playoffs after two decades on missing out. The Lions lost a shootout to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints 45-28 but who doesn’t lose shootouts to the Saints.

Detroit has drafted well and has a very young team. If the Lions can find a running game next season, this team will only get better.

The Lions need to fill some holes in the draft or with free agency and add depth.  Just like the Bengals next season, watch to see if the Lions continue to grow.

Expectations were high in Atlanta this season. The Falcons traded a ton of picks for wide receiver Julio Jones out of Alabama.

Jones was supposed to provide the Falcons a deep threat to open up their running game. Atlanta had a nice season but had to go on the road to face the New York Giants.

The Giants stopped the Falcons on a few fourth down plays and took all the momentum from Atlanta. New York would take that captured momentum and never let it go while defeating the Falcons 24-2.

Atlanta became the first playoff team in history to score exactly two point and two points only. The Falcons playoff window is not closed but this team and quarterback Matt Ryan (0-3) need to start winning playoff games.

Which game was the most watched on Wild Card Weekend? It was the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Denver Broncos.

This game was the most watched program on TV since last year’s Super Bowl. There are a couple of reasons why this game was so highly watched.

One the Steelers are a national team. The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and the New England Patriots along with Pittsburgh are huge ratings draws nationally.

The second reason is that Denver quarterback Tim Tebow is the most polarizing figure in the NFL. People want to watch to see if the Broncos win or lose.

It is a referendum on Tebow if he wins or loses. If Tebow wins he can be an NFL quarterback and if he loses it prove he can’t be an NFL quarterback.

The Steelers stuffed the run and forced the Broncos to throw the ball. Tebow would win the game with his arm or Denver would not win.

Even after Pittsburgh forced overtime, they stuck to their plan and it burned them once again as Tebow threw an 80 yard touchdown pass to win the game 29-23.

There is a question how long the playoff window for the Steelers stays open. The defense is getting older and needs to be retooled. How much many more years can Ben Roethlisberger take a pounding and stay an elite quarterback and the offensive line still needs work.

Wild Card Weekend now leads us to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. Three of the four matchups are rematches of regular season games.

Houston played Baltimore in week six of the regular season. The Ravens defeated the Texans 29-14 at home.

The New York Giants hosted the Green Bay Packers in week 13 of the season. Green Bay defeated New York on a last second field goal for a 38-35 win.

Finally in week 15, New England traveled to Denver and defeated the Broncos 41-23. The score might look lopsided but it was a closer game than score indicates.

To be fair the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints played in the preseason. There is no way to consider a preseason game any indication of a real game but the Saints did win that preseason matchup.

In the divisional playoffs, since format changed in 1990, at least one road team has won. In five of the last six years two road teams have won.

There is a simple blueprint for Saints, Giants, and Broncos to win this weekend. One common theme is shared between the 49ers, Patriots and Packers.

Here is a look at the playoff games this weekend (excluding the Saints/49ers) in order of which his more highly anticipated.

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens  (12p.m. CBS, Sunday Jan. 15)

These two teams are nearly mirror images of each other. The Texans are the second ranked overall defense and the Ravens are the third overall defense.

Houston is ranked third against the pass giving up 190 yards per game with 44 sacks and 17 interceptions. Baltimore is ranked fourth in pass defense only allowing 196 yards a game with 15 interceptions and 48 sacks.

The Ravens are second against the run in the NFL giving up just 92.6 rush yards per game. Texans are not terrible facing other teams rush attacks being ranked fourth and only allowing 96 yards on the ground.

Even on offense these two teams are similar as well. Both the Ravens and the Texans like to run the ball.

Houston is the second ranked rushing team in the NFL averaging 153 yards on the ground. Baltimore is ranked tenth in rushing putting up 124.8 rushing yards per game.

At time the Ravens go way from the running game and seem to forget about running back Ray Rice. Houston will need their backs to put up numbers to help rookie quarterback TJ Yates.

Both teams are ranked very close in the passing game. Houston is averaging 219 yards for 18^th in the NFL and Baltimore is ranked 19^th with 214 passing yards per game.

In the first meeting the Texans had quarterback Matt Schaub but not wide receiver Andre Johnson. Schaub is not hurt and out for the season but Johnson is back and major weapon.

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The road to Indianapolis for the New Orleans Saints begins this weekend. New Orleans would love to get last year’s playoff loss out of their mouth.

An eleven win Saints team went to a seven win Seattle Seahawks team and run off the field in a 41-36 loss. The Seahawks ran for 150 yards as a team and forced New Orleans to kick field goals.

This season, the Saints won 13 games and will host a first round playoff game against the Detroit Lions. New Orleans has to be one of the top five home field advantages for a team in the NFL.

The Superdome is loud and the Saints fans stay rowdy from start to finish. Few cities have a love affair with a professional team like the city of New Orleans.

New Orleans used that home advantage in the regular season to a perfect 8-0 record. The Saints’ offense is nearly unstoppable at home but struggles on the road.

Even defensively the Saints play better in the Superdome than they do on the road. That defense feeds off the home crowd like nearly no other team in the NFL.

Even if they have to hit the road for the rest of the playoffs, New Orleans can set the playoff tone at home this Saturday against the Detroit Lions.

If you are a Detroit Lions fan, you have to be happy about this season. After over a decade of horrible football, the Lions are finally a good team again.

Detroit has drafted well and it is starting to show this season. Matthew Stafford was able to stay healthy and lead one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.

Calvin Johnson (wide receiver) is a threat to score on any play from anywhere on the field. The biggest weakness of this team is the running game.

The Lions are 29^th ranked team in the NFL in rushing. Detroit only averages 95.2 yards per game. Meaning the passing game, which is ranked 4^th in the NFL at 301 yards per game, must win games.

New Orleans will counter this explosive offense with the 24^th ranked overall defense. The Saints defense is good against the run only giving up 108.6 yards per game rushing (12^th ranked) but gives up 260 yards passing (30^th ranked) per game.

To be fair the Saints might be 30^th in the NFL against the pass but the two teams ranked behind New Orleans are New England (31^st) and Green Bay (32^nd). Every NFC team in the playoffs is ranked 20^th (Atlanta) or worst against the pass.

Detroit has the 23^rd overall ranked defense in the NFL. This Lions team is giving up 128.1 yards per game on the ground (23^rd ranked) and 239 yards through the air (22^nd ranked).

This Lions defense will have to try to find a way to stop the NFL’s best offense. New Orleans is ranked first in the NFL on offense averaging 467.1 yards per game.

That is 39.1 yards more than second place (New England) and 62 yards more than third place (Green Bay) does per game.  That just shows you how explosive the Saints offense is each time they take the field.

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