How the Giants can beat the Packers

Romeo Crennel won't pick a score and won't even pick a winner for Sunday's Giants-Packers NFC divisional playoff game. But the only coach to beat the Packers this season has a sneaking suspicion that the Giants will keep this one very, very close -- and certainly will be in position to win.

Crennel, who put an end to the Packers' perfect season with a 19-14 win in Kansas City on Dec. 18, thinks the Giants can take a page from the Chiefs' playbook to upset the 15-1 Packers.

"I really believe it's a good matchup, and I think the Giants, with their ability to run the ball and move the ball well offensively, can keep Aaron Rodgers on the sideline," Crennel -- now the Chiefs' full-time coach after replacing Todd Haley on an interim basis for three games -- said Thursday from his office. "That will certainly improve the Giants' chances of winning."

In their most recent meeting, the Packers beat the Giants, 38-35, on Dec. 4 at MetLife Stadium, extending the Giants' losing streak to four. But it was that loss that seemed to reinvigorate the Giants and raise their confidence level, if for no other reason than they proved they could go toe-to-toe with the defending Super Bowl champions.

Can they make it past the Packers and into the NFC Championship Game? They can if they follow a blueprint similar to the one Crennel used last month. Here's how:

1 Rush four to put heat on Rodgers. Justin Tuck said this game will come down to what happens in the trenches, and that if the Giants can win the battle of the line of scrimmage, they'll win the game. He might be right.

If the Giants' defensive line can perform up to the level it has been at the last month, the Giants will have the distinct advantage. The Packers' offensive line now is healthy with the return of tackles Chad Clifton and Bryan Bulaga and guard Josh Sitton. But the Giants have such good talent up front that they can rush only four and keep seven players in pass coverage.

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Key stat: In their last three wins over the Jets, Cowboys and Falcons, the Giants totaled 13 sacks and limited quarterbacks to a combined passer rating of 70.8. Rodgers, who had a record-setting 122.5 rating this season, had a season-low mark of 80.1 against the Chiefs.

2Mix defensive coverages. "Defensively, we tried to mix things up on him so [Rodgers] couldn't get a bead on what we were doing," Crennel said.

"He does such a good job of recognizing defenses and matchups and putting his team in the right play. So within that mix of coverage, we were able to rush him and get him off the spot [from where he likes to throw]. A couple of times he delivered the ball, but maybe Tamba Hali was on him and they weren't able to make plays as a result."

So if the Giants can generate a strong pass rush, coordinator Perry Fewell needs to deploy his defensive backs in such a way as to keep Rodgers guessing about which coverage they're using. That means some use of "press coverage," in which cornerbacks line up directly across from receivers and try to get a jam at the line of scrimmage. It also means dropping linebackers into coverage to provide extra help in zones. And it means moving safeties Deon Grant and Antrel Rolle around to roll the coverages to one side or the other.

3Win the time-of-possession battle. Best way to beat Rodgers? Keep him off the field with clock-consuming drives. The Giants had a solid advantage in time of possession last week against the Falcons, thanks to a smothering defense and an efficient offense.

Eli Manning is very capable of throwing the deep ball, but the Giants might be better off using a heavier dose of intermediate-range passes to keep the chains moving. It might serve coordinator Kevin Gilbride well to call for plenty of shorter passes and hope his receivers are productive in yards after the catch.

4Have Eli set up the run with the pass. It may seem counterintuitive, but that's precisely the strategy the Giants can and should use. Manning is prolific enough to have his way against a defense that allowed 299.8 passing yards a game and 29 touchdown passes. If the passing game is effective early, it becomes that much easier for the Giants to pound running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. The idea is to soften up the defense by forcing it to back off the line of scrimmage to be mindful of defending the pass, then use the running game as a counterpunch.

"If they can get the running game going,'' Crennel said, "that can impact the game even more."

5Use the double move. The Packers had 31 interceptions, eight more than the next-highest team (New England), and there's no question that they're the best ballhawking team in the league. But there's a way to counteract their aggressiveness, and the Giants should use it plenty: It's called the "double move."

The trick for the receiver is to goad the defensive back into making a move on the ball by racing upfield and then breaking toward the inside. Manning then can fake a pass on that route, and have the receiver run to the outside to evade the defensive back, who went for the initial fake.

The double move also can be used if the receiver breaks to the outside, then changes direction toward the inside.

Put it all together, and the Giants have every reason to believe they can match up with the defending champs and earn a second trip to the NFC Championship Game in five seasons.