Giants’ D set for second shot
The New York Giants’ defense wanted another shot at Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers after a last-second loss last month. They got their wish.
And this time it might be a fair fight.
The last time the Giants (10-7) faced the Packers, Rodgers shredded the defense for 449 yards and four touchdowns, winning the game with a 68-yard drive in the final minute to set up a 31-yard field goal in a 38-35 decision.
That’s ancient history. The Giants’ defense has come light years in five weeks. The front four is dominating, led by All-Pro Jason Pierre-Paul, with Justin Tuck healthy, and Osi Umenyiora recovered from an ankle injury.
The secondary is covering receivers and opponents are being stuffed on the run. It’s shutdown football, as was evident on Sunday in a 24-2 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC wild-card game at MetLife Stadium.
That set up the rematch with the Packers (15-1) at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
“We wanted to see them again, but we realized in seeing them again it would be in a playoff game like this, so obviously we wanted to see them again,” Tuck said Monday. “But yeah, we felt like we let one slip through our hands. I am sure Green Bay is saying to themselves, ‘We didn’t play our best game.’ All of that is in the past. We’ll get our opportunity to settle all those question marks on Sunday.”
The Giants have played five games since facing the Packers on Dec. 4 and the defense seemingly has gotten better each week. After giving up 34 points in a three-point win over Dallas on Dec. 11, New York has given up 53 points in the last four games.
When the Giants played the Packers, weak side linebacker Michael Boley was coming off a hamstring injury and middle linebacker Chase Blackburn had just been signed in the wake of an ankle injury to rookie Mark Herzlich. Umenyiora was out of the lineup with a high ankle sprain and Tuck, bothered by shoulder and groin injuries earlier, was dealing with an ankle problem.
While the line was able to sack Rodgers twice, there was never consistent pressure and it allowed the All-Pro quarterback to pick and choose his receivers on a day he was 28 of 45 and connected with eight targets.
New York had 11 sacks in closing the season with wins over the Jets and Cowboys, and Matt Ryan of the Falcons looked very tentative on Sunday despite being sacked only twice.
• The New York Giants say they were helped by the NFL’s installation of video monitors on the sideline in treating injuries to cornerback Aaron Ross and running back D.J. Ware.
Both Ross and Ware sustained concussions against Atlanta last Sunday.
Giants vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes says the team’s medical staff was unsure what happened with Ware and “the video replay provided us with evidence that a concussive event had occurred.”
Chiefs name Crennel new head coach
The Kanas City Chiefs announced that Romeo Crennel will be the official replacement for the fired Todd Haley, removing the interim tag he bore the last three weeks of the season.
Crennel went 2-1 and stunned the then-undefeated Green Bay Packers.
Rams finalist in bid for head coach Fisher
The St. Louis Rams are reporting on their website that they and the Dolphins are finalists in the bidding to hire Jeff Fisher as their head coach.
The team said that the former Titans coach completed a second interview with the Rams on Sunday, touring facilities in St. Louis and spending time with quarterback Sam Bradford. Fisher also interviewed with owner Stan Kroenke in Denver last week.
The Rams also have interviewed Arizona defensive coordinator Ray Horton for the position.
Packers coordinator’s son goes missing
Authorities were searching for Michael T. Philbin, the 21-year-old son of Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, on Monday in Oshkosh, Wis., a day after he was reported missing following a night out with friends.
Philbin was last heard from around 2 a.m. Sunday. Sheriff’s deputies said they pulled the body of a young man between the ages of 20 and 25 out of the Fox River in Oshkosh on Monday afternoon, but they had not confirmed his identity.
Call to consolidate concussion hearings
The National Football League wants to consolidate in Philadelphia a string of lawsuits filed across the country by former players who say they’ve suffered concussion-related brain injuries.
Seven former players filed the first such lawsuit last summer in Philadelphia, where a similar lawsuit filed Monday seeks more than $5 million for more than 100 former players. Other lawsuits are pending or expected in California, Florida and New York.
Pro Bowl changes
Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher is heading to his third consecutive Pro Bowl, replacing an injured Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears. … Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway has been picked for his first Pro Bowl, replacing the injured Lance Briggs of Chicago.