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Recap Giants 21 Patriots 17

Dave Johnson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:09:01 +0000

Four years later, Eli Manning again got the best of Tom Brady on the NFL's biggest stage.

Manning drove the Giants into position for Ahmad Bradshaw's 6-yard scoring run with 57 seconds to play and the New York Giants squeaked out a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday night in Indianapolis.

In a setting eerily familiar from their Super Bowl matchup in 2008, when Manning threw the winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds to play, the Giants used a dramatic late drive to capture the fourth Super Bowl championship in franchise history.

Manning won his third straight head-to-head matchup with Brady, including a 24-20 victory in Week 9 that snapped New England's streak of 20 consecutive regular-season home victories.

The Patriots (15-4) had won 10 straight games since that loss, but again came up short against the Giants in their bid for a fourth Super Bowl title in 11 seasons.

With the Giants boxed in at their own 12-yard line with 3:46 to play, Manning and Mario Manningham connected on a spectacular 38-yard pass to midfield to set up the winning touchdown after New England's Wes Welker was unable to haul in a pass on the previous possesion.

It evoked memories of Manning's amazing pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII that helped end New England's bid for a perfect 19-0 season.

The Patriots made a strategic decision to let Bradshaw score and preserve 57 seconds to give Brady a chance to produce another Super Bowl-winning drive.

Instead, Brady watched wideout Deion Branch and tight Aaron Hernandez drop passes before he was sacked by Justin Tuck on third down.

The two-time Super BOwl MVP kept New England's hopes flicking by hitting Branch for 19 yards on fourth-and-16, but his Hail Mary pass in the end zone was batted down.

Manning completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards and one touchdown. Brady finished 27 of 41 for 276 yards with two TDs and one interception – the only turnover of the game.

New York (13-7) needed to win its final two games just to get in the postseason and extended its winning streak to six games.

The Giants scored the final 12 points of the game after the Patriots had ripped off 17 unanswered points to take a 17-9 lead on their first possession of the third quarter.

At one point, Brady completed 16 consecutive passes to snap the Super Bowl record of 13 held by Joe Montana with the San Francisco 49ers.

New York slowly chipped away at the lead, getting a pair of third-quarter field goals by Lawrence Tynes, of 38 and 33 yards, to pull within 17-15 entering the final 15 minutes.

The Giants' defense also imposed its will, holding Brady to 7 of 18 after he connected on 20 of his first 23 attempts.

The Patriots tied a Super Bowl record for the longest scoring drive, moving 96 yards on 14 plays to take a 10-9 lead into halftime.

Brady capped the lengthy march with a 4-yard toss to Danny Woodhead with only eight seconds left in the half as New England erased an early 9-0 deficit.

The Giants had the better of the play for much of the opening half, holding the ball for nearly 20 minutes.

The Patriots fell behind on their very first offensive play when Brady was called for intentional grounding from his own end zone when he threw deep downfield with Tuck bearing down on him.

It marked the first safety since Super Bowl XXV, when Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler was sacked by Bruce Smith of the Buffalo Bills.

Manning drove the Giants 78 yards in nine plays on the subsequent possession, finishing the drive with a 2-yard scoring pass to Victor Cruz, who celebrated with his signature salsa dance.

The Patriots got on the board 72 seconds into the second quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

New England then went ahead behind a surgical performance by Brady, who completed all 10 passes for 98 yards on the record-tying drive.

Brady was 15 of 18 for 147 yards and a score while Manning went 13 of 17 for 120 yards and a TD in the first 30 minutes.

Preview Giants at Patriots

Dave Johnson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:55:03 +0000

THE STORY: Two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks, a rematch of one of the biggest upsets in the game's history and fervent fan bases that share much of the same geographic region. Storylines abound for Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI matchup between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, yet much of the hype has centered on the left foot of a second-year tight end. An injury to New England's Rob Gronkowski, whose playing status is unclear due to a high ankle sprain, could have the biggest impact on the outcome when the Patriots and Giants clash in the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons. New York won the previous matchup as a double-digit underdog, spoiling New England's bid for a perfect 19-0 season with a 17-14 victory in February 2008. The Giants are also the last team to beat the Patriots, who have won 10 straight games since a 24-20 loss to New York in Week 9 that snapped New England's streak of 20 consecutive regular-season home victories. In both matchups, Giants quarterback Eli Manning – the MVP of Super Bowl XLII – led a last-minute comeback to upstage Patriots QB Tom Brady, a two-time Super Bowl MVP.

TV: NBC, 6:30 p.m. ET. LINE: Patriots -2.5, O/U 54.5

ABOUT THE GIANTS (12-7): New York has taken a path that is eerily similar to its Super Bowl run four years ago, shaking off a mediocre regular season to rattle off five consecutive victories that included beating the NFC’s top two seeds – Green Bay and San Francisco – on the road. Defense has sparked the turnaround for the Giants, who have surrendered only 39 points in three postseason victories while registering nine sacks and forcing seven turnovers. Manning threw for a career-high 4,933 yards with 29 touchdowns vs. only 16 interceptions in the regular season and has been steely efficient in the postseason with eight TDs and one pick. Manning threw for a league-high 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns in the regular season, including two in the victory over the Patriots. WRs Hakeem Nicks (4 TDs in the postseason), Victor Cruz (NFC-high 1,536 yards) and Mario Manningham (3 TDs in the postseason) give Manning plenty of weapons. RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who missed the regular-season meeting, rushed for 74 yards in the NFC title game. He’ll be complemented by bruiser Brandon Jacobs, who ran for 72 yards against the Patriots in November.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (15-3): Brady followed up a record-setting effort against Denver with one of his worst postseason performances in a 23-20 win over Baltimore in the AFC title game. He finished with 239 yards and was picked off twice while failing to throw a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 17 of the 2009 season. Brady overcame a wobbly start to throw for 342 yards and two TD passes against New York in November, but eight of his completions and one TD went to Gronkowski, who has yet to practice since he was hurt. Gronkowski was the centerpiece of the Patriots’ high-powered offense, hauling in 90 receptions and setting league records for TDs (17) and receiving yards (1,327) by a tight end. Brady, who threw for 5,235 yards, 39 TDs and 12 interceptions, will join John Elway as the only quarterback to start five Super Bowls and can surpass Joe Montana (16) for the most postseason victories. WR Wes Welker had a league-high 122 catches, including nine for 136 yards against the Giants. The big question is whether New England’s much-maligned defense can stop Manning when it counts.

SUPER BOWL HISTORY

GIANTS (3-1): Def. Denver 39-20 (1986); def. Buffalo 20-19 (1990); lost to Baltimore 34-7 (2000); def. New England 17-14 (2007).

PATRIOTS (3-3): Lost to Chicago 46-10 (1985); lost to Green Bay 35-21 (1996); def. St. Louis 20-17 (2001); def. Carolina 32-29 (2003); def. Philadelphia 24-21 (2004); lost to N.Y. Giants (2007).

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Sunday’s game will mark the first time that both starting quarterbacks have been Super Bowl MVPs.

2. New York is the second team to advance to the Super Bowl (Arizona 2008) by beating three playoff opponents with better records.

3. The previous four Super Bowl appearances by New England, all coming in a seven-year span, were decided by three points.

4. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and New York’s Tom Coughlin each served on the same staff with the Giants under Bill Parcells.

5. In the Week 9 meeting, the Patriots and Giants played the first scoreless opening half of the season.

Recap AFC 59 NFC 41

Dave Johnson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:09:01 +0000

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall set a Pro Bowl record with four touchdown receptions – the third of which he caught while on his back – as the AFC posted a 59-41 triumph over the NFC on Sunday in Honolulu.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Cincinnati Bengals rookie Andy Dalton and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers tossed two touchdown passes apiece in the highest-scoring Pro Bowl game in history.

With the NFC nursing a 35-31 lead late in the third quarter, Dalton tried to find Marshall behind the coverage. Two NFC defenders converged on the ball, but unintentionally deflected it back toward the Dolphins wideout. Marshall, who had already fallen to the turf, collected the ball after it caromed off his foot for the improbable 47-yard touchdown.

Marshall then snapped former Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Jimmy Smith's record of three touchdown receptions in a Pro Bowl game by reeling in a 3-yard score from Dalton with 8:25 left in the game.

Arizona Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald matched Smith by securing his third touchdown reception of the game with 2:37 remaining in the game.

The game's MVP, Marshall had a 74-yard scoring strike from Roethlisberger to tie the game at 14-14 in the first quarter. Marshall, who finished with six catches for 176 yards, then knotted the contest with 5:22 left in the second with a 29-yard touchdown reception from Rivers.

The NFC bolted out to an early 14-0 lead after Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with Fitzgerald on a pair of scoring strikes. After the Cardinals star reeled in a 10-yard score, the NFC successfully fielded the first of two onside kicks and Fitzgerald beat New York Jets stud cornerback Darrelle Revis on the next play for a 44-yard touchdown pass.

Roethlisberger responded with a pair of long touchdowns, hitting A.J. Green on a slant-and-go before finding Marshall for his first score.

The teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter, capped by Rivers hitting teammate Antonio Gates on a 27-yard scoring strike as time expired.

Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton tossed a 55-yard touchdown pass to teammate Steve Smith and a 36-yard score to Fitzgerald, but was also intercepted three times.

Preview NFC at AFC

Dave Johnson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:55:02 +0000

THE STORY: The NFL does have a bowl game scheduled on Sunday. No, not the one pitting the New England Patriots against the New York Giants – that one will take place next week with decidedly far more pomp and circumstance. This Sunday, the other 30 NFL teams will showcase their stars in the Pro Bowl. Yes, this is the game that often resembles a flag football competition with countless cameos of the stars on rival teams joking with one another along the sideline. Then again, this is also the contest that often draws larger-than-expected ratings as the scoreboard operator gets a spirited workout. Welcome to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl, which for the third straight year comes one week before that “other” Bowl.

TV: NBC, 7 p.m. ET. LINE: NFC -4, O/U 74

ABOUT THE NFC: Perhaps not surprisingly, the holders of the conference's top two seeds in the playoffs will be well-represented in Hawaii. San Francisco boasts nine players selected to the Pro Bowl while Green Bay is sending six of its finest to Aloha Stadium, headlined by 49ers stud running back Frank Gore and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and veteran cornerback Charles Woodson, respectively. (Gore pulled out due to injury – a common theme for this game.) Green Bay will also send coach Mike McCarthy, marking the second time that he has guided the team in a Pro Bowl (2008). New Orleans record-setting QB Drew Brees will see a familiar face in tight end Jimmy Graham, who will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance. With perhaps a future contract in mind, Chicago running back Matt Forte is expected to play despite missing the last four weeks of the regular season with a sprained knee.

ABOUT THE AFC: Four of the eight Baltimore players selected for the contest ultimately pulled out after the Ravens fell to the Patriots in the AFC Championship. As a result, Denver's six Pro Bowlers lead the conference's contingent – although the highly popular Tim Tebow is not among them. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has opted to play despite being hampered by an ailing ankle, thus keeping Tebow on his couch and preventing myriad non-football media outlets from descending on the nation's 50th state. Baltimore LB Ray Lewis will be making his 13th Pro Bowl appearance while Houston coach Gary Kubiak will be enjoying his first.

SUPER SUBSTITUTES: With New England brandishing eight Pro Bowlers who will no longer play in the exhibition, the AFC needed to significantly shuffle its deck. Cincinnati rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and tight end Jermaine Greshman (replacing Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, respectively) and San Diego wideout Vincent Jackson (Wes Welker) were among the notable additions. On the NFC side, New York quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul were replaced by Carolina rookie Cam Newton and Chicago veteran Julius Peppers, respectively.

ALL ATWITTER: The NFL has relaxed its rules in regard to social media for this one game. Pro Bowl players will be allowed to tweet during the contest – well, sort of. The league designated specific kiosks on the sidelines for players to detail everything that is on their minds without fear of being flagged by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

LAST YEAR/SERIES HISTORY: The NFC posted a wild 55-41 victory over the AFC last year to claim a 21-20 edge in the all-time series. The NFC has won three of the last four Pro Bowls.

Recap Giants 20 49ers 17 OT

Dave Johnson — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:09:01 +0000

Lawrence Tynes kicked a 31-yard field goal with 7:06 left in overtime to lift the New York Giants to a 20-17 victory over the host San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

The Giants capitalized on a second turnover by punt returner Kyle Williams, recovering the fumble at the 24-yard line to set up Tynes' winning kick and send them to their fifth Super Bowl appearance.

New York, which won its straight game and avenged a 27-20 regular-season loss to the 49ers in November, will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.

It will be a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, when the Giants stunned the Patriots 17-14 and denied their hopes of a perfect 19-0 season. New York won at New England 24-20 earlier this season.

Williams, playing in place of an injured Ted Ginn Jr., not only fumbled the decisive punt with 9 1/2 minutes left in overtime but also had a bouncing punt nick his knee in the fourth quarter to set up New York's only touchdown of the second half.

Manning overcame six sacks to set playoff franchise records for completions and attempts, finishing 32 of 58 for 316 yards and a pair of touchdowns passes to Bear Pascoe and Mario Manningham. Victor Cruz had 10 receptions for 142 yards.

It was the fifth career road playoff victory for Manning, setting a league record, and gave New York a perfect 5-0 record in NFC Championship Games.

Niners quarterback Alex Smith was 12 of 26 for 196 yards and touchdown passes of 73 and 28 yards to tight end Vernon Davis, whose second score gave San Francisco a 14-10 lead with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.

The Giants went back ahead 17-14 with 8:34 to play in regulation, taking advantage of the first gaffe by Kyle Williams, who failed to get out of the way of a punt.

New York recovered at the 29-yard line and Manning needed only six plays to connect with Manningham on a 17-yard scoring strike to make it 17-14.

Williams partially atoned for the mistake by returning the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to set up David Akers' tying 25-yard field goal with 5:39 to play.

San Francisco (14-4) scored first when Smith connected with Davis on a 73-yard strike midway through the opening quarter. After that, though, the 49ers struggled to move the ball in the first half.

Conversely, the Giants had four drives of at least nine plays in the opening half and controlled the ball for 18 minutes.

Manning capped a 10-play drive with a 6-yard scoring pass to Pascoe with just over 11 minutes left in the second quarter and Tynes booted a 31-yard field goal with two seconds left for a 10-7 halftime lead.

Recap Patriots 23 Ravens 20

Dave Johnson — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:09:02 +0000

Unable to solve the Baltimore Ravens' defense with his arm, Tom Brady had to beat them with his legs.

Brady's 1-yard leap on a quarterback sneak with just under 11 1/2 minutes to play accounted for the winning touchdown as the New England Patriots outlasted the visiting Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

A botched last-second field goal by Baltimore allowed Brady and the Patriots to advance to their fifth Super Bowl in 11 seasons. New England will play either the New York Giants or San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.

Brady tied Joe Montana for the most wins (16) in postseason history despite being held without a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 17 of the 2009 season

The Ravens had a chance to send the game into overtime, driving to the 14-yard line, but Billy Cundiff hooked a 32-yard field goal wide left with 11 seconds left. He had been 16 of 16 in the fourth quarter the past two seasons.

The Patriots' much-maligned defense came up big on three possessions in the final 7 1/2 minutes to secure the team's 10th consecutive victory.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown as New England booked a trip to the Super Bowl for the first time since completing a perfect regular season in 2007.

Brady threw for 239 yards and was picked off twice by the Ravens, but he and Bill Belichick became the first quarterback-coach tandem to reach five Super Bowls.

Flacco finished 22 of 36 for 306 yards with a two touchdowns and one interception as the Ravens outgained the Patriots 398 yards to 330.

Baltimore scored 10 points in under three minutes late in the third quarter to carry a 20-16 lead into the final quarter.

Flacco's 29-yard scoring pass to rookie Torrey Smith down the right sideline with 3:08 left in the quarter gave the Ravens their first lead at 17-16, and a fumble by Danny Woodhead on the ensuing kickoff led to Cundiff's 39-yard field goal.

Brady responded by leading an 11-play, 63-yard scoring drive that he capped with his fourth-down plunge to put the Patriots in front for good at 23-20 with 11:29.

New England's defense then stepped up. Linebacker Brandon Spikes intercepted Flacco with 7:22 to play, and the Patriots stopped Baltimore on fourth-and-6 with 2:53 to play when Ravens coach John Harbaugh eschewed a potential 51-yard tying field goal.

Baltimore got the ball back one last time with 1:44 remaining and Flacco drove them into scoring position, but New England's Sterling Moore came up with the defensive play of the game, slapping the ball out of the hands of wide receiver Lee Evans in the end zone with 22 seconds left.

Two plays later, Cundiff hooked his tying attempt as the Patriots avenged a playoff loss to the Ravens in January 2010.

Preview Giants at 49ers

Dave Johnson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:55:02 +0000

THE STORY: With quarterback Eli Manning back at practice Thursday after missing one day with a stomach bug, the New York Giants have no reason to feel queasy entering Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the host San Francisco 49ers. Even though they are facing the league's top-rated defense, the Giants are riding a four-game winning streak and carrying the swagger of a team that feels it is destined to win the Super Bowl. “We are not going to be denied at this point,” safety Antrel Rolle said. “We have one (goal in) mind, to win a championship.” New York certainly looked the part after going into Green Bay last weekend and shutting down the league's highest-scoring team in a convincing 37-20 victory over the No. 1-seeded Packers. San Francisco also showed its mettle in ousting the New Orleans Saints 36-32, scoring twice in the final 2 1/2 minutes to sink the NFL’s second-highest scoring team. The Niners have reason to like their chances, particularly since they own a 27-20 victory over the Giants on Nov. 13.

TV: FOX, 6:30 p.m. ET. LINE: 49ers -2.5, O/U 42

ABOUT THE GIANTS (11-7): New York has permitted only 50 points during its four-game winning streak – a remarkable turnaround after surrendering an average of 36 points in its previous four games. WR Hakeem Nicks has been the star of the postseason for the Giants, hauling in 13 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns. He’s only the third wideout (Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald) with two games of 100 yards and two TDs in one postseason. Nicks changed the momentum of last week’s game by snatching a Hail Mary pass as time expired in the first half. Manning threw for a playoff-high 330 yards with three touchdowns and an interception to improve to 6-3 in the postseason, including a 4-1 mark on the road. DE Osi Umenyiora, who missed the first meeting with the 49ers, had two of New York’s four sacks last week.

ABOUT THE 49ERS (14-3): San Francisco allowed an NFC-low 14.3 points per game, but its offense came up huge when QB Alex Smith directed two long scoring drives to KO Drew Brees and the Saints. Smith scored on a 28-yard bootleg with 2:11 to play before throwing the game-winning TD pass to TE Vernon Davis with 9 seconds to play. It was one of two scores for Davis, who turned in a monster effort with seven receptions for 180 yards – a record yardage total for tight ends. RB Frank Gore had 89 yards on 13 carries, his best performance since ripping off five straight 100-yard games from Weeks 4-9. Hindered by injuries, Gore had zero yards on six carries in the first matchup against New York. The Niners sacked Brees three times and picked him off twice last week. Carlos Rogers intercepted Manning twice on Nov. 13.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. When Manning (2004) and Smith (2005) square off Sunday, it will mark just the second time that two quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall will meet in a conference title game.

2. San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh can become the sixth rookie head coach to lead a team to the Super Bowl.

3. The Giants are 4-0 in NFC Championship Games, including a 15-13 win over the 49ers after the 1990 season.

Preview Ravens at Patriots

Dave Johnson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:55:01 +0000

THE STORY: Tom Brady and Joe Flacco will have a similar mindset when they lead their teams into Sunday's AFC Championship Game in Foxborough. Mass. Both quarterbacks have plenty of reason to be wary of the Baltimore Ravens' defense. While Brady is focused on guiding the host New England Patriots to their fifth Super Bowl appearance in 11 seasons, Flacco will be trying to maintain his focus after he was criticized by teammate Ed Reed earlier this week for his play in Baltimore's 20-13 AFC divisional win over the Houston Texans last weekend. Pro Bowl safety Reed, a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, said Flacco was “kind of rattled” by Houston's defense and “didn’t look like he had a hold on the offense.” That's not exactly of inspiration needed when going up against Brady, who threw for six touchdowns and guided an offense that produced a franchise playoff-record 45 points in last week's rout of Denver. New England has won all six regular-season matchups between the teams, but the Ravens clobbered the Patriots 33-14 in a playoff game in Foxborough in January 2010.

TV: CBS, 3 p.m. ET. LINE: Patriots -7, O/U 50.5

ABOUT THE RAVENS (13-4): The much-maligned Flacco can become the first QB to win 50 games in his first four seasons. He threw two first-quarter TD passes as the Ravens jumped to a 17-3 lead and held off the Texans. Baltimore’s defense, which ranked third in the league with an average of 16.6 points allowed, forced four turnovers but did not have a sack after leading the AFC with 48 in the regular season. The Ravens need to get RB Ray Rice untracked. He was held to only 60 yards on 21 carries after rushing for 1,364 yards and 12 TDs and leading the league with 2,068 yards from scrimmage. Rice rumbled for 159 yards and two TDs, including an 83-yard scoring run just 17 seconds into the game in Baltimore’s playoff rout of the Patriots two years ago.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (14-3): Brady threw for 363 yards and tied a postseason record with his six TD passes in the 45-10 mauling of Denver. Brady, who sat out Wednesday’s practice with a sore left shoulder, was not sacked in guiding New England to its ninth consecutive victory. Second-year TE Rob Gronkowski hauled in three of Brady’s five first-half scoring passes and finished with 10 receptions for 145 yards. Gronkowski set league records for TDs (17) and receiving yards (1,327) by a tight end this season. Fellow TE Aaron Hernandez had four receptions and added a wrinkle with five rushes for a team-high 61 yards last week. Despite building a 35-7 halftime lead, the Patriots got little out of their ground game. New England’s defense ranked 31st in the league during the regular season, surrendering 411.1 yards per game.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. The last three regular-season meetings between the teams have been decided by a total of 12 points.

2. Baltimore was only 4-4 on the road this season, including a 34-14 drubbing at San Diego in which it looked powerless to stop the passing game.

3. Brady can tie Joe Montana for the most wins (16) in playoff history, and can combine with Bill Belichick to become the first QB-coach tandem to reach five Super Bowls.

Recap Giants 37 Packers 20

Dave Johnson — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:09:01 +0000

After having one prayer answered, Eli Manning and the New York Giants crushed the Green Bay Packers' hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champions.

Manning threw for three touchdown passes, including a Hail Mary to Hakeem Nicks on the final play of the first half, to power the visiting Giants to a 37-20 victory over the top-seeded Packers in Sunday's NFC divisional round matchup at Lambeau Field.

Manning threw for a postseason careeer-high 330 yards and Nicks hauled in seven receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns to send New York (11-7) into next Sunday's NFC Championship Game at No. 2 seed San Francisco.

New York's defense bottled up the league's highest-scoring offense and forced four turnovers in snapping Green Bay's 13-game winning streak at Lambeau Field. The Packers (15-2) set a league record with only six fumbles this season, but coughed up three on Sunday.

In winning their fourth consecutive game, the fourth-seeded Giants also avenged a 38-35 home loss to the Packers last month and beat Green Bay in the conference title game for the second time in five years – both coming at Lambeau.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had 45 touchdowns and only six interceptions during the regulation season, was erratic and saw his receivers drop a slew of passes. He finished 26 of 44 for 265 yards with two TDs and one pick.

The Giants never trailed in the contest and stunned the Packers when Manning connected with Nicks on a 37-yard scoring pass as time expired in the first half to send New York into the locker room with a 20-10 lead.

It was the fourth TD of the postseason for Nicks, who also had a 66-yard scoring pass in the first quarter to give the Giants a 10-3 lead. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw made the play possible by darting across the field to get out of bounds and keep time on the clock.

The Packers got within 20-13 on a 35-yard field goal by Mason Crosby late in the third quarter, but a failed attempt on fourth -and-five with 13 minutes to play started their downfall.

The Giants turned the excellent field position into a 35-yard field by Lawrence Tynes to extend the lead to 23-13, and pulled away when Chase Blackburn returned a fumble by Ryan Grant 40 yards to set up Manning's third TD toss, a 4-yarder to Mario Manningham to make it 30-13 with just over 6 1/2 minutes to play.

Rodgers kept Green Bay's flickering hopes alive by capping a long drive with a 16-yard scoring pass to Donald Driver to cut the deficit to 30-20, but the Giants recovered the onside kick and went 50 yards in six plays, capped by Brandon Jacobs' 14-yard TD run that sealed it.

Recap Ravens 20 Texans 13

Dave Johnson — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:09:02 +0000

Joe Flacco threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes and the host Baltimore Ravens made the early lead stand up in a 20-13 victory over the mistake-prone Houston Texans on Sunday in the AFC divisional round.

Billy Cundiff kicked a pair of field goals and Lardarius Webb had two big interceptions to help the Ravens (13-4) secure a spot in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday at New England.

Baltimore's defense kept the Texans (11-7) off the scoreboard in the second half in winning its 11th consecutive home game and beating Houston for the second time this season.

Veteran safety Ed Reed snuffed out a late scoring chance with the third interception of Texans rookie quarterback T.J. Yates with 1:51 to play.

Yates had one final chance but his Hail Mary pass with 11 seconds deflected off wideout Kevin Walter's arm before falling to the ground in the end zone to give Baltimore its first home playoff victory since its Super Bowl-winning season of 2000.

The win didn't come easy against a tenacious Houston defense, which held the second-seeded Ravens to only three points after falling behind 17-3 in the first quarter.

Flacco threw for 176 yards but was sacked five times and running back Ray Rice was limited to 60 yards on 21 carries.

Houston's Arian Foster rumbled for 132 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first running back to reach 100 yards against the Ravens in 16 postseason games.

It wasn't enough to dig the Texans out of an early hole after Baltimore converted two Houston turnovers into touchdowns and turned a 3-0 deficit into a 17-3 lead with 68 seconds left in the first quarter.

A boneheaded decision by Houston's Jacoby Jones to field a bouncing punt resulted in a fumble that was recovered by the Ravens at the 2-yard line.

Three plays later, Flacco flipped a 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Kris Wilson for a 7-3 lead with 9:51 left in the opening quarter. It was Wilson's first reception of the season.

After a 48-yard field goal by Cundiff, Webb picked off his first pass to give the Ravens great field position at the Texans' 34-yard line.

Flacco needed five plays to turn the miscue into points, tossing a 10-yard scoring pass to Anquan Boldin for a 17-3 cushion.

Houston crept back into the game on a 33-yard field goal by Neil Rackers and a 1-yard run by Foster that capped a 12-play, 86-yard drive and cut the deficit to 17-13 at halftime.

Foster had 95 yards rushing in the opening 30 minutes and added four receptions for 29 yards.