NFC Championship Game
San Francisco 49ers (13-3, NFC West)
vs.
New York Giants (9-7, NFC East)
Candlestick Park
San Francisco, California
6:30 PM EST
Does it get any better?
The New York Giants are back at Candlestick Park to face the San Francisco 49ers with a berth in the Super Bowl on the line.
Two coasts, two talented, hard-nosed teams and two proud fan bases that are each confident that their city and their franchise is unparalleled. Just like in 2003, 1994, 1991, 1987, 1985, 1984 and 1982, we're being treated a single-elimination playoff matchup between the 49ers and the Giants. Whether it was the controversial finish to the wild 2003 NFC Wild Card matcup or the sight of Leonard Marshall steamrolling Joe Montana in 1991 -- the teams' only previous NFC Championship Game meeting -- this rivalry has produced more than its share of memorable moments.
Considering the Giants' dominant effort in dispatching the Green Bay Packers last weekend and the 49ers' thrilling, enervating walk-off win over the high-octane New Orleans Saints, all signs point toward another stirring installment in this East-West football feud.
This is the second trip that Eli Manning and the Giants have made to the Stick this season, having been beaten 27-20 in November. That game came down to the wire, with 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith knocking fourth down passing attempt by Manning in the final minute. Will this game also be decided in the final moments? With two stout defenses -- and a waterlogged field -- it is hard to see either team getting too far ahead of the other. Of course, the Giants' wide receivers have made the spectacular ordinary while the combination of Alex Smith and Vernon Davis showed it could match that historically prolific Saints' attack. So, who knows? Well, who knows besides the fans of both sides who are certain that their team is destined for Indianapolis?
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