When the Giants stomped the Redskins three weeks ago, it appeared New York was sprinting toward the Super Bowl and would not miss Burress one bit.

But now, the Giants have realized how valuable Burress was to the offense despite being a pain in the butt to deal with off the field. His season ended last month with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Without the threat of Burress, opponents have been able to stack up against the Giants' run offense. The result has been two consecutive losses for New York and a huge game Sunday night against Carolina. The winner gets home field throughout the NFC playoffs.

The last three games Burress played: 3-0 record and offensive averages of 31.3 points, 357.7 yards and 208.7 rushing yards.

The first three games without Burress: 1-2 record and averages of 12 points, 274.3 yards and 89.3 rushing yards, dropping the Giants into a tie with the Falcons for first in rushing yards a game (148.7).

Granted, having running back Brandon Jacobs banged up hasn't helped the offense, but Giants receivers Steve Smith, Amani Toomer and Domenik Hixon don't scare defenses the way Burress does, and none of them have the ability to bail out Eli Manning the way Burress did.

"People certainly have a great deal of respect for what Plaxico could do, and when they did that, he made a lot of big plays for us, and so that made defenses very sensitive to isolating a corner one-on-one with him," Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said.

When the Giants couldn't run it last week at Dallas, they faced obvious passing situations, allowing Dallas' pass rush to tee off and sack Manning eight times.

The re-emergence of Jacobs would help the Giants. He hasn't rushed for 100 yards since Nov. 9 and has sat out two of the last four games. As with Burress, teams aren't as scared of Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw.

"I could easily give you a litany of explanations, but the bottom line is we all know that we're going through a difficult spell and we all have to raise our level of play," Gilbride said. "Our players understand that, and they're looking forward to redeeming ourselves in the next two weeks."

The Giants' struggles have made the NFC more interesting. When they were 11-1 and the rest of the conference trailed by at least two games, New York looked unbeatable because of Jacobs, Manning, a great offensive line and a top-10 defense.

Now it's wide open. Throw out Arizona even though the Cardinals will play a first-round home game. Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta are legitimate teams. Minnesota runs it and can stop the run. And Dallas and Philadelphia, if either gets in, will enter January on a roll.

Although home field meant nothing last year in the NFC - the Giants won three road games to reach the Super Bowl - the road goes through the winner of Sunday night's game.

INSIDE THE AFC

* Pittsburgh has held its opponent under 300 yards for 14 consecutive games, tying the record set by the 1973 Los Angeles Rams. If the Steelers make it 15, it likely will mean the AFC title game will be at Heinz Field.

* Brett Favre has to be considered a surprise Pro Bowl selection considering he leads the NFL with 17 interceptions to go with his 21 touchdowns. "I feel about like I'm closing in on 40," said Favre, 39. The Jets (9-5) try to avoid going 0-for-the-West Coast when they travel to Seattle (3-11).

* The complete turnaround (10 wins to 10 losses) is complete in Cleveland, and the fallout could be major. Fans want Bill Cowher to come out of retirement and have started a Web site - www.cowher09.com "Unleash the Power of Cowher," it says). The Browns haven't scored an offensive touchdown in a month.

* Don't count Miami coach Tony Sparano among those concerned that the Dolphins must play at Kansas City (20 degrees) and the New York Jets to finish the season. The Dolphins are 3-6 when the game-time temperature is 25 degrees or below. "It's not like we're playing fast-break Football out there," Sparano said. "I think the type of game we play suits the elements."

INSIDE THE NFC

* A reason why Carolina is 11-3 and playing Sunday night for NFC home-field advantage: The Panthers are good on defense (sixth in points allowed) and have stayed healthy. The same 11 players have started all 14 games. Defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu's right ankle might keep him out for the Giants game.

* Minnesota can win its first division title since 2000 with a home victory over Atlanta. The Falcons are tied for the league lead in rushing (148.7), and the Vikings have the best rush defense (71.2). Minnesota will be without defensive tackle Pat Williams (shoulder).

* Green Bay's first year in the post-Favre era will end out of the playoffs. After reaching the NFC Championship game last year, the Packers have lost six of their last seven, and defensive coordinator Bob Sanders might be on his way out. The Packers rank 24th in yards allowed.

* If Steve Breaston catches nine passes in the last two games, the Cardinals will become the first team in history to have three wide receivers with at least 80 catches (Anquan Boldin has 89, Larry Fitzgerald 88). If Breaston gets to 75, they will join the 1989 Redskins (Art Monk, Ricky Sanders and Gary Clark) as the only teams with three wide receivers with at least 75 catches.