Giants Beat Pack for NFC Title
New York Giants Defeat the Green Bay Packers 23-20 in Overtime
Quarterback Eli Manning steers the Giants to an upset 23-20 victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field. New York meets the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
The New York Giants stunned the Green Bay Packers 23-20 in overtime Sunday night at frigid Lambeau Field. The wind chill dipped to –24 degrees before the night was out.
Tied 20-20 with five seconds left on the clock, Giants’ place kicker Lawrence Tynes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt with no time left in regulation, forcing an overtime period. But Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre hurled an interception into the arms of New York’s Corey Webster on the Pack’s second play from scrimmage in OT, setting up an abbreviated Giants’ drive that culminated with a 47-yarder off Tynes’ right foot, sending the New York bench bonkers.
Who’d have thunk it? In an old-fashioned dogfight – not one of the Michael Vick variety either – New York QB Eli Manning outgunned the usually implacable Favre, who was off his game all night.
Ultimately, Manning was 21 of 40 attempts for 254 yards, while Favre completed 19 of 35 pass attempts for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Yet it was Eli who completed the passes he had to complete, combined with numerous boneheaded penalties on Green Bay's part, including several unnecessary personal fouls.
The Giants (13-6 overall) are the second team to win an overtime victory in an NFC Championship game. Atlanta won in OT in 1999.
New York will face the New England Patriots (18-0 overall) in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3. The Pats narrowly defeated the Giants 38-35, in Week 17 of the regular season, but trailed the New Yorkers late in the contest.
Game Details
New York struck first Sunday night via two Tynes field goals, the first at 4:50 of the first quarter, a 29-yarder. Then Tynes hit on a 37-yard field goal at 11:41 of the second period. The Packers quickly struck back, with Favre hitting wide receiver Donald Driver for a 90-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 7-6, Green Bay at 11:18 of the second quarter.
The Pack’s kicker, rookie Mason Crosby, then gave Green Bay a slim 3-point lead with a 36-yard field goal at the 1:30 mark. As soon as the clock expired in the first half – after a near-miss long pass from Manning to Plaxico Burress – players from both squads literally sprinted to their respective locker rooms.
The Giants regained the lead with 7:56 left in the third frame, when fullback Brandon Jacobs bulled his way into the Packers’ end zone from less than a yard out. New York’s lengthy, 69-yard-long drive to Jacobs’ score was fueled by four costly Green Bay penalties, including a senseless rushing-the-passer call on a missed pass by Manning.
Less than three minutes later the Packers wrested back the lead when Favre hit tight end Donald Lee in the end zone from 12 yards out. That drive, too, was extended when Giant defensive back Sam Madison drew a 15-yard personal foul as his teammates stopped a third-down attempt on the part of Green Bay. Crosby’s extra point made the score 17-13.
But New York again roared back, beginning with Domenik Hixon’s 33-yard kick return after the Packers’ TD. Manning was brilliant, hitting his receivers, and ultimately working the ball down to Green Bay’s 4-yard-line, where running back Ahmad Bradshaw punched the ball in at 2:12 of the third quarter. Tynes’ extra point gave the Giants a slim 20-17 lead.
It didn’t hold up. Green Bay tied the contest 20-20, at 11:46 of the fourth frame, and the two teams battled to the wire. New York ate up about six minutes at the close of the contest, culminating with the missed 36-yard field goal by Tynes. He also missed a 43-yarder. “I screwed up twice,” Tynes told The Associated Press after the game. “Thank God I got another opportunity.”
Individual Efforts
New York’s Burress was absolutely amazing. Gimpy for most of the season, Burress caught 11 passes for an astounding 154 yards. Amani Toomer grabbed 4 passes for 42 yards. The Giants’ running game stalled during much of the game, but Jacobs rushed 21 times for 67 yards, and Bradshaw carried the ball 16 times for 63 yards.
On the Green Bay side of the ball, Driver – who finally broke a four month scoring drought – pulled down 5 passes for 141 yards, and Lee snagged 3 passes for 35 yards. But the Packers’ feature back, Ryan Grant, who ran for 201 last weekend, was held to 29 yards on 13 carries.
