Here we go. One game left before going to the Super Bowl.

The Packers in Lambeau Field against the New York Giants.

Lots of not-so-random thoughts:

1. Those of us who have had the chance to watch Brett Favre are like the people in Chicago who got to watch Michael Jordan. An athlete who is so far above everyone else, both in talent and joy, is something very, very special and it's not going to happen again soon. Probably never. Let's relish it with all the relish we can muster (or mustard, if that's your condiment of choice).

2. Although we don't want to spend too much time looking back at last week, it is impossible to praise Mark Tauscher enough. He took Patrick Kerney out of the game and maybe out of Lambeau Field. It was an unbelievable performance by a great pro. I can hardly wait until his weekly "Tuesdays with Tauscher" appearance with Homer this week.

3. I can't remember seeing a Packers defense that was quicker to the ball or hit harder than this one. A.J. Hawk is becoming a monster and Ryan Pickett is worth his weight (all of it) in gold. Not only does he stuff the run in the middle, he can drop back into zone pass coverage occasionally. Amazing.

4. I don't know what words you can use to describe Mike McCarthy. If you shut your eyes, you've got the foreman of the coalmine trying to rescue his fellow miners. He should have a toothpick sticking out of one corner of his mouth and a chaw of tobacco in his cheek. John Wayne plays him in the movie. And his football team is a reflection of his approach to life. "Yeah, let's see you try it!"

5. There is a part of me that wishes the Packers could play against Tony Romo, who has some chinks in his golden boy armor. First he went on vacation to Mexico with Jessica Simpson during the bye week instead of studying the Giants. Then you saw him during the game shrieking and whining at his offensive line after a sack. Then, to top it off, Terrell Owens started crying when talking about Romo after the loss. I'm not sure that a season and a half makes a quarterback a superstar, no matter how cute he looks with his girlfriend.

6. So now it's the Giants, a team the Packers beat in New York early in the year. I don't think you can really count that game too much because both teams are vastly different now. Amani Toomer said that the team the Packers will face next Sunday is "a lot different" than the team they faced earlier. That may be true. But the Packers are also a lot different, since they now have a running game.

7. The Giants have not turned the ball over in two playoff games, against Tampa Bay and Dallas. That string comes to an end Sunday in Green Bay.

8. Everyone is raving about Eli Manning and how he has become such an outstanding quarterback. I don't know. I think he's still got jumpy feet and doesn't react well to intense pressure. I would be surprised if the Packers, with two great cornerbacks, don't dazzle New York with lots of complex blitzes to put lots and lots of pressure on Manning.

9. Ryan Grant, who got traded by the Giants to the Packers for a sixth rough draft choice, will be one of the big stories leading up to the game. The Giants figured they didn't need Grant. Obviously, the Packers knew something the Giants didn't.

10. Chris Snee, the rugged guard for the Giants, said he knew his team would be an underdog against Green Bay. "We'll be the worst team that was ever in the NFC title game," Snee said. He's right.