Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes drilled a 31-yard field goal in overtime to defeat host San Francisco in the NFC Championship. With that, Rex Ryan feels the Jets are still the better team in New York.
What seemed like 12 hours earlier, Billy Cundiff blew a 32-yard field goal attempt, giving New England a win in the AFC Championship.
The rematch of one of the greatest football games ever played, the Giants victory in Super Bowl XLII, is set for two weeks from today in Indianapolis.
A less-than-stellar performance from Patriots QB Tom Brady will likely install the Giants as the favorites, particularly considering Giants QB Eli Manning was given perhaps the most savage beating a passer has ever taken in a conference championship game, and he still made throws to put his team in a position to win.
(Update: New England goes into the start of Hype Week as 3 point favorites)
The Giants defeated the Packers in Green Bay in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl in 2007.
The Patriots survived a Ravens team that did enough to win, but didn’t make the plays necessary down the stretch to pull off the upset. Against what was perceived to be a tough run defense, the Patriots rushed for two touchdowns, uncharacteristic of a team that dominated in the air through the season.
It looks to be an intriguing match-up, similar but less explosive than their previous Super Bowl meeting. The Giants look stronger offensively than they were then, but the Patriots lack the big-play threats they had in their 18-1 season.
New York defeated the Patriots 24-20 in Week 9 of the 2011 season. Manning drove the Giants 80 yards in 1:21, hitting TE Jake Ballard from 1 yard out to clinch the win.
Source: Behind the Steel Curtain