Momentum

If you believe in the power of momentum in situations like these, then you’re probably favoring the Giants in this spot. Although the G-Men are coming off a loss in Week 17, it was a “moral victory” of sorts as they came within a quarter of spoiling the vaunted Patriots’ perfect season. The previous week, they had their best offensive performance of the season against Buffalo, making for a two-week total of 73 points. Not bad for an offense criticized as much as this one.

The Buccaneers, on the other hand, secured their division back in Week 15 and had it on auto-pilot even before then. They dropped their last two games of the season while most of their key starters took it easy. Jeff Garcia threw only 49 passes over the last six weeks and Earnest Graham, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard and a number of defensive starters all got a break over the last couple of games. If the Bucs come into the game rusty, you can bet Jon Gruden will take some heat over the strategy. 

Jeff Garcia

A lot has been made over Garcia’s past playoff success against New York. They’re calling him the “Giant Killer” because in his journeyman career the quarterback has twice knocked the Giants out of the playoffs. Whether or not he has the antidote for the Giants’ defense is still up for debate, but there’s no doubt that the Bucs are better off for having the veteran QB leading their offense in the postseason. He’s made six playoff starts in his career and as Gruden said, “Experience is a great asset when you get into these kind of tournaments.”

Eli Manning

The Giants’ quarterback is the other player in this game receiving the majority of the attention. Granted he plays in front of the toughest audience in sports, but the criticism of Manning isn’t completely without justification.

He’s surrounded by one of the best supporting casts a quarterback could want and at times (like last week) he looks almost as dominant as his big brother, but at other times he makes bad decisions and gives up too many turnovers. His 20 interceptions this season are proof of that.

But even though Eli told reporters this week he’s trying not to judge himself by playoff wins, his 0-2 record and 2-4 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio is a glaring reminder of his failure to step up in the big games. This could be his last chance to change that.

Injuries

Tampa Bay: Cato June missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with an injured foot and is currently listed as questionable. Coaches don’t sound too hopeful about his chances of playing, so expect to see Ryan Nece in his place. Aaron Sears was also held out of practice on Wednesday but based on the progress of his injured ankle, he’s expected to be ready to go on Sunday.

New York: Kawika Mitchell’s chances of playing aren’t good with a sprained knee he suffered in last week’s (meaningless) game. Also injured in that game were center Shaun O’Hara and cornerback Sam Madison. All three players are listed as questionable.