Giants Vs. 49ers 2012: Both Teams Healthy Heading Into Sunday

The Patriots and Ravens will meet in Foxborough for Sunday’s first game at 3:00 p.m. (ET). The game will be aired on CBS. Following that we’ll have the 49ers hosting the Giants, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (ET) on FOX. For those of you already planning a trip to Indianapolis, here’s the 2012 Super Bowl schedule.

In the early game, the oddsmakers have the Patriots as favorites over the Ravens, as high as nine points in some places. Prior to last week, the Patriots hadn’t won a playoff game in four years and they last played Baltimore in the postseason two years ago, a game in which the Ravens embarrassed them, 33-14, on their own home field. Despite their recent postseason history, there are plenty of reasons to pick the Patriots and that’s the direction most people seem to be going.

For updates and analysis on these teams leading up to their matchup, visit 49ers blog Niners Nation, Giants blog Big Blue View and SB Nation New York and SB Nation Bay Area. Don’t forget to check out SB Nation’s NFL hub for all your playoff news.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Saints on Saturday and the New York Giants were able to beat the one-loss Packers on Sunday. The NFC Championship game will take place next weekend in San Francisco between the 49ers and Giants.

Both games will be played on Sunday afternoon and the winners will advance to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. But who will those two teams be? We have our early predictions on the AFC and NFC Championship games.

Bradshaw and Gore are both back and healthy. Both had extremely effective divisional playoff games and both teams will probably run the ball much more than they did in the first game as a result. Additionally, the weather in San Francisco is expected to be rainy from Thursday on through the game. Expect a slightly muddy Candlestick Park.

If this game is anywhere near as good as the first edition -- which was close until a late Manning interception gifted the 49ers a two-score lead -- everyone is in for a treat. The presence of Gore, Bradshaw and the rain will make it a much different kind of football game than the first encounter, but it should be just as close.