Both sides tell a great story. The Packers are widely considered America's Team North for the many Cowboys-haters out there. Brett Favre's resurgence is nothing short of miraculous and not a single major media source predicted Green Bay to be where they are right now, one game away from the Super Bowl.

On the other side is a team that started the season 0-2 (including a humiliating loss to Green Bay) with talks of starting 2008 with a new coach and a new quarterback. However, over the last two weeks, any talk about dropping Eli Manning and Tom Caughlin have subsided and the Giants are looking like the most feared team in the NFL after narrowly knocking off New England in Week 17. Never before has a team leveraged a loss into such a win for confidence and morale. The Giants are looking dangerous, the Packers are looking like the most complete team in football. Let Madden decide their fate.

First Half
The NFC Championship is set in Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin and game time temperatures are as low as the 2008 expectations for the Miami Dolphins. Green Bay won the opening coin toss and deferred, favoring the wind on the gusty day. The Giants got the ball on the opening series and did absolutely nothing with it. The Giants tried to throw on all three downs with no success. 4th & 10 and time to punt. As Brett Favre came out to lead the Packers, the crowd erupted. Now it was time for action. However, a first down handoff to Ryan Grant was met with no success, 2nd & 11. Two plays later it was Green Bay's punting unit on the field and the field position game was underway.

It wasn't until the second quarter when either team would get on the scoreboard, when broken coverage by Charles Woodson allowed Plaxico Burress to streak down the sideline for a long reception. The drive would be capped by a Brandon Jacobs punch-in from inside the five. While New York was happy to jump to a 7-0 lead, it must have sparked some life into the Packers' offense.

On the next drive, Green Bay engineered a scheme of short passes and off-tackle runs that brought the ball downfield for a touchdown, making it 7-7. Before the half, the Packers and Giants matched fieldgoals to go into the locker room knotted up at 10-10.

Second Half
In the second half, the close game took a different twist. The Packers' rushing attack that was stagnate in the first half came to life. The O-line for Green Bay was creating holes a dump truck could drive through and suddenly Ryan Grant was back in business. After back-to-back scoring drives, Green Bay amassed a 24-10 lead and another score in the fourth quarter would make it 31-10. While Eli Manning struggled, Green Bay held strong. A garbage time score late in the 4th quarter is all that kept New York from being shut out in the second half.

While New York controlled the tempo through the first half, the second half was nothing but Green Bay. A matchup featuring one dominant team versus a true cinderella will take place in Super Bowl XLII, at least if Madden 08 is any indication.