The playoffs have arrived early in the NFC – thanks to a concussion and a big headache – as the Green Bay Packers host the New York Giants on Sunday in what amounts to an elimination game.
The Giants (9-5) will clinch a playoff berth with a victory. If the Packers win their final two games, they will likely grab the last wild-card spot.
The Packers (8-6) have lost two straight, but will have quarterback Aaron Rodgers back. He suffered a concussion early in Green Bay’s 7-3 loss at Detroit two weeks ago, and missed last week’s 31-27 loss at New England.
The headache came in the form of Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and the Philadelphia Eagles, who stunned the Giants with 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter en route to a 38-31 victory last week.
The Eagles (10-4) need one victory – over Minnesota or Dallas at home – to win the NFC East while Chicago has already wrapped up the NFC North.
New Orleans (10-4) is in excellent shape to claim one wild card spot, so that leaves the Giants, Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) to fight it out for the No. 6 seed.
The Giants have the No. 3 offense at 383.9 yards per game and average 25.7 points, but have turned the ball over 35 times, including 15 fumbles.
Eli Manning leads the NFL with 20 interceptions and is fourth with 28 touchdown passes. He will face a Packers’ defense which is tied for first in the NFL in points allowed at 15.7 per game.
The Giants and Packers are second and third with 42 and 40 sacks, respectively. Green Bay’s Clay Matthews is second in the NFL with 12.5, while New York’s Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are tied for ninth with 10 apiece.
Manning, though, has been sacked an NFL-low 15 times among quarterbacks who have played all season.
The Packers’ Tramon Williams and the Giants’ Terrell Thomas have five interceptions apiece.
The Giants have the No. 2 defense at 188.4 passing yards and 290.9 yards overall per game.
Rodgers, who is 9-1 in his last 10 starts at home, has completed 65.4 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His top target is Greg Jennings, who has 1,026 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Giants feature a two-pronged rushing attack in Ahmad Bradshaw (1,182 yards) and Brandon Jacobs (727). They each have eight touchdowns. New York’s top receiver is Hakeem Nicks with 896 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Packers’ Brandon Jackson has 645 yards and three touchdowns since taking over the No. 1 running back spot from Ryan Grant, who was lost for the season in Week 1 with an ankle injury.
Sunday’s forecast is for snow showers and 24 degrees, which will feel like a day at the beach compared to the last time the teams met.
When the Giants defeated the Packers 23-20 in overtime in the 2007 NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field, the game-time temperature was minus-1 with a wind chill of minus-23.