PATRIOTS 20
The New York Giants have done it again. They found a way to pull the rug right out from underneath the New England Patriots in the final minutes, sending Tom Brady home miffed and Bill Belichick bewildered. Box score.
Talk about having a team's number; the Giants have proven to be too tough a match-up for the once mighty Patriots, as New York once again staged a late comeback, highlighted by terrific play by Eli Manning to beat back the Pats.
If you believe in irony then here are some factoids for you: Jack Ballard, who caught the game winning touchdown pass for Big Blue is wearing number 85, the same jersey number worn by David Tyree when he had the "helmet catch" against the Patriots four years ago in the Super Bowl; also, New England was 18-0 entering that Super Bowl Sunday four years ago; today, New England entered the Giants game with an 18-0 record against NFC opponents in the regular season since 2002. The Pats also had a 20 game regular season game winning streak at home on the line.
Now the Pats once again have to live with the fact that one is the loneliest number.
After a scoreless first half, things got really interesting in the second half, and I mean really interesting.
Tom Brady was picked off by Deion Grant to set the Giants up at their own 39. Eli Manning, who had a brilliant afternoon, completed two huge passes, one for 18 yards to Victor Cruz and another of 30 yards to Jake Ballard in a drive that eventually culminated in a Lawrence Tynes field goal, giving New York a 3-0 lead.
The turnovers didn't stop there for New England. With the Patriots backed up on their own 16 yard line, Brady was stripped sacked by Michael Boley. With the ball rolling on the ground, t
he Giants recovered the ball at the New England 10, setting up a first and goal for Big Blue. The Giants wasted little time as Brandon Jacobs plowed into the end zone to make it 10-0.For Jacobs this was a big game for him. He had to play well, not only because Ahmad Bradshaw was out with a foot injury, but because Jacobs has drawn the ire of Giants fans for his lackluster efforts this season, and his bad attitude. His 72 yards was critical on Sunday.
But, of course, never count the Patriots out. With the Giants lead cut down to 10-3, Manning had New York rolling for a potential touchdown when he was picked off in the end zone by Ken Arrington.
Brady responded with quick strikes of 27 and 28 yards to Wes Welker to move to the Patriots 16. After an 11 yard completion to Aaron Hernandez, Brady hit Hernandez again in the end zone to tie the game.
It appeared that the Giants had blown it. The G-Men couldn't move the ball on their next drive, and Brady responded with another long drive that ended in a Stephen Gostowski field goal to give the Patriots a 13-10 lead.
Yet, Manning would not be deterred. He reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a performance that was eerily similar to the one he had against New England in that Super Bowl four years ago. In short, Manning was clutch.
After a 35 yard penalty on New England for pass interference, Manning hit Victor Cruz and Ramsey Barden for gains of 11 and 9 yards respectively to move to the New England 15. Two plays later Manning found Mario Manningham for a 10 yard touchdown to give the Giants a 17-13 lead. But, Manningham committed a 15 yard penalty for excessive celebration, forcing the Giants to kick off at their own 20 and gave Tom Brady good field position.
Brady responded. He hit Deion Branch for 15 yards, and Rob Gronkowski for 19 more. With 1:54 the Patriots were in business. After two Brady incompletions, the former league MVP hit Gronkowski in the end zone for a 14 yard score to give New England the lead.
With 1:36 to go, Eli Manning had 80 yards to work one more miracle against the Patriots. And he delivered. Manning hit Cruz for 19 yards, then Ballard for 28 yards to the Pats 33. Two plays later, the Patriots committed the dumbest of penalties, a pass interference on Cruz in the end zone to spot the ball at the one yard line. The nightmare was alive and well for the Patriots.
On third and goal at the Pats 1, Manning hit Ballard in the end zone for the touchdown with 15 seconds to play. Manning celebrated like it was Super Bowl XLII all over again, pumping his fists into the air after the score.
In a season where the Giants had played dreadful football and were really a soft 5-2 team, they looked every bit the part of a team ready to contend for an NFC East title. This game was the first, and perhaps toughest test, in a nine game stretch against playoff contenders. The Giants needed to get a big win, and this was the biggest they could have drawn up.
Manning looks like an MVP candidate. With a team decimated by injuries and lackluster play, Manning has stood out all season. Defensively, the Giants finally came to play. They picked off Brady twice and sacked him twice. Brady was frustrated all night, even to the point he slammed a water bottle onto the ground in anger.
Yes, the Giants are here to play. They don't have any plans of lying down and going away quietly during this murders row schedule one iota.
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