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ATLANTA AT GREEN BAY
N.Y. GIANTS AT SAN FRANCISCO
IN NFC WILD CARD PLAYOFFS

 

 

 

IT’S GOING TO GET WILDER -- HERE COMES WILD CARD WEEKEND!

AFC Wild Card Playoffs Preview

NFC Wild Card Playoffs Preview

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4

ATLANTA FALCONS–NFC SOUTH (9-6-1) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS–NFC NORTH (12-4)

SERIES

	FALCONS	PACKERS
LEADER		12-10 (Includes playoffs)
STREAKS		3 of past 4 (Includes playoffs)
COACHES VS. OPP.	Reeves: 3-2-1	Sherman: 1-1
VS. COMMON OPP.	Atl: 6-3 (Chi 0-1, TB 0-2, Car 2-0, NO 2-0, Minn 1-0, Det 1-0) GB: 6-3 (NO 0-1, Det 2-0, Car 1-0, Chi 2-0, Minn 1-1, TB 0-1)
PLAYOFF RECORD	4-6	23-11
LAST WEEK	L 24-16 at Browns	L 42-17 at Jets
LAST GAME	9/8/02: Falcons 34 at Packers 37 (OT).  Green Bay’s Ryan Longwell kicks a 34-yard winning FG.  RB Ahman Green rushes for 155 yards; QB Brett Favre throws for 284 yards & 2 TDs.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/8/02
LAST PLAYOFF	12/31/95: Falcons 20 at Packers 37.  Green Bay RB Edgar Bennett rushes for a club postseason record 108 yards (since broken) & 1 TD.  QB Brett Favre throws 3 TD passes.
BROADCAST	ABC (7:00 PM CT): Al Michaels, John Madden, Melissa Stark (Field reporter); CBS Radio: Joel Myers, Bob Trumpy, Allen Pinkett (Field reporter).

STAT LEADERS

QBs	Vick: 231-421-2,936-16-8-81.6	Favre: 341-551-3,658 (3C)-27(T1C)-16-85.6
RBs	Dunn: 230-927-4.0-7	Green: 286-1,240-4.3-7
WRs	Finneran: 56-838-15.0-6	Driver: 70-1,064-15.2-9
OFFENSE	345.9	347.5
TAKE/GIVE	+12	+17 (T1L)
DEFENSE	333.4	311.6
SACKS	Kerney: 10.5	Gbaja-Biamila: 12.0
INTs	Bolden, Carpenter: 4	Sharper: 7 (T2C)
PR	Rossum: 12.0	Metcalf: -.3
KOR	Rossum: 22.0	J. Walker (R): 22.0
PUNTING	Mohr: 41.9	Bidwell: 41.7
KICKING	Feely: 138 (1L) (42/43 PAT; 32/40 FG)	Longwell: 128 (44/44 PAT; 28/34 FG)

NOTES

REMATCH of 1995 Wild Card game, won 37-20 by GB……GB tied for NFL best (TB) with +17 turnover ratio while Atl tied for fifth with +12……Clubs tied for third in NFL with 24 INTs. 

FALCONS: Club makes first playoff appearance since 1998 season, advancing to SB XXXIII……Head coach DAN REEVES has more playoff wins (10) than any active coach.  Threw 50-yard TD pass off halfback option as member of Dallas Cowboys in famed “Ice Bowl” at Lambeau on 12/31/67……QB MICHAEL VICK tied ranks fourth in NFC with 1.9 INT pct (421 attempts, 8 INTs). Leads NFL with 6.9 yards per carry avg. & his 777 yards rushing are third most in NFL history among QBs (BOBBY DOUGLASS)……Club ranked fourth in NFL avg. 148.0 rushing yards per game.  Set franchise record with 23 rushing TDs.  RB WARRICK DUNN rushed for 2 TDs in last game at Lambeau.  Avgs. 4.2 yards per carry (314 yards, 75 carries) in 6 career games at Lambeau.  RB TJ DUCKETT (No. 18) led NFC rookies with 507 yards rushing……WR BRIAN FINNERAN posted career highs with 56 receptions, 838 yards receiving in 2002.  Posted first downs on 41 of 56 catches……TE ALGE CRUMPLER had career-high 36 catches, most by Falcons’ TE since JUNIOR MILLER (46) in 1980……Defense totaled 47 sacks, tied for fourth most in NFL, & second-most in team history (55).  Club posted 2 shutouts in same season for first time since 1977……DE PATRICK KERNEY finished with 10.5 sacks & is first Falcon since sack stat was instituted in 1982 with consecutive 10-sack seasons (12.0 in 2001)……Club holds opponents to avg. drive start at 26.1 yard-line, third-best in NFL.  K JAY FEELY finished with club record 32 FGs.  Led NFL kickers with 138 points & tied for second with 16 touchbacks.

PACKERS: Club 13-0 all-time in home playoff games, including 11-0 at Lambeau & advances to postseason for eighth time in past 10 seasons……QB BRETT FAVRE has TD pass in 12 consecutive playoff games & needs 1 vs. Falcons to tie DAN MARINO for NFL record.  Has 29 career TD passes in playoffs & needs 2 to pass TERRY BRADSHAW (30) for third & 4 to pass Marino (32) for second-most all-time.  Passed for 3 TDs, 0 INTs & 111.5 passer rating in only career playoff game vs. Atl.  Favre has 6-0 record in playoffs when temperature is below 34 degrees.  Was drafted by Falcons in second round of 1991 NFL Draft……RB AHMAN GREEN avgs. 90 rushing yards, 4.9 yards per carry in 2 career playoff games. Has 14 100-yard rushing games with GB & club is 14-0 in those contests.  GB is 17-2 (.895), (7-1 in 2002), when Green has 25-or-more touches.  Avgs. 108.5 rushing yards in 2 career games vs. Atl, including 155 yards in Week 1……WR DONALD DRIVER posted first career 1,000-yard receiving season (1,064).  WR TERRY GLENN avgs. 15.1 yards per catch in 5 career playoff games (with NE)……TE BUBBA FRANKS had 7 TD catches in 2002, tied for tops among NFL TEs……Club had NFL high 45 takeaways in 2002……DE KABEER GBAJA-BIAMILA led club with 12.0 sacks & became third player in franchise history with consecutive seasons of at least 12.0 sacks (TIM HARRIS, TONY BENNETT)……S DARREN SHARPER has led club in INT for past 3 seasons after posting 7 in 2002.  Has 2 INTs in 6 career playoff games.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5

NEW YORK GIANTS (10-6)–NFC EAST AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (10-6)–NFC WEST

SERIES

	GIANTS	49ERS
LEADER		16-14 (Includes playoffs)
STREAKS		Past 5 (Includes playoffs)
COACHES VS. OPP.	Fassel: 0-1	Mariucci: 2-0
VS. COMMON OPP.	NYG: 7-2 (StL 1-0, Sea 1-0, Arz 0-1, Dall 2-0, Phi 1-1, Wash 2-0) SF: 7-2 (Wash 1-0, StL 1-1, Sea 2-0, Arz 2-0, Phi 0-1, Dall 1-0)
PLAYOFF RECORD	16-20	25-17
LAST WEEK	W 10-7(OT) vs Eagles	L 31-20 at Rams
LAST GAME	9/5/02: 49ers 16 at Giants 13.  San Francisco WR Terrell Owens makes a 33-yard catch-and-run to set up Jose Cortez’s 36-yard FG with 6 seconds remaining.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/30/98: 49ers 31, Giants 7. San Francisco RB Garrison Hearst runs for 166 yards & 1 TD & Terrell Owens has 5 receptions for 140 yards & 1 TD.
LAST PLAYOFF	1/15/93: Giants 3 at 49ers 44.  San Francisco RB Ricky Watters establishes an NFL single-game playoff record with 5 rushing TDs.  The defense holds New York to 41 rushing yards.
BROADCAST	FOX (4:30 PM PT): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth, Pam Oliver (Field reporter); CBS Radio: Brad Sham, Warren Moon, Rick Walker (Field reporter).

STAT LEADERS

QBs	Collins: 335-545-4,073 (1C)-19-14-85.4	Garcia: 328-528-3,344-21-10-85.6
RBs	Barber: 304-1,387 (2C)-4.6-11 (T3C)	Hearst: 215-972-4.5-8
WRs	Toomer: 82-1,343 (2C)-16.4-8 (T3C)	Owens: 100 (2C)-1,300-13.0-13 (1L)
OFFENSE	364.1 (2C)	356.3
TAKE/GIVE	+2	+10
DEFENSE	309.3	322.4
SACKS	Strahan: 11.0	Carter: 12.5 (T2C)
INTs	Peterson, Sehorn, Williams: 2	Parrish: 7 (T2C)
PR	Joyce: 8.4	Wilson: 7.4
KOR	Joyce: 23.5	Williams: 19.5
PUNTING	M. Allen: 36.9	LaFleur: 36.6
KICKING	Bryant (R): 108 (30/32 PAT; 26/32 FG)	Chandler: 38 (14/14 PAT; 8/12 FG)

NOTES

CLUBS SPLIT 6 PLAYOFF GAMES all-time, with point differential of 122-118 (SF).  49ers won 3 of 4 playoff games at home in series, with Giants lone win in SF in 1990 NFC Championship Game (15-13).  Giants captured only Wild Card meeting between clubs (17-3 at NY, 1985). 

GIANTS:  Club advances to playoffs for third time in 6 seasons under head coach JIM FASSEL……QB KERRY COLLINS set team single-season passing records with 335 completions & 4,073 yards passing.  Had career-highs with 61.5 completion pct., third highest in team history, & 85.5 passer rating in 2002.  Passed for 342 yards vs. SF in Week 1, & has 3 career 300-yard passing games vs. 49ers, his most vs. any club……RB TIKI BARBER rushed for career-high 203 yards last week, second-highest single-game total in team history (218, GENE “CHOO-CHOO” ROBERTS).  Finished second in NFC with 1,387 yards rushing & led conference with 1,984 yards from scrimmage……WR AMANI TOOMER set franchise record with 82 receptions & 1,343 yards receiving.  Had 9 receptions for 134 yards in last meeting vs. SF……TE JEREMY SHOCKEY led NFL TEs & rookies with 74 receptions & 894 yards receiving.  Ranked second among rookie TEs in league history in catches (81, KEITH JACKSON) & receiving yards (1,076, MIKE DITKA).  Eclipsed MARK BAVARO (66) for club single-season record for receptions by TE.  Was only rookie selected to Pro Bowl & first rookie TE since Jackson in 1988……Club has surrendered 1 TD in first quarter in 2002 & 279 points overall, third-fewest in NFL……DE MICHAEL STRAHAN seeks sack in fifth consecutive playoff game & has 5.5 sacks in past 4 postseason contests.  DE KENNY HOLMES tied career-high with 8.0 sacks in 2002……K MATT BRYANT finished with 108 points, second-highest in club history among kickers (127, ALI HAJI-SHEIKH).    

49ERS: Club seeks third consecutive Wild Card win at home & advances to playoffs for fourth time in 6 seasons under head coach STEVE MARIUCCI……QB JEFF GARCIA led NFL with 107.6 third down passer rating, including 13 TDs, 1 INT.  Joined JOE MONTANA & STEVE YOUNG as only QBs in franchise history to pass for 3,000 yards in 3 consecutive seasons……Club 14-1 all-time & 1-0 in playoffs when RB GARRISON HEARST rushes for 100 yards.  RB KEVAN BARLOW finished second on club with 675 yards rushing……WR TERRELL OWENS had career-high 100 receptions in 2002 & led NFL with 13 TD catches.  Ranked second in NFL with 30 third-down receptions (433) & first with 7 third-down TD receptions.  Had 3 150-yard receiving games in 2002 & avgs. 92.9 receiving yards per game, second-most in NFL (MARVIN HARRISON).  WR TAI STREETS had career highs with 72 catches for 756 yards & 5 TDs……G RON STONE joined club in offseason after 6 years as starter with Giants & is 1 of 6 49ers headed to Pro Bowl, tied with Miami for second-most in NFL (7, Phil)……Club’s 17 giveaways are third-fewest in NFL……DE ANDRE CARTER had career-high 12.5 sacks & led club for second consecutive season.  DT BRYANT YOUNG earned fourth Pro Bowl selection……LB JAMIE WINBORN earned NFC Defensive Player of Week honors following his 16 tackle, 1.0 sack performance in Week 1 win vs. NYG……S TONY PARRISH led team with career-high 7 INTs in first season with club.

 

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