New York Giants refresh 2007 memories with a shock 37-20 win over favourites Green Bay Packers - NFL Recap
For the first time this season, Green Bay Packers looked outplayed and out thought in the field as New York Giants evoked memories of their 2007 Super Bowl run by beating the in-form 15-1 Packers, 37-20, at the Lambeau Field, this Sunday.
Heavily favoured and seemingly poised to go the entire way to the Super Bowl on the back of some of the best perormances ever witnessed in the National Football League, Packers had chosen the worst night to have an off-day.
The Packers offence was outscored just once in the regular season and was scoring at an average of 34 points per game with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback but on Sunday they were made to look human. Fumbles, turnovers and incomplete passes were on show as the
Giants defence harassed and harried them to submission.
Rodgers threw a rare interception and the Packers offence turned over the ball four times. The Packers talented wide receivers themselves did not make things easier for Rodgers dropping a season high eight catches and in the process throwing away great touchdown
opportunities.
The Packers quarterback had two touchdowns and threw a rare interception with the quarterback completing just 26 out of 46 attempted passes for a gain of just 264 yards in a performance that was way below his usual high standards.
Meanwhile the defence which was always bailed out by the Packers high-octane offence was finally exposed. Eli Manning sent passes without facing many problems as he threw for three touchdowns and covered 330 yards. The Giants quarterback was intercepted
just once and completed 21 out of 33 passes.
The Giants took the lead at 8:33 in the first quarter with kicker Lawrence Tynes scoring a 31-yard field goal to open the scoring.
The Packers then took possession and moved to 47-yards from the Giants end-zone. Rodgers sent a trademark pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings who before his injury against the Oakland Raiders was in devastating form. Jennings however, contrived to somehow
drop an easy catch which would have resulted in a touchdown and the Packers had to settle for a 47-yard field goal by Mason Crosby.
The Giants scored the game’s first touchdown at 3:47 in the first quarter. Eli Manning sent a brilliant pass towards Hakeem Nicks who made no mistake and bounced off a Packers defenseman into space to score the touchdown.
It did not take long for the Packers to get back in the game. At the start of the second quarter Rodgers found John Kuhn from eight-yards for the Packers first touchdown of the night to make it 10-10.
The Giants retook the lead through another Lawrence Tynes field goal at 1:51 from 23-yards. With 51-seconds to go in the quarter the Packers lost possession close to the end-zone again with Rodgers getting caught in possession. Rodgers was sacked four times
during the game.
The turnover proved costly as Manning sent a hail-Mary into the end-zone and Hakeem Nicks made a brilliant catch to put the Giants ten points up.
Rodgers tried to rush from the pocket and gain some yards for the Packers. The quarterback was the leading rusher on the night for Green Bay with a gain of 66-yards but his efforts proved futile as the Giants defence continued to harass the quarterback and
in the process the Packers offence had to settle for just a field-goal in the third period.
With the score at 20-13 the fourth quarter was do-or-die for the defending Super Bowl Champions but it was the Giants who always looked likelier to score.
And they did just that. Lawrence Tynes put another field goal through the hoops to bring the score up to 23-10.
On the resulting Packers possession Rodgers handed the ball off to Ryan Grant but the Giants defence forced a fumble and Giants Linebacker Chase Blackburn picked up the ball to move it deep into Packers territory. Manning came on and sent a four-yard touchdown
pass to Mario Manningham in the end-zone to put the Giants up by a 17-point lead.
The Packers finally responded. Rodgers connected a 16-yard pass to Donald Driver who rushed to the end-zone getting the Packers back to a ten point deficit but there was no comeback win in the cards.
Giants Brandon Jacobs rushed for a 14-yard touchdown at 2:36 and the Giants won by 37-20 in a game that will remain long in the memory.
The Giants will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday January 22nd at the Candlestick Park for the National Football Conference Championship.
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