East Rutherford, N.J. - The red gloves rose above everything else, the hands inside them outstretched as the Hail Mary pass arced down toward the end zone.

"When I saw those red gloves go up (I thought), 'He is going to be up above everybody else, and we would have a good chance of catching that one,"' coach Tom Coughlin said.

Those red gloves belonged to Hakeem Nicks. And he did catch the 37-yard Hail Mary for a touchdown, cradling the ball against his facemask and then his chest Sunday as the Packers' Charles Woodson and Charlie Peprah swatted at him in vain.

As always, the Giants were in safe and reliable hands with Nicks.

"These are special hands," Coughlin said. "I could appreciate it even if I was an offensive line coach. That's pretty special."

So is Nicks.

Victor Cruz may have captured the hearts of Giants fans. But Nicks - who turned 24 Saturday - remains the team's No. 1 target among the franchise's first 1,000-yard receiving duo.

And he sees himself as one of the NFL's best receivers despite intentionally keeping a low profile as the Giants prepare to face the 49ers on Sunday in the NFC championship game in San Francisco (6:30 p.m., Ch. 61).

"Honestly, I don't think you've seen nothing yet," Nicks said Monday. "I'm just now peaking personally."

What makes you think so?

"Because I know what I'm capable of doing in big games," he said.

Like playoff games.

Nicks had seven catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-20 divisional round victory over the Packers. It included the Hail Mary and his 66-yard catch-and-run touchdown in which he bounced off Peprah and outsprinted the Green Bay defense to the end zone.

In the wild-card victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Nicks caught six passes for 115 yards and two scores - including a 72-yard, catch-and-run score in which he juked an Atlanta defender, then outraced four others.

His 13 catches for 280 yards and four touchdowns lead all receivers still playing in the postseason.

Even Nicks was impressed with his Hail Mary grab.

"I actually didn't realize that it was off of my helmet," the third-year receiver said. "I thought it was on my chest or something. ... When I went back to see it on film, it was actually a pretty good catch."

Nicks recorded his second straight 1,000-yard campaign, catching 76 passes for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. But he hasn't had an easy season. He has battled injuries since the season opener, including a sore hamstring and a hyperextended and bruised knee.

The sure-handed Nicks also endured an uncharacteristic case of the dropsies in the second half, including three drops in the Dec. 18 loss to the last-place Redskins, two of which could have been touchdowns.

"It's all about how you respond to certain situations like that," Nicks said.

Nicks has impressed Coughlin, capitalizing on the potential that led the Giants to select him 29th overall in the 2009 draft.

"I think he is a lot faster than people give him credit for, especially when he is being chased," Coughlin said.

The Giants find themselves just one victory from the Super Bowl, and Nicks woke up Tuesday morning thinking big thoughts.

"Sixty minutes away from the dream," he said. "It's something that we look forward to as a team. Something I've been looking forward to my whole life."

• Defensive tackle Chris Canty said his knee feels fine and he did not require an MRI despite leaving the game with what appeared to be a serious injury. Cruz said he expects to practice today after taking a helmet to the thigh. And linebacker Chase Blackburn likely suffered a stinger, Coughlin said, but he returned to action.