By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - A year ago at this time, Brett Favre was pondering whether to end a long and prolific career. Now the legendary quarterback has the Green Bay Packers on the verge of a Super Bowl appearance.

Favre and the Packers will attempt to capture their first conference title in 11 years this Sunday, when the resurgent club squares off against the road- tested New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game from historic Lambeau Field.

Coming into this season, few thought that these two teams would be meeting for the right to represent the NFC in next month's Super Bowl. The Packers are just two years removed from a 4-12 campaign, and have enjoyed a quick and remarkable turnaround in head coach Mike McCarthy's second season. Expectations for the Giants were curtailed following a disappointing and turbulent 2007 and the offseason retirement of star running back Tiki Barber.

Green Bay's resurrection has come to fruition largely because of an amazing bounce-back season out of the 38-year-old Favre, who threw for 4,155 yards and completed a career-best 66.5 percent of his passes. But the future Hall of Famer also had plenty of help from a young supporting cast in leading the Pack to a 13-3 regular-season record and its first NFC North title since 2004.

One of those neophytes was running back Ryan Grant, an ex-Giant who flourished when inserted into a starting role at midseason and came through with a huge performance in last weekend's 42-20 victory over Seattle in the Divisional Playoffs. The undrafted 25-year-old shook off a pair of early fumbles that staked the Seahawks to a 14-0 lead by racking up 201 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.

Grant, a New Jersey native who spent the 2005 season on the Giants' practice squad and all of last year on injured reserve, was traded by New York to Green Bay for a sixth-round draft choice on September 1.

The second-seeded Packers' 13 regular-season wins are the franchise's most since 1997, which is also the last year Green Bay played in the NFC Championship. The Packers advanced to Super Bowl XXXII with a 23-10 decision over the 49ers at San Francisco's 3Com Park.

New York will be competing in the NFC title game for the first time since 2000, when Big Blue routed Minnesota by a 41-0 count. The Giants have gotten to this point by recording road playoff triumphs over Tampa Bay and Dallas, including last Sunday's 21-17 downing of the top-seeded Cowboys in the divisional round.

The Giants, who entered the postseason tournament as the conference's fifth seed, have been carried by a defense that amassed a league-best 53 sacks during the regular season, and the outstanding recent play of Eli Manning. The highly-scrutinized quarterback has thrown eight touchdown passes and only one interception over his last three games, and has yet to commit a turnover so far in this year's playoffs.

New York has also been buoyed by an uncanny ability to succeed on the road. The Giants have now won their last nine games as the visitor, establishing an NFL record for consecutive road victories in a single season, and haven't lost away from home since a 45-35 setback at Dallas in the 2007 opener.

Conversely, the Packers have won 10 of their last 11 games at Lambeau Field and are 15-2 all-time at home in postseason play. Favre has been under center for eight of those victories.

Green Bay also owns a win over the Giants during the course of this season. That came all the way back in Week 2, when the Pack scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 35-13 decision at the Meadowlands.

The Giants have gone 12-4 since that defeat.

SERIES HISTORY

The Giants and Packers have met five times in postseason play, but Sunday's game will mark their first such meeting since 1962, when Green Bay was a 16-7 winner in the NFL Championship at Yankee Stadium. The teams also met for the league title in 1938, 1939, 1944, and 1961, with the Packers winning all but the first of those meetings. The Giants were 37-0 losers when they last appeared in a playoff game at Lambeau Field (then known as "New" City Stadium), in 1961.

The Packers hold a 25-21-2 lead over the Giants in a regular season series that dates back to 1928, including a 35-13 road win in Week 2. New York won the previous meeting, a 14-7 affair at Lambeau Field during the 2004 campaign. Green Bay's last home win over the Giants occurred in 1995.

New York head coach Tom Coughlin is 1-3 against the Packers during his career, including 0-2 while with Jacksonville from 1995 to 2002. McCarthy is 1-0 against both Coughlin and the Giants as a head coach.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

Expect the Giants to continue using the conservative approach that has worked for them during the two playoff wins. Although the offense has averaged only slightly over 250 yards in those games, New York has not turned the ball over at all and has done a good job making the most of its opportunities. Much of the credit has to go to Manning (3336 passing yards, 23 TD, 20 INT), who's completed 71 percent of his passes and thrown for four touchdowns during this postseason. With No. 1 receiver Plaxico Burress (70 receptions, 1025 yards, 12 TD) still fighting through a nagging ankle injury that's slowed his recent production, veteran Amani Toomer (59 receptions, 3 TD) and rookie Steve Smith have emerged as Manning's top targets as of late. Toomer has 11 catches for 154 yards and three scores in the two January games, while Smith contributed four grabs for 48 yards against Dallas after garnering only eight receptions during the regular season.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will try to keep the burden off of Manning on Sunday by establishing a run game that ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (134.3 ypg) during the regular season. Top back Brandon Jacobs (1009 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 6 total TD) is a 264-pound bruiser adept at wearing down an opposing defense, while rookie Ahmad Bradshaw (190 rushing yards, 1 TD) established himself as a capable change-of-pace provider down the stretch. Jacobs has had trouble getting untracked during the playoffs, though, having averaged only 3.3 yards per carry over the two matchups.

The Giants' powerful ground attack figures to be tested by a Green Bay defense that yielded a mere 28 rushing yards on 18 attempts against Seattle last weekend. A quality front seven is headed by athletic linebackers Nick Barnett (131 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 INT) and A.J. Hawk (105 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), both of whom are able to routinely make plays in space behind a sturdy line anchored by tackle Ryan Pickett (39 tackles, 1 sack) and end Cullen Jenkins (4 tackles, 1 sack). Strong safety Atari Bigby (86 tackles, 9 PD) has also shown himself to be a sound run stopper in his first year as a starter, and led the team with seven tackles versus the Seahawks. The hard-hitting youngster will be counted on heavily again on Sunday, as the Giants' offensive line has been a more effective unit than Seattle's this year.

If the Packers can get New York into obvious throwing situations, they'll be able to turn loose their strong pass-rushing tandem of ends Aaron Kampman (64 tackles, 12 sacks) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (26 tackles, 9.5 sacks). The duo's success has been aided by the excellent coverage abilities of cornerbacks Al Harris (37 tackles, 2 INT) and Charles Woodson (63 tackles, 4 INT), as well as consistent interior pressure lent by tackle Corey Williams (35 tackles, 7 sacks), who had a sack and interception in Green Bay's Week 2 win over the Giants. Bigby compiled a team-best five interceptions for a defense that limited the opposition to a 55 percent completion rate during the regular season, the second-best mark in the league.

WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL

Green Bay relied considerably on Favre's record-breaking right arm during the early portion of this season, but the Packers were able to establish offensive balance during the second half after McCarthy put Grant (956 rushing yards, 8 TD, 30 receptions) into the fold. The first-year back averaged over 90 yards per outing over his 10 regular-season starts, then shattered club single-game records for rushing yards and touchdowns in last week's rout. Grant's two fumbles against the Seahawks are a mild concern, but he only coughed it up one time in 218 touches coming into the game. The Notre Dame product excels at finding the lanes created by the team's zone-blocking system and a solid line that often doesn't get the credit it deserves.

The front wall has also done a terrific job protecting Favre (4155 passing yards, 28 TD, 15 INT), who was sacked only 19 times in the regular season. That group will face quite a test from a relentless Giants pass rush that enforced its will upon Dallas' Tony Romo during the second half of last Sunday's upset. Ends Osi Umenyiora (52 tackles, 13 sacks), Michael Strahan (57 tackles, 9 sacks) and Justin Tuck (65 tackles, 10 sacks) are all dangerous pressure generators, and the 36-year-old Strahan has been particularly troublesome this postseason. The seven-time Pro Bowler has recorded a team- best 16 tackles along with a forced fumble in the two games. He'll be going head-to-head with Packers tackle Mark Tauscher, who neutralized Seattle All- Pro Patrick Kerney last week, in one of the game's most important individual matchups.

Getting heat on Favre will be a must for the Giants on Sunday, considering the state of the team's secondary heading into this tilt. Cornerbacks Sam Madison (67 tackles, 4 INT, 14 PD) and Kevin Dockery (46 tackles) missed the Dallas game due to injury, while rookie Aaron Ross (42 tackles, 3 INT, 1.5 sacks) sat out nearly the entire second half with a dislocated shoulder. Ross is expected to suit up but will likely be limited, while the experienced Madison is considered highly questionable to return. Despite the depleted state of its defensive backfield, New York has been able to survive because of the play of reserves Corey Webster (18 tackles, 1 INT) and R.W. McQuarters (15 tackles). Webster held a wounded Terrell Owens in check a week ago, while McQuarters sealed the win over the Cowboys with a last-second interception of Romo. Those two will have to step up again this week, while a front seven headlined by middle linebacker Antonio Pierce (103 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack) needs to prevent Grant from breaking off any long-gainers for the Giants to move on.

The Packers have the weapons to test New York's depth issues in the secondary, with three-time Pro Bowl honoree Donald Driver (82 receptions, 1048 yards, 2 TD) leading a talented receiving corps that also features the game-breaking Greg Jennings (53 receptions, 12 TD), who hauled in two of Favre's three touchdown passes against the Seahawks. Favre also had three scoring tosses in Green Bay's win over New York in September and completed 29-of-38 throws for 286 yards during the game, mainly because the offensive line was able to keep the Giants' pass rushers at bay. Tight ends Donald Lee (48 receptions, 6 TD) and Bubba Franks (18 receptions, 3 TD) each had a touchdown catch in that meeting.

SPECIAL TEAMS

This area greatly aided the Giants in last Sunday's vanquishing of the rival Cowboys. McQuarters set up the eventual game-winning touchdown with a 25-yard punt return deep into Dallas territory late in the third quarter, while kick returner Domenik Hixon averaged an impressive 31 yards on three runbacks. Green Bay can counter with a pair of coverage units that have ranked among the best in the NFL this season. Special teams were a factor in the earlier meeting between these clubs, as the Packers forced Bradshaw to fumble a kick return in the fourth quarter that helped them pull away.

Green Bay does have some health questions surrounding its return game, although the team does expect regular punt taker Will Blackmon to be available after sitting out last week with a sprained foot. Veteran Koren Robinson is a solid kick returner but has been limited in practice with a sore knee. If neither player somehow can't go, reserve corner Tramon Williams will assume those duties.

It will be interesting to see what happens if the game comes down to a late field-goal situation. Packers strong-legged rookie Mason Crosby made just 13- of-19 three-point attempts at Lambeau during the regular season and did not try a field goal last week. New York's Lawrence Tynes has had a checkered career that includes a chip-shot miss for Kansas City in a playoff game at Indianapolis last year.

Give the Giants an edge in the punting department with 20-year pro Jeff Feagles. The Pack's Jon Ryan averaged just 35 yards on three kicks against Seattle.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

While the Giants have thrived on the road and in the underdog role, the Packers are looking more like a team of destiny with each passing week. Grant's emergence has made an already capable offense into one of the NFL's most dangerous scoring attacks, and Green Bay's ability to run the football should render New York's intimidating pass rush less of a factor than it has been in recent weeks. The Packers' impressive depth at receiver should also cause problems for a Giants secondary that's riddled with injuries. New York got here by limiting its mistakes on offense and keeping the score down, but the Giants may find themselves having to win a shootout against a Green Bay squad that's scored 30 or more points in eight of its last 10 games. In that scenario, it's more likely that Manning's string of tremendously efficient outings will come to an end. And that means the Packers' storybook season will live on.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Packers 31, Giants 17