By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - The New York Giants enter the 2007 NFC Playoffs eager to end a four-game losing streak in postseason play. But in order to break that spell, they'll have to beat the quarterback who had a hand in two of those painful defeats in this Sunday's Wild Card round encounter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

The Giants haven't won a playoff game since January 14, 2001, when Big Blue rolled to a 41-0 decision over the Minnesota Vikings in that season's NFC Championship Game. It's been all downhill for New York in the month of January since, with the club getting routed by Baltimore in Super Bowl XXXV, dropping a memorable 39-38 decision to San Francisco in 2003 and suffering opening- round defeats in each of the last two years.

New York blew a 38-14 lead in that Wild Card round game against the 49ers four years ago, with Jeff Garcia engineering the second-largest comeback in postseason history to propel San Francisco to victory. The now 37-year-old quarterback threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns on that day, while adding 60 yards and another score on the ground.

Garcia did the Giants in once again a year ago, this time as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The gritty veteran skillfully orchestrated a 10-play, 46- yard culminating in David Akers' 38-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, lifting Philly to a 23-20 triumph in an NFC Wild Card matchup last January.

Now the Giants will cross paths again with Garcia, who signed a two-year free- agent contract with the Buccaneers in March and delivered another typically efficient season under center. The nine-year veteran completed nearly 64 percent of his passes and threw just four interceptions over 13 starts in 2007.

Garcia's addition was a big reason for Tampa Bay's worst-to-first turnaround this year. After finishing at the bottom of the NFC South with a disappointing 4-12 record, the Buccaneers rebounded with a 9-7 mark to capture their second division title in three years.

Also instrumental in Tampa Bay's resurgence was a swarming defense that surrendered the fewest passing yards in the league this season and ranked second in total yards allowed and third in points allowed.

New York is headed to the postseason for a third consecutive year under head coach Tom Coughlin after recording a 10-6 mark, good for the NFC's top Wild Card berth and the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament. The Giants also enter Sunday's tilt battle-tested after playing the powerful New England Patriots to the wire in last weekend's regular-season finale.

The fired-up Giants built a surprising 12-point lead on New England midway through the third quarter, but the still-unbeaten Patriots answered with 23 straight points and held on for a thrilling 38-35 victory to become the first team in NFL history to complete a season with a 16-0 record.

Coughlin opted to play the majority of his regulars in that game, even though New York was already locked in to an opening-round meeting with the Bucs. Tampa head coach Jon Gruden took a different approach in last Sunday's finale against Carolina, choosing to rest such key players as Garcia, running back Earnest Graham, wide receivers Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, linebacker Barrett Ruud and safety Jermaine Phillips.

The Panthers handed the depleted Buccaneers a 31-23 setback, which was only Tampa Bay's second loss in eight home games this season.

Conversely, the Giants have excelled on the road in 2007. Since being handed a 45-35 loss at NFC East champion Dallas in Week 1, New York has reeled off seven straight wins as the visitor.

SERIES HISTORY

The Giants lead the all-time series with the Buccaneers, 10-6, including a 17-3 home victory when the teams last met, in Week 8 of the 2006 regular season. Tampa Bay won the previous meeting, a 19-13 affair at Raymond James Stadium in 2003. New York's most recent win in Tampa occurred in 1999.

Gruden is 3-1 all-time against the Giants, including a 2-0 mark while with the Raiders from 1998 through 2001. Coughlin is 2-1 against the Bucs, including 1-1 during his tenure with Jacksonville (1995-2002). Gruden is 0-1 against Coughlin head-to-head.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

You can expect the Giants to attempt to continuously pound away at Tampa's smallish defense with a running game that has been one of the league's most productive in 2007. New York's 134.3 rushing yards per game rank fourth in the NFL, while the Buccaneers are 17th overall in defending the run (107.9 ypg). Tampa Bay will have its hands full with running back Brandon Jacobs (1009 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 6 total TD), a 264-pound load who averaged five yards per carry in an injury-marred campaign. A stout New York offensive line has one issue heading into Sunday, as steady center Shaun O'Hara sprained his left knee against New England and figures to be a game-time decision.

A potent rushing attack would also ease the pressure on Eli Manning (3336 passing yards, 23 TD, 20 INT) as the erratic New York quarterback tries to put the burden of an 0-2 career playoff record behind him. Manning did deliver a strong performance in a big-game scenario last week, however, as the former No. 1 overall pick threw for 251 yards and tied a personal best with four touchdown passes. He's also historically put up better numbers on the road during his four-year career. The six-foot-five Plaxico Burress (70 receptions, 1025 yards) is Manning's top target and a matchup nightmare for most defenses. The talented wideout caught 12 touchdown passes during the regular season despite fighting through a lingering ankle injury. The season-ending loss of tight end Jeremy Shockey in Week 15 was a serious blow to the Giants' 21st- rated pass offense (197.1 ypg), although rookie Kevin Boss (9 receptions, 2 TD) has shown promise since being pressed into extended duty.

Manning will be challenged by Tampa's patented Cover-2 scheme that has limited the opposition to a league-low 170.5 passing yards per game. A strong secondary is anchored by four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber (58 tackles, 2 INT, 14 PD) and received an unexpected boost from the strong play of rookie Tanard Jackson (56 tackles, 2 INT, 13 PD) at free safety. Jovan Haye (68 tackles, 6 sacks) has also had a terrific season at the all-important under tackle position and spearheads a solid pass rush along with 2007 first- round choice Gaines Adams (38 tackles, 6 sacks) and fellow rookie Greg White (26 tackles, 8 sacks). The Bucs' only current health concern on defense is linebacker Cato June (69 tackles, 1 INT), who's dealing with a foot injury and is questionable for Sunday's test.

Although's Tampa Bay's overall ranking in run defense isn't too impressive, the club is holding opponents to just 3.8 yards per rush. The front seven has gotten good contributions from both young and old, as both Haye and third-year middle linebacker Barrett Ruud (114 tackles, 2 INT) have been impact players and perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks (109 tackles) and veteran end Kevin Carter (43 tackles, 3 sacks) have remained productive in their mid-30's. Look for Kiffin to install hard-hitting strong safety Jermaine Phillips (83 tackles, 4 INT, 1 sack) near the line in an effort to neutralize Jacobs.

WHEN THE BUCCANEERS HAVE THE BALL

Tampa Bay also wants to control the clock by running the football, and the team was able to do that effectively once Graham (898 rushing yards, 10 TD, 49 receptions) took over as the starter at midseason and a young offensive line began to jell. The Bucs finished the year ranked 11th in the NFL with an average of 117 rushing yards per game as Graham more than capably filled the void caused by initial starter Cadillac Williams' season-ending knee injury in September. He did show signs of wearing down late in the year, but should be raring to go on Sunday after being rested in the season finale.

Graham will be taking on a formidable Giants run defense that allowed the eighth-fewest yards on the ground (97.7 ypg) during the regular season and has held up well despite injuries to a linebacking corps that will likely have only one opening-week regular, middle man Antonio Pierce (103 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack), available on Sunday. Weakside starter Kawika Mitchell (76 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT) will probably miss the game due to a sprained knee, but Gerris Wilkinson (15 tackles) played well in his absence against the Patriots. On the strong side, Reggie Torbor (39 tackles, 1 sack) has been solid since replacing the injured Mathias Kiwanuka and corralled 10 tackles and a sack in the New England game.

The Giants' goal will be to stuff the run and force Tampa Bay into obvious passing situations, where the team can unleash a pass rush that racked up a league-best 53 sacks in 2007. Ends Osi Umenyiora (52 tackles, 13 sacks), Justin Tuck (65 tackles, 10 sacks) and Michael Strahan (57 tackles, 9 sacks) will all be trying to apply the heat to Garcia, and they'll have to as well considering the shaky state of New York's secondary. There's a chance the Giants will be without their top two corners, Sam Madison (67 tackles, 4 INT, 14 PD) and Kevin Dockery (46 tackles), on Saturday. That's not good news for a defense which let up 346 passing yards to the Patriots last weekend.

Tampa Bay may not have the weapons that New England possesses in the passing game, but it's a seasoned group capable of doing damage if Garcia (2440 passing yards, 13 TD, 4 INT) is given time to throw. Galloway (57 receptions, 1014 yards, 6 TD) is still a dangerous deep threat at age 36, while ex-Giant Hilliard (62 receptions) is steady as a possession receiver. Garcia was only sacked 19 times in his 13 starts due to his ability to get rid of the ball quickly. If he's hurried, look for Graham to be the safety valve out of the backfield.

SPECIAL TEAMS

These teams match up pretty evenly in most of the special teams categories, with the most notable advantage coming from Tampa Bay's No. 2 overall ranking in kick return yards allowed. Both clubs have big-play capability on kick returns, as the Bucs' Micheal Spurlock is averaging 27.8 yards per runback and New York's Domenik Hixon had a 74-yard return against the Patriots last week. Neither the Giants' R.W. McQuarters (7.6 avg.) nor Hilliard (6.1 avg.) have made much of an impact returning punts.

Kickers Lawrence Tynes and Matt Bryant have both delivered consistent seasons, although the one-time Giant Bryant has a stronger leg for the Buccaneers. Each also owns well-respected veteran punters as well, as Tampa's Josh Bidwell and 41-year-old Giant Jeff Feagles are both former Pro Bowlers who excel at pinning in the competition.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

It's never hard to analyze the Giants after a game, as they usually win the ones in which Manning plays well and lose those in which the highly- scrutinized signal-caller performs poorly. The trick is trying to figure out which Eli is going to show up. Both teams should have a fair amount of success moving the football, as New York can run it on anybody and Tampa's mid-range passing game can consistently move the chains against a Giants secondary that's very beatable. In a matchup where neither team holds a distinct advantage on the other, figure that it comes down to the one that makes the fewest mistakes. More times than not, that team is the Bucs. Tampa Bay's aggressive defense is adept at forcing turnovers, and you can bet they'll pressure Manning into at least one costly miscue on Sunday. Conversely, there aren't many quarterbacks better at managing a game than Garcia, who's tormented the Giants in big spots in the past. The Buccaneers come in the healthier of the teams, which negates the advantage New York seemingly gained from playing in a playoff-like atmosphere last week. There may be some rust early on, but a Tampa squad which hasn't gotten much respect nationally will state its case on the big stage.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Buccaneers 27, Giants 24