By Matt Jussim
The New York Giants reestablished themselves as the best team in the NFC last night. They finally emerged from a two game sleepwalk and secured the top seed in the postseason by coming from behind and beating the Carolina Panthers 34-28 in overtime.
The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will now go through the Meadowlands as the Giants improved to 12-3 on the season.
Determined not to lose, the Giants running attack of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw, known as “Earth, Wind and Fire” were poised to run over the Panthers. But with Brandon Jacobs still slowed by a knee injury, and Ahmad Bradshaw returning kick offs and punts Sunday night, Ward took his nickname “Wind” to heart.
Fighting the frigid, swirling wind in the Meadowlands, Ward rushed for a career high 215 yards on only 15 carries. He averaged 14.3 yards per rush, and was dominant on the winning drive in overtime by rushing for 82 yards on three carries. Bruising running back Jacobs bullied his way into the end zone for the winning 2-yard score in overtime, his third of the game.
Fans who were crazy enough to stand the punishing, frozen wind threw snoballs that rained down like confetti as Jacobs scored to win the game.
Ward has had a respectable season so far, but he always took second billing to starting running back Brandon Jacobs. But with Jacobs still not fully healed from a knee injury, Ward took advantage of his opportunity and had the best game of his career.
“My teammates looked at me and said they wanted me to get it done,” Ward said. “I looked in every one of my offensive linemen’s eyes and they had my back. We played smashmouth football.”
Offensive tackle David Diehl, also helped spring Ward for some of his best runs. “This game was a true sign of us,” Diehl said. “Things aren’t going to be perfect. But none of us pressed. We talked all week about how this would be a test of will. This is what the in December is all about.”
The Giants forced overtime when Jacobs scored his second touchdown of the game, and Eli Manning hit Domenik Hixon for the two point conversion which tied the game with 3:21 seconds to play.
The loss spoiled a record-tying, four-touchdown performance by Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams, who gave Carolina a 28-20 lead with a 30-yard TD run 2 minutes into the final quarter. He also scored on runs of 13, 5 and 1 yards.
The Panthers had a chance to win the game in regulation but the wind at Giants Stadium pushed John Kasey's 50-yard field-goal attempt wide left, leaving some hope for fans that the Giants could still pull this game out.
The Giants won the coin toss in the overtime but couldn't generate anything, and the Panthers followed suit on their possession. The game nearly took a terrible turn for the Giants when R.W. McQuarters muffed a punt at the Giants 13. He emerged from a pile with the ball and then Ward took over.
On first-and-10 from the 13, Ward went 51 yards to Carolina 36. Three plays later on third-and-7, he went 14 yards to the 19 and followed that with a 17-yarder to the 2. Jacobs scored on the next play, capping a night New York rushed for a season-high 301 yards.
Until late in the game, it looked like the Panthers and Williams had overcome the elements, and were ready to hand the Giants their third straight loss. Carolina scored touchdowns the first three times they had the ball. The last touchdown came a play after a Tom Coughlin challenge left Steve Smith a half-yard shy on a play that originally was ruled a TD.
Carolina had eight plays of 10 yards or more on the drives of 77, 66 and 65 yards. The biggest play was a 60-yard pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad on a pass that went right through the hands of Giants cornerback Aaron Ross..
John Carney got New York to with 21-13 with a 35-yard field goal late in the half, and then the Giants defense started to play as they had the first half of the season, limiting Carolina to seven second-half points.
Justin Tuck, the defensive end headed for the Pro Bowl, was weak with flu-like symptoms and had to be helped off the field twice. “I’m gong to go back home and get into bed,” he said. “This win was huge. The atmosphere in the stadium was tremendous.”
New York closed the gap to 21-20 when Manning found a wide-open Kevin Boss for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds to go in third quarter. It capped a 12-play, 84-yard marched that took more than eight minutes.
Carolina came roaring back, and restored their eight-point lead when Williams, who gained 108 yards on 24 carries, broke a tackle by Antonio Pierce and ran 30 yards for a touchdown.
The Giants' tying touchdown was set up by a spectacular coffin-corner punt by Jeff Feagles, a 12-yard pass from Manning to Boss and a pass-interference call in the end zone against Ken Lucas, one play later.
The Giants needed this win to prove that they were still the class of the NFC. As important as the win was, there still are questions the Giants will have to answer if they hope to make it to the Super Bowl.
Will Brandon Jacobs be able to stay healthy? With Jacobs back in the lineup, the Giants rushing game was fierce, and Derrick Ward performs much better when he isn’t the feature back. Jacobs gave the Giants the physical running presence that they lacked the past two weeks, especially in the loss to Dallas.
Although the defense played extremely well in the second half, DeAngelo Williams was able to run free in the first half, scoring three of his four touchdowns. The Giants have been a top ten defense all season, but with Williams running wild, its been a theme for the defense the past few weeks. Philadelpha’s Brian Westbrook, and Dallas’ Tashard Choice totaled 131 and 143 yards respectively against the Giants, both losses.
Just when everyone counts out the Giants, as they did the past two weeks when they averaged just 11 points per game, and 80 yards rushing, the team comes together, and wins games as they did last night.
Heading into next week’s game against Minnesota, the Giants don’t have much to play for considering they now have secured home field advantage through the playoffs. The team will be well rested by the playoffs, with Tom Coughlin most likely resting some of his starters next week, something he did not do last year in Week 17 when the Giants took on the 16-0 Patriots.
Game Notes: It’s amazing what a little confidence can do for a player. A year and a half ago, cornerback Corey Webster was seen as a draft bust, playing on special teams, and barely being able to crack the starting lineup. But with some stellar play during the playoffs, due in part to an injury to Sam Madison, Webster transformed himself from a possible bust to a possible superstar. Webster has played well this season, but last night he stepped up big, breaking up two huge third down passes forcing the Panthers to punt back to the Giants. A little more than a week ago he signed a 5 year $43.5 million dollar deal with the team. It’s amazing what a few interceptions can do for a players confidence.
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