Brandon Jacobs is on the inactive list, so he’ll be cheering on Derrick Ward from a safe distance.

We already knew Aaron Ross wasn’t going to play. Kevin Boss and Barry Cofield are not going to be in uniform, either. Lawrence Tynes, Gerris Wilkinson, Leger Douzable and Derek Hagen are the other inactives.

Pat Williams is the biggest name on the Vikings’ no-go list.

Ward needs 52 yards to get 1,000 and land in the history books with Jacobs, but he’s averaging 6.1 yards per carry when his over-sized teammate starts and 3.9 yards per carry when the big man sits.

It was a whopping 6 degrees when I woke up this morning, so I’m hoping the heat’s on in the Metrodome.

We’ll be waiting for the inactive list this morning to see whether it provides any hints about how Tom Coughlin is going to play this game.

They keep playing a funny clip of Brad Childress addressing that subject here on the local news.

“I think history will tell you they’ll come in and play their tails off,” he said. “They want momentum going into the offseason.”

Childress did catch the goof.

“The postseason, I should say,” he quickly added.

I’m heading into the cold shortly, and will check in later from the dome.

It’s back to work now that I’ve read the instructions and installed the batteries properly. The leftovers will provide a pleasant reminder of a memorable holiday in just a little bit. It’s still ice cold in Minnesota so I can pack a new sweater, too.

Kevin Boss might be watching from the sideline.

The constantly improving tight end is doubtful because of a bad ankle. He was limping around last week at some point, and has been slow to get up on a number of instances over the last month. The quick-release valve is critically important to the offense, so there’s no sense taking a chance.

Mike Matthews and Darcy Johnson would step in.

Aaron Ross (concussion) and Gerris Wilkinson (knee) are both out against the Vikings. Barry Cofield (knee), Brandon Jacobs (knee) and Kareem McKenzie (back) are listed as questionable.

I’m enjoying a long winter’s nap, can you tell?

Actually, I’m spending time with family today and tomorrow and hoping Santa brings something for the X-box 360.

Hopefully, you’re enjoying the holidays, too.

Word is Kevin Boss (ankle/concussion), Barry Cofield (knee), Aaron Ross (concussion), Gerris Wilkinson (knee) did not practice. Brandon Jacobs (knee), Kareem McKenzie (back), Fred Robbins (shoulder) and Justin Tuck (lower leg) were limited.

The Giants are off tomorrow for Christmas, and will be in the bubble again on Friday to resume preparations for the Vikings.

Peace!

After spending the last 24 hours pondering the risk and reward, Tom Coughlin stopped by a few minutes ago to unveil the game plan.

“We’re going to do the best thing for our football team.” he said.

That’s going to end all of the speculation.

“All the individual questions, you’re going to have to wait on that,” Coughlin added.

There was again lots of talk about the importance of playing well heading into the postseason. And the bye week has to be a concern. There was a mention about getting the backups ready, too, in case they are needed in the playoffs.

Go figure.

If the Giants were practicing at full speed later this afternoon, Brandon Jacobs would be watching, according to Coughlin. They will be jogging through, and Coughlin expects Jacobs will be working out before week’s end.

Aaron Ross was released from the hospital, but he’s got to undergo more testing. I’m guessing he won’t be playing against the Vikings. Domenik Hixon and Fred Robbins are progressing, and may be limited early in the week.

It sounds like Brandon Jacobs survived last night’s game without any further damage. Same goes for Domenik Hixon, Justin Tuck and Fred Robbins.

That’s important going forward now.

“I don’t think anybody came out any worse for the wear,” Tom Coughlin said during this afternoon’s conference call. “I would expect they’ll all be sore today, but I don’t think there would be anything that would keep them from playing.”

Except maybe common sense?

Since his weekend’s game in Minnesota is not all that important in the grand scheme of things, it’s fine to look ahead to the playoffs.

“That plan has not been formulated yet,” Coughlin said.

He is going to visit with the medical staff and give the issues some thought before putting a game plan together. Don’t forget, the Giants picked up a world of momentum last season by approaching the final regular-season game against New England as if it meant something.

Coughlin obviously disagrees with the notion that he’s playing a meaningless game against the Vikings.

He realizes a number of players need time off to rest and recuperate, but there’s a week off built into the schedule now and that can pose it’s own hazards.

“I’m taking all that into consideration,” Coughlin said.

We’ll know more tomorrow when the Giants begin to prepare for Minnesota. The schedule for the week has been adjusted slightly because of the Christmas holiday.

So how would you play this week, full speed ahead or with a very conservative approach?

Good morning, Giants fans, and congrats on locking up the No. 1 seed last night. I was sitting next to Mike last night at Giants Stadium and it was quite the scene; the only downside was the high number of morons who were throwing snowballs – dangerously hard and icy snowballs – all over the place, which put a lot of fellow fans (not to mention the players and officials) in danger.

Anyway, that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m going to be dropping in on to some of the excellent pro sports blogs we have at LoHud.com in hopes of stirring up a little debate about the various teams. Everyone here has strong opinions on the Giants, so I’m hoping we can get some healthy dialog going. If you like it, hopefully you’ll check out the FACEOFF blog that I do with the other columnist, Rick Carpiniello, where we argue about sports topics every day. Check that out here.

The issue I wanted to touch on with you guys today is one I was thinking about as I was writing my column off last night’s game: Who’s more important to the Giants’ Super Bowl hopes: Eli Manning or Brandon Jacobs?

It’s hard to ignore the quarterback, especially one like Manning. He’s just been a winner over the past year, always finding a way to make the big play at the right time. He is unruffled under pressure, seems to have the calm demeanor you want in a high-pressure situation and knows how to operate under Tom Coughlin (which isn’t necessarily an easy job). Manning is absolutely critical to the Giants.

But I find myself, more and more, realizing that Jacobs is the key to this team. Last night, obviously, Derrick Ward was the running back story since he rushed for 215 yards and basically ran the Giants down the field on their game-winning OT drive.

Still, Jacobs is the bruiser. He is the guy that softens up the defenses, the guy that makes a team adjust its defensive packages. Now that Plaxico Burress is out for the season, the Giants will need even more diversity and misdirection with their offensive playcalling and Jacobs is the one who will use his power to set up passing situations. He will make it possible for Ward and Bradshaw to step in and thrive during their drop-in appearances.

It’s pretty clear Jacobs’ knee(s) are an issue. Without him, the Giants running game would be far less authoritative, and that would also diminish Manning’s ability to throw the ball successfully. Don’t misunderstand, Manning is imperative to the Giants as they go forward but Jacobs is even more crucial. If the Giants lose on their way to the Super Bowl, I’m convinced it will be because Jacobs – not Manning – gets hurt again or has an uncharacteristically bad performance.

I trust everyone is breathing normally again?

Really, the Giants didn’t seem too concerned about wrapping up the No. 1 seed. They just wanted the week off, and that was secured when Minnesota lost.

“I guess we have to see,” Eli Manning said in respond to a question about gaining home field. “I didn’t think it was going to be the end of the workd if we didn’t have it. It’s great for our fans. You never know what the weather’s going to be like. We’re used to playing in these cold games, these windy games. I think we had the advantage in some of those, so I think it should be fun.”

The week off, though, was critical.

“Huge,” Justin Tuck said. “That’s basically why we wanted this first round bye. Other than that we don’t care about the seeding. For us we don’t really care where we play as long as we get an opportunity to play but the first round bye gives us an opportunity to get some guys rested and get some guys in the training room and back to 100%. That’s huge for us to be able to make this run.”

If the Giants win, next week is basically a meaningless exercise.

They’ve already clinched a bye week with Minnesota’s loss to Atlanta this afternoon, so the only thing at stake tonight is the No. 1 seed. Do you supposed they might prefer to play an NFC title game in a warmer climate after the wind cranks up to 30 or 40 mph tonight?

Anyway …

The inactive list for the Giants includes many of the usual subjects Lawrence Tynes, Sam Madison, Gerris Wilinson, Adam Koets, Leger Douzable, Derek Hagen, Sinorice Moss and Jerome McDougle.

Brandon Jacobs is going to go.

The Panthers will be without their best defensive tackle, Maake Kemoeatu, which is likely to help the Giants’ running game.

(Update 8:25 p.m.) The Giants win the coin toss and elect to receive, so they don’t appear too concerned by the wind. And it’s blustery down there.

(Update 8:32) Remember how Eli Manning explained the offensive woes? He was certain the Giants only had to make plays. Well, they’ve made one so far, a 40-yard pass that Domenik Hixon managed to hang on to, and lead 3-0. By the way, it sounds like Chargers and Broncos get the Sunday night spotlight next week.

(Update 8:42) So much for setting a physical tone. Brandon Jacobs is proving to be stubborn, though he’s not exactly moving the pile. And the defense split wide open to create a crease for DeAngelo Williams right up the middle. While you were away, Justin Tuck spent a long time on the field in some pain before he slowly walked off with a lower leg issue.

(Update 8:53) He’s back on the field now, but when Jacobs was upended by Thomas Davis a couple of plays ago, he absorbed quite a hit on the right knee, which is also dinged. He went over the sideline where the medical staff took a look. Jacobs appeared to be a little uncomfortable on the sideline and continues to flex the knee.

(Update 9:45) Are the Giants the most inconsistent Super Bowl contender in the league. One week the offense is slow, the next week the defense is stumbling. Aaron Ross is going to hate watching that long pass on tape. He gets beat, slips, recovers, reaches up and whiffs. Ouch.

I can’t belive how many fans are set up in the parking lot firing up the grills and whatever else will burn.

Down on the field, tarps are being rolled up and carted off. It’s cold and getting colder. The wind is starting to pick up and they are predicting 50 mph gusts before the end of the game.

I’ll be interesting to see what kind of concessions both teams make early on.

Those heated benches are going to be a popular resting place later on, but the offense that logs the most warm and toasty minutes on the sideline probably won’t be celebrating much when the game is over.

Are you getting nervous?

I’m thinking a few butterflies are making the rounds in the Giants locker room. The offense could use a jolt of confidence going forward so there has to be some tension.

Let’s hope everyone behaves in the stands because from my viewpoint, there’s a lot of snow and ice within easy reach of the fans.

More in a bit.