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Giants must stop Falcons QB

Last Updated: 9:28 AM, January 7, 2012

Posted: 1:54 AM, January 7, 2012

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has no relation to brothers Rex and Rob Ryan, which is probably a good thing for the Falcons considering the way the Giants have treated anyone named Ryan lately.

Two weeks ago, coach Rex Ryan angered the Giants when he boasted his Jets were the better team and would be the kings of New York and all that other nonsense. The Giants answered with a 29-14 beat down essentially dousing the Jets’ playoff hopes. Last week with the NFC East title and a playoff berth at stake, the Giants’ offense had little trouble ruining the game plan of Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, claiming a 31-14 victory in the Meadowlands.

UPDATES FROM OUR GIANTS BLOG

The Giants will go for the Ry-fecta tomorrow when they face Matt Ryan and the Falcons in a wild-card playoff game at MetLife Stadium.

“Hopefully we’ll be 3-0 against Ryans,” Giants safety Deon Grant said with a grin. “That’s our mission: to be 3-0”

At least this Ryan will be wearing a uniform that includes a jersey with the No. 2 on it. It might as well be a bull’s-eye to a Giants defense that has abused quarterbacks the last two weeks — sacking Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez five times and Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo six times. To be able to put that kind of pressure on Ryan, the Giants will have to impose the same approach they did on the Jets and Cowboys: force the Falcons into third-and-long situations early and make them completely one dimensional toward the end of the game.

“We talk a lot about maintaining rush lanes and keeping the quarterback in front of you,” defensive end Dave Tollefson said. “But for the most part, it’s about getting downs in your favor: third-and-long, things like that where the offense feels it has to convert by throwing the ball.”

The problem with Matt Ryan is he isn’t as easy to hate as the brothers Ryan. He doesn’t talk trash and hasn’t predicted the Falcons will win the Super Bowl. You don’t need a DNA test to figure out he’s no relation. Ask the Giants about Matt Ryan and you hear nothing but words of respect.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Grant said. “He has great vision. He’s got weapons and a good [offensive coordinator]. When you’ve got those type things all you have to do is make sure you deliver and read defenses right and you’ve got a dangerous quarterback.”

Ryan is coming off an excellent regular season where he set the franchise record for passing yards with 4,177 and also set career highs with 29 touchdowns and a 92.2 quarterback rating.

“He’s a very good quarterback,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said yesterday. “From the first moment he was in this league he performed well and played well. They’ve done a lot with the run game, but they’ve also done a lot with their pass game, and he’s had the ability to perform under pressure and do well.”

Nicknamed “Matty Ice” because of his 16 career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, Ryan needs a playoff win to prove be belongs among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. He is 0-2 having lost 30-24 at Arizona in 2008 and 48-21 at home to the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers last year. He completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns against four interceptions in those two playoff games. The Giants, who haven’t won a home playoff game in 11 years, hope the third time isn’t the charm for Ryan.

“All the stuff that happened in the past doesn’t really make a difference,” Ryan said earlier this week. “It comes down to preparing and doing whatever we can to keep advancing throughout the playoffs.”

The Giants hope to bring an end to those playoffs hopes, just like they did for Rex and Rob Ryan.

george.willis@nypost.com

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