It seems only fitting that the New York Giants’ latest – and most important – on-field battle went to overtime. It’s as if putting opposing teams away early is boring. This is a team that wins on adrenalin.
This is a team headed to their second Super Bowl trip in five seasons.
Part of it could be just damn luck. Maybe this is the big game the Gods wanted to see. Regardless of who had a hand in Sunday’s 20-17 overtime victory against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, the Giants are happy it worked out the way it did.
Now they’ll return to the game’s grandest stage in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, which New York won 17-14. That one, too, they won with the clock ticking its final seconds.
A lot will be written ahead of that matchup, which NFL executives have to be ecstatic over. This is Part II, the sequel, the follow-up to one of the most exciting Super Bowls in league history. It’s a game, no matter what NFL team you root for, you’ll be happy to watch.
I’ll say this about the Giants win on Sunday: That was a damn good game. Both teams played well enough that they could have won. But the Giants were simply better in all facets of the game: offense, defense and special teams.
If I’m the Giants, I feel pretty good about my chances heading into Super Bowl Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens showed they can contain Tom Brady in the earlier game. The Giants already did that this season with a Week 9, 24-20 win in Gillette Stadium. Similar to the 2007-08 regular season, both teams met up, with the Giants being handed the Week 17 loss.
The Patriots have double the reasons to avenge their recent losses in less than two weeks. After all, Bill Belichick and Brady don’t forget. New York has shown they’re up for the task though. It’s time for their greatest performance yet.
Here are the seven Giants stars from Sunday:
Victor Cruz: Cruz was quiet last week, but even the best wideouts have mediocre weeks. He made up for that silence against the 49ers, grabbing a game-high 10 balls for 142 yards. That yardage was nearly half of Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s total (316) for the evening. Cruz could have had more, but was shutout for much of the fourth quarter.
Devin Thomas: Thomas was huge on special teams for the Giants, displaying both focus and smarts. First, he was the only one who initially thought the football grazed 49ers kick return Kyle Williams’ knee (the play would have likely unnoticed). Thomas plucked the ball off the ground and ran it into the end zone — to the quietest crowd reaction in playoff history. Thomas argued, urged coach Tom Coughlin to challenge, which he did, and the play was eventually overturned. This set up Mario Manningham’s 17-yard touchdown to give the Giants a temporary 17-14 lead. Then, with 9:32 remaining in overtime, Jacquian Williams stripped Kyle Williams of the ball on a punt return. Thomas recovered deep in 49ers territory, essentially securing the Giants’ win.
Bear Pascoe: The tight end did not reach the end zone once this season. That said, there’s never a better time to get that first touchdown grab than in the playoffs. Pascoe’s 6-yard score helped tie the game for New York in the second quarter. It would be the Giants’ only touchdown of the first half.
Lawrence Tynes: Tynes’ leg should go into the Giants Hall of Fame one day. Four years ago, he sent the Giants to the Super Bowl with it, and on Sunday he did the same. Tynes’ 31-yard boot in overtime secured New York’s fifth trip to the big game. In the rainy San Francisco weather, he was 2-for-2 on both field goals and extra points.
Steve Weatherford: Punters never seem to receive enough credit. We saw last year how much they can be criticized, but Weatherford has helped put thoughts of Matt Dodge in the past. Against the Niners, the former New York Jet booted 12 times for an average of 46.4 yards. Keep in mind, though, there were a few short-yardage punts, including the one giving the ball back to the Niners with 19 seconds to go in regulation. Weatherford then did a wonderful job cleaning up a wobbly snap on Tynes’ game-winning field goal in overtime. I bet he’s glad his days in New York… on New York’s other team are over.
Ahmad Bradshaw: The Giants haven’t been able to replicate the running game they put together against Atlanta in the Wild Card round. Bradshaw did a heck of a job against a very good 49ers defense though. He ran the ball 20 times for 74 yards and caught six passes for 54. He’s not a Ray Rice-type or Adrian Foster-type back, but he’s sure valuable.
Eli Manning: It wasn’t Manning who will be attributed with this comeback win, but he was an integral part of it. He threw a ton, 58 times to be exact. He completed 32 of those passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Manning now has a shot at surpassing his brother, Peyton, with two Super Bowl wins. Is he the better brother after all?
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