Giants vs Falcons: Possible NFC Championship Game Preview

Look what we found! It’s the 11-2 Atlanta Falcons hosting the 8-5 New York Giants to kick off the NFL Week 15 Sunday schedule. Both clubs sit atop their division and they’re both on the playoff invitation list.

Packed with postseason implications, this contest is slated for 1:00 PM ET on Sunday December 13, 2012, from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Wow! Talk about intrigue – this one has boatload of it!

Atlanta Falcons: Look to rebound in their home nest

Atlanta is in way better shape than New York as the Falcons have clinched at least a Wild Card playoff berth. That said, the Black Birds haven’t exactly been world beaters recently. Whether they looked past their Week 14 match-up against the Carolina Panthers or not, that 30-20 loss wasn’t exactly Championship stuff. The Falcons are a normally a different bird in their home nest but they put a lot of energy into beating division rival New Orleans back in Week 13. They also struggled and barely won a 23-19 contest against the hapless Arizona Cardinals during Week 11 action at the Georgia Dome. QB Matt Ryan and Crew will need to be sharper if they hope to take down the defending Super Bowl Champs in this one. Atlanta’s home nest mystic won’t phase the Giants.

New York Giants: Still control their destiny in the NFC East race

New York is mirroring their 2011 second half as they have blown what was once a decent lead in the NFC East again. Last season, New York was on a 1-4 run heading into Week 15. The Giants are 2-3 in their last five games this season as they head into this crucial NFC battle against Atlanta. Washington and Dallas are both just one game behind the G-Men in the loss column for top spot in the NFC East. New York looked awfully good in their 52-27 slap-down of the Saints last weekend and General Coughlin will have his troops ready for this one. The top brass in New York have been waiting for their 2012 first-round draft pick to explode and RB David Wilson did just that as he posted 327 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns versus New Orleans.

Sportsbook Review Falcons vs Giants Point Spread Odds and Game Day Call

Bovada.lv is still sharpening the majority of their wagering lines but they have opened the Falcons as -1 (-115) home chalk, while New York gets reduced juice at +1 (-105) as road pups for this contest. Quarterback Eli Manning was equally impressive last week as he took apart the Saints secondary to the tune of 259 yards and four touchdowns – though he did throw two picks as well.

We don’t have an update on the knee injury suffered by RB Ahmad Bradshaw in Week 14. Coupled with his lingering foot injury, another nick could be a problem so it was nice to see Wilson step up even though it was against a very bad defense. The Cowboys face the Redskins in Week 17 action. That means a Giants win here would whittle the NFC East title race down to just two teams.

We mentioned the Falcons home field advantage not being the “end all-be all” in this contest. While they haven’t been to Atlanta since 2007, and it’s ancient history, New York is 7-0 S/U all time when visiting the Georgia Dome. The Champs have lost two straight on the road but they’re still on an 8-3 recent run away from MetLife Stadium – including a 26-3 win in San Francisco.

While we don’t see this being an NFC Championship preview, these two clubs may meet in the playoffs and this one will be a beauty. We are going to take the +1 (+105) point spread and back the G-Men at Bovada. We may jump on the Giants with the money line once it’s posted as well.