Nicks breaks it open for Giants

Without warning, Hakeem Nicks' limbs began moving in synchronized fashion in the end zone. He playfully jogged in place, flapping his bent arms repeatedly at his side as if he were a chicken flying the coop.

It was a flashback to the Falcons of old, when Jamal Anderson popularized "The Dirty Bird" dance during Atlanta's franchise-best 1998 season.

Nicks scored two touchdowns in his first playoff appearance to lead the Giants to a 24-2 wild-card win over Atlanta Sunday at MetLife Stadium, setting up a rematch with top-seeded Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The wide receiver, who had 115 yards on six catches, put the Giants up 7-2 in the second quarter with a 4-yard reception over cornerback Dominique Franks in the back of the end zone. But it was his 72-yard catch-and-run touchdown that got the attention of the hometown crowd. And Anderson.

On third-and 3 from the Giants' 28, Eli Manning threw a short pass up the middle to Nicks, who slipped past three defenders before eluding a last-ditch dive by Dunta Robinson at the Falcons' 45 on his way to the end zone.

And there, he let the Dirty Bird fly.

"I was just having fun out there," said Nicks, who added that teammate Antrel Rolle told him to break out the move.

After seeing the dance, Anderson tweeted "NO HE DIDN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" But an hour later, the former Falcon clarified his position: "Btw, I'm not mad at Nicks. I Broke out the Dirty Bird in 98, its trending on Twitter in 2012."

Nicks' rendition of the old-school classic also proved that Victor Cruz's "Silk City Salsa" isn't the only end-zone show in town.

"He's not some guy that's been flying under the radar," Cruz said of Nicks, who finished the regular season with 1,192 receiving yards. "He's a guy that's been here, he put his time in and he's just been ballin' for us all year long. And this was just another statement that he had to put forward to make his claim as one of the top receivers in the league."

But despite the overwhelming attention Cruz has garnered in recent weeks, Nicks said he didn't feel the need to prove his value to anyone.

"I just felt like I had to play my game," the third-year receiver said. "I know what I'm capable of doing. Victor Cruz is a great addition to our offense, he makes plays when he's called on -- just as well as other guys around him. We all make plays.

"If you ask me questions, I'll answer them. If not, another day," he said, referring to the media. "I don't really get into all that attention."

The Falcons paid extra attention to Cruz (two catches, 28 yards), but that helped to open the field for Nicks and Mario Manningham, who caught a 27-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to make it 24-2.

Said Manning: "Whatever the coverage is, whatever your plan is, we are going to have an answer."