Here is a look at how the Falcons’ pass defense matches against the Giants’ pass offense.
Falcons starters: Left cornerback Brent Grimes, right cornerback Dunta Robinson, free safety Thomas DeCoud and strong safety William Moore.
Falcons key reserves: Cornerbacks Dominique Franks, Darrin Walls and Christopher Owens and safeties James Sanders and Shan Schillinger.
Giants starters: Quarterback Eli Manning, wide receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks and tight end Jake Ballard.
Giants key reserves: Wide receivers Mario Manningham, Jerrel Jernigan, Ramses Barden and Devin Thomas and tight ends Travis Beckum and Bear Pascoe.
Matchup to watch: Cruz vs. Franks.
The Falcons gave up 236.6 yards passing per game, which ranked 20th in the NFL. The Giants passed for 295.9 yards per game, which ranked 5th in the league.
Manning, who was picked for the Pro Bowl, had another fine season. He completed 359 of 589 passes for 4,933 yards, 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, and he had a passer rating of 92.9.
“He can make every throw, and he’s not afraid to make a mistake,” Grimes said. “If he does make a mistake, he’s going to come back and try to make a play.”
Injuries to Manningham (concussion, knee) and Nicks (hamstring), led Manning to bond with Cruz, an undrafted free agent in 2010 from Massachusetts.
Cruz caught 82 passes and set the Giants’ franchise record for receiving yards in a season with 1,536. He ranks third in the NFL behind Detroit’s Calvin Johnson (1,681) and New England’s Wes Welker (1,569). He has averaged an NFL-best 18.7 yards per catch for receivers with more than 45 receptions.
Cruz also had nine touchdowns and finished second in the league with five catches of 50 yards or more.
“The numbers are just unbelievable,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “It’s a great story — college free agent, 1,500 yards, and Eli has a lot of confidence in him.”
The Falcons have played three different players at nickel back this season and will count on second-year man Franks, who beat out Owens. Veteran Kelvin Hayden was the nickel back before being placed on injured reserved with turf toe.
When the Giants go to their three-wide receiver sets, Cruz will line up in the slot with Franks in coverage.
Advantage: Giants
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