NFC Championship Preview
Jan. 12, 2001 -- Jason Sehorn of the Giants made an acrobatic interception last week against Philadelphia, and New York will be relying on him and fellow cornerback Dave Thomas to contain big playmaking receivers Randy Moss and Cris Carter in the NFC Championship on Sunday.
The Giants (13-4)
How they got here:Clinched AFC EastBeat Philadelphia 20-10 last week
We've all heard about Jim Fassel predicting with five weeks left in the season that his team would make the playoffs. And like Babe Ruth calling his shot, Fassel was right. The Giants are on a six-game winning streak, and if the adage is true that defense wins championships, the Giants have reason to be confident this week.
The defense, which had six sacks last week against Philadelphia, is the reason why the Giants are here. Michael Strahan had two of those sacks and forced a fumble against the Eagles, and Sehorn made a circus-like catch and ran back the interception 32 yards for a score. Ron Dixon also ran the opening kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown on special teams.
The Giants, however, are very familiar with the Eagles' gameplan, having played them three times this season, and were aided by Philadelphia receivers who dropped some easy passes. The Giants haven't faced a team this season with the number of weapons Minnesota possesses in Daunte Culpepper, Moss and Carter — except for maybe the Rams, who burned the Giants. In addition to putting pressure on Culpepper, the Giants need to minimize the number of missed tackles, particularly in the secondary where Thomas and Sehorn will be on the hot seat to cover Moss and Carter.
True, the Giants didn't score a single offensive touchdown in last week's win over Philadelphia. And yes, seven of the Giants' 12 regular season wins came against sub-.500 teams — in fact, six of those wins were against teams with a winning percentage of .312 or less.
But the New York offense isn't as bad as it first may appear: Quarterback Kerry Collins threw for 3,610 yards, ranking him ninth among his NFL counterparts, and 22 touchdowns. Tiki Barber rushed for 1,006 yards on the season, and Amani Toomer caught 78 passes for 1,094 yards. Their passing game is ranked 13th and their running game is 10th in the league. Not too shabby.
Still, the best thing about the Giants' offense is that it's facing the Minnesota defense this week. The Viking secondary is particularly vulnerable and intercepted just eight passes all season, although it had two picks last week against New Orleans. Watch for Collins to go to the pass, especially if Barber and Ron Dayne have trouble against John Randle & Co. along the line.
Toomer has a sprained ankle and is questionable for Sunday, a potential blow for the Giants and their passing game. The offense needs to be less sloppy this week — the fumbles and dropped balls will be costly against the Vikings.
The Vikings (12-5)
How they got here:Clinched NFC CentralBeat New Orleans 24-10 last week
The cards have been dealt and Minnesota holds three aces: Culpepper, Carter and Moss. They are the key players in this game for the Vikings.
Love him or loathe him, Moss is one of the biggest playmakers in the NFL. He turns 5-yard passes into 40-yard gains, is blessed with glue-like hands and amazing speed, and can bury an opponent on just one play or two. Just ask the Saints.
Moss had 121 yards last week on two touchdown catches, one of which was a short pass that Moss somehow converted into a 68-yard score. The NFL's No. 2 offense last week piled up 429 total yards, including 302 passing.
Culpepper, the team's second-leading rusher behind Robert Smith, appears healthy following a high ankle sprain. The Saints' defense didn't get a hand on him in their divisional playoff game, but the Giants will have to do better. The Giants defense stripped Donovan McNabb of his mobility last week with an aggressive pass rush and six sacks and will need a similar performance against Minnesota if it hopes to pressure the second-year Culpepper into making mistakes.
Smith may be the NFC's top rusher, but he's struggled lately and has rushed for just 204 yards in the past four games — a discouraging streak to carry into a game against the No. 2 rushing defense of New York.
While the offense is among the best there is, having the league's 28th-ranked defense should cause a bit of skittishness at the thought of playing at the Meadowlands. Minnesota is not the power it used to be along the line, and its defensive backs will be tested all afternoon against the Giants.
The rap on the Vikings is that they're from a place where snowbanks are taller than lumberjacks yet can't hack it playing in cold weather and can't win in the postseason. The weather in the New York area should be pretty mild this weekend and likely won't be too much of a factor. That puts the pressure squarely on coach Dennis Green to finally lead his team to the Super Bowl.