Professor

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=706635

Green Bay - The collective cheer that could be heard throughout the National Football League's smallest market Sunday evening emanated from so many places it was hard to tell where it was loudest.

It came from 1265 Lombardi Ave., where home-field advantage swung over to the Green Bay Packers when New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning took a final knee Sunday night, ending the Dallas Cowboys' reign as top dog in the NFC.

It came from the thousands of fans who by virtue of the Giants' 21-17 victory at Texas Stadium found themselves in line to attend the first NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field since the Super Bowl season of 1996.

It came from the city's hotel, restaurant and bar owners, who saw the divisional playoff game on Saturday bring an estimated $4 million to the local economy and who can expect to share an even bigger pie next weekend.

Yes, there was plenty to cheer about around here.

"It was (a feeling) of excitement," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of watching R.W. McQuarters end the Cowboys' chances with a late interception. "I can't show you right here, as I stand here. But (I was) very excited. I'm just excited about having the game here at Lambeau Field."

The Packers would have boarded a plane to Dallas on Friday for a rematch with the Cowboys had the Giants, the fifth-seeded team in the NFC, not beaten their division rival for the first time in three tries this season. All the Cowboys had to do was win and they would have guaranteed themselves another home game.

But the second-seeded Packers, who took care of business Saturday with a 42-20 victory over Seattle at Lambeau Field after a first-round bye, have a chance to follow the same path the '96 team did to the Super Bowl. That year, the Packers won at home against San Francisco and then again against Carolina to earn its berth in Super Bowl XXXI.

"I couldn't be happier," team President Bob Harlan said. "I'm just thrilled for our fans and the city. It's great to get this game. I've always said the best game I ever saw was that championship game against Carolina. I hope this game matches that.

"What happened yesterday and today is something special."

In facing the upstart Giants, who won on the road for a ninth straight time this season, the Packers - who opened Sunday night as 7-point favorites - will be up against a team that appears very different from the one it beat, 35-13, on Sept. 16 at Giants Stadium. The Giants were reeling after an opening-season loss at Dallas and fighting a number of injuries.

At about the time end Michael Strahan started to round into shape after a summer holdout, the Giants revived their season and won just enough to command the top wild-card spot. However, their run to the championship game hasn't come without a price, and that will be one of the biggest challenges the Giants will have in beating the Packers.

New York is banged up and the Packers are the picture of health.

"This is the healthiest we've been all year," McCarthy said. "To come out of the game with zero significant injuries is an extreme positive, and to be going into the NFC championship as healthy as you've been, really since I've been here, is what we were trying to accomplish, and we got that done."

McCarthy's gamble to hold out cornerback Charles Woodson (toe) and end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) in a Week 13 game against the Cowboys that the Packers might have won with both in the lineup has paid off handsomely. His focus the last month of the season was to improve the health of the team and through resting certain individuals and receiving a first-round bye, McCarthy has both a home-field and a health advantage.

And if the cold weather is an ally for the Packers, things are looking their way. According to weather forecasts, the temperature is supposed to dip to a high of 7 Sunday. The game starts at 5:30 p.m., so the field won't be warmed up by the sun.

"It's going to be a tough task for us to play in that stadium, especially with the weather," Giants receiver Plaxico Burress said after the game.

The Giants played a gutsy game against the Cowboys despite going in without tight end Jeremy Shockey (broken leg, injured reserve), linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka (broken leg, injured reserve) and veteran cornerback Sam Madison (abdominal strain). During the game, they lost cornerback Aaron Ross (shoulder) and had Strahan (groin) and Burress (groin) at less than 100%.

When the Packers beat the Giants earlier this season, injuries were a huge factor. Starting running back Brandon Jacobs (knee) was out, quarterback Eli Manning (shoulder) played despite barely practicing all week and end Osi Umenyiora (knee) was hobbled. Like the Packers late this season, however, the Giants have gotten some clutch performances from younger fill-ins who won't be unfamiliar with big games.

"You have to respect the fact that they went into Dallas and they went into Tampa Bay in a playoff atmosphere and won those games," McCarthy said. "So it's a credit to their players, their coaching staff, the ability to focus and get over the hurdles that road games do present to you.

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