Sorry, folks it’s been awhile but, WOW, the New York Giants are in the Super Bowl!
It wasn’t easy but they made it happen at the frigid confines of Lambeau Field. The Giants held Ryan Grant in check and confused Brett Favre enough to grab the victory.
The Giants held on their first defensive stand and went down and got 3 points. After trading 3 and outs, the Packers once again were forced to punt. The Giants were once again the red zone but had to settle for another Lawrence Tynes field goal, extending the lead to 6. The Pack, however, got their offense going with a 90 yard throw by Brett Favre to Donald Driver, giving Green Bay the lead at 7-6, moments into the second quarter.
Both teams had drives that stalled around midfield but the Packers were winning the field position battle. The Packers were able to drive the ball 29 yards but couldn’t get into the endzone. On a 3rd and 8, a screen to Brandon Jackson seemed destined for a first down with 3 blockers out in front of the running back. However, Antonio Pierce got through two blockers, latched onto another and drove towards Jackson. He held up Jackson long enough to receive help and the Giants D got off the field on third down. Mason Crosby nailed the field goal, with just over a minute left in the first half. The Giants got to the edge of field goal range, electing to go for it on a 4th and 8 from the Packers 34 but Eli Manning was sacked by A.J. Hawk to end the first half.
The G-Men regrouped at halftime as they marched the opening drive 69 yards resulting in a Brandon Jacobs 1 yard TD plunge. The drive took over 7 minutes off the third quarter clock. But Tramon Williams gave great field position to Green Bay on the ensuing kickoff. On a critical third down, the Giants seemed to make an important stop. But an unneccesary roughness penalty on Sam Madison, kept the drive alive. Brett Favre capitalized the next play with a passing TD to Donald Lee. The Packers led 17-13 with 5 minutes left in the third.
But the Giants responded as Ahmad Bradshaw found the endzone from 4 yards out. Brett Favre seemed to be mounting another drive but threw one errantly for an interception into the hands of R.W. McQuarters. While McQuarters was returning the pick, he fumbled the ball and the Packers recovered. They made the most out of it, getting a Crosby field goal to tie the score.
The Giants looked to rebound. A third down conversion and 4th down conversion got them into field goal range. But Lawrence Tynes 43 yard attempt sailed wide left with just under 7 to go. A Green Bay 3 and out and the Giants punting shortly thereafter, the Pack got the ball on their own 17, but the Giants held. With 2:15 to go, the Giants got the ball at the Packers 48. After being pushed back on a holding penalty that nullified an Ahmad Bradshaw TD run, the Giants went 19 yards to pick up the first down. An 11 yard pass to Steve Smith put the Giants in position to win the game. But a 36 yard field goal attempt as time expired was even close as the Tynes miss guaranteed overtime.
The Pack won the toss. On the 2nd play, Corey Webster intercepted Favre. The Giants gained a few yards but stared a 4th and 5 at the Green Bay 29 in the face. Without hesitation, Tynes ran onto the field to attempt the 47 yard try ….. AND IT WAS GOOD!!! The Giants were NFC Champions.
Let’s break down the game.
Eli Manning – Who says #10 can’t play in the cold? He threw for 251 yards. No TDs, but more importantly – no turnovers. Manning played a smart game in the cold and can now look to warmer weather again in Arizona.
Rushing attack – Jacobs had an OK day, softening up the defense for Bradshaw in the second half. Both had TD scores. I think improvement is still needed if they are to win the Super Bowl.
Receiving – I thought a big game from Plaxico Burress was needed and he went off against Al Harris. 11 catches for 151 yards. No one else’s stats stood out, but everyone got involved as Manning really made smart decisions on the field.
Offensive Line – Solid day again. Manning was not harrassed much, and they opened up enough holes for the running game to be effective. Slight room for improvement here but once again – good day.
Defensive Line – Great job all day. And they turned it up even more again in the 4th quarter. No sacks this time but confusing Brett Favre played key in the Giants victory.
Linebackers – Wonderful job bottling up the run and attacking the line of scrimmage. The play Pierce made before the first half ended summed up the night for the linebacking corps. Splendid work.
Secondary – Playing a little more healthy this time around, they played well. Besides the long play to Driver, they were near flawless. Interception by Webster was huge.
Special Teams – Kickoff coverage was good besides the one big return. Hixon made a few returns over 30 yards. Tynes was shaky in the 4th but clutch in overtime as he sent the Giants to the Super Bowl.
The Giants are playing in Super Bowl XLII. I still can’t believe it 12 days later. Folks, I’ll have a recap of the New England-San Diego game and a preview of Super Bowl XLII on the way in the next day or two.
Back in a flash.
Filed under: NFL
