FLOWERY BRANCH -- While there has been concern about the state of the Falcons' running game, the Giants might have bigger issues.
The Giants, the Falcons' opening-round playoff opponent on Sunday, finished the regular season last in the NFL in rushing offense; they averaged just 89.2 yards on the ground. The Falcons finished 17th with 114.6 yards per game.
Still, the running game presents a challenge to the Falcons, according to coach Mike Smith.
“Early in the season they weren’t running the ball effectively,” Smith said. “They have a three-headed monster in my mind right now that allows them to run the football.”
Ahmad Bradshaw leads the Giants in rushing with 659 yards, 29th in the NFL. Brandon Jacobs finished with 571 yards, 40th in the league. The Giants also use D.J. Ware, who had 163 yards rushing and added 170 yards receiving.
The Giants make up for the lack of a running attack through the air. They finished fifth in the league in passing offense at 295.9 yards per game. It brought their overall offense up to eighth in the league at 385.1 yards.
Boley faces former team
Michael Boley is happy to be back in the playoffs. It matters little to the Giants linebacker that the first-round opponent will be his former team.
Boley spent four seasons with the Falcons before leaving for the Giants through free agency.
“[I'm] not really facing them,” Boley said on Sunday night, when asked if it would mean anything to play against his former team. “To me, it’s just to be in the playoffs. Being in the playoffs is hard to come by. Here I am in my seventh year, and it’s only my second time going to the playoffs. Regardless of who we play, I’m excited.”
Boley signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Giants on the first day of free agency in 2009. He played one season under Smith and the Falcons' current coaching staff. He fell out of favor and eventually lost his starting job.
Sunday’s playoff game won’t be the first time Boley has faced the Falcons. He had 11 tackles, two assists and a sack in the Giants' 34-31 overtime victory in 2009.
Down to the wire
The Giants won the NFC East with a 9-7 record, the first time for the division that a 10-win team didn’t take the title. The Giants have some bad losses this season, losing twice to the Redskins and once to the Seahawks.
However, they also took the top two seeds in the conference down to the wire. They lost to the top-seeded Packers 38-35 on a last-second field goal on Dec. 14 and the second-seeded 49ers 27-20 on Nov. 20.
"Those games don't mean anything at the moment," safety Antrel Rolle said. "Every week presents a different challenge and we are not really focusing on that right now; we are really focusing on the Atlanta Falcons, a great organization and an outstanding football team. We are looking forward to the matchup."
Injury report
Giants tight end Jake Ballard told the New York media there is a "great possibility" that he will return for the playoff game against the Falcons. Ballard missed the past two games with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament.
Ballard has stepped in for the Giants, who lost Kevin Boss to the Raiders through free agency. He has 38 catches for 604 yards and four touchdowns this season before the knee injury.
The Giants got defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle) and wide receiver Mario Manningham (knee) back for the victory over the Cowboys. Umenyiora, who missed four games, returned with two sacks, his eighth and ninth of the season.
Etc.
Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan were teammates at Boston College. "I try to keep track of all the guys you played with and I am very proud of him and very happy for all the stuff he has done," Kiwanuka told ESPNnewyork.com. "Just hope he slips a little bit [this Sunday]." … The Giants will play at Atlanta in a regular-season game next year. … The Giants' victory over the Cowboys Sunday was the highest overnight rating in the six-year history of Sunday night football on NBC, according to the Nielsen Company. The game had a 17.1 overnight rating and a 27 share.
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