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Post by NFL Historian on Dec 24, 2023 16:45:49 GMT 10
Sunday Jan 20, 2008 Start Time: 6:42pm Time of Game: 3:33
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Post by NFL Historian on Dec 24, 2023 16:46:32 GMT 10
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Post by NFL Historian on Dec 24, 2023 16:48:45 GMT 10
Game information Seventeen years to the day after their win over the 49ers in the 1990 NFC Championship Game, the Giants won the 2007 NFC Championship Game. And seventeen years to the day that Matt Bahr kicked the winning field goal to send the Giants to the Super Bowl, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes did exactly the same thing. New York won its fourth NFC Championship Game in as many tries, and won their tenth consecutive game away from home.
For the third playoff game in a row, Giants quarterback Eli Manning didn't throw a single interception, finishing the game with 254 yards. His top target was Plaxico Burress, who set a franchise postseason record with 11 receptions for 154 yards. Donald Driver was the Packers top receiver with five catches for 141 yards.
The game was played in frigid conditions, with a gametime temperature of −1 °F (−18 °C) and a wind chill of −23 °F (−31 °C). The Giants drove twice into Packers territory early, but were unable to score a touchdown on either drive and had to settle for two Tynes field goals. On the kickoff following the second field goal Packers return man Koren Robinson misplayed the ball and was forced to chase after it. Tramon Williams, the other returner on the play, recovered the ball at the Packers' 10-yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive Brett Favre responded by hitting Donald Driver on a 90-yard touchdown pass, which was the longest play in Green Bay postseason history and gave them a 7–6 lead. The Packers extended the lead to 10–6 on a second quarter Mason Crosby field goal and kept that lead into the half.
The Giants got the ball to start the second half and drove the ball 69 yards for a score, a one-yard run into the end zone by Brandon Jacobs. On the play prior to the touchdown Jacobs fumbled the ball at the one-yard line but tight end Kevin Boss of the Giants recovered. The Packers committed four penalties on the drive, one negating an Al Harris interception and another a roughing the passer penalty on a failed third down conversion.
Williams' 49-yard return on the ensuing kickoff put the Packers in New York territory to start their response. The Giants appeared to stop the Packers drive after Driver caught a pass short of the first down, but Sam Madison was called for a personal foul which gave Green Bay a first down at the Giants' 12-yard line. On the next play Favre hit Donald Lee for a touchdown to retake the lead.
Almost as quickly as the Packers scored, the Giants answered right back as Manning was given the ball at his own 43-yard line thanks to a short kick from Crosby and a 33-yard return from Domenik Hixon. Seven plays later, the Giants re-took the lead as Ahmad Bradshaw scored from four yards away.
Once again, however, Favre and the Packers went down the field and into Giants territory, reaching the 31-yard line. On the second play of the fourth quarter, however, Favre threw a pass that R. W. McQuarters of the Giants intercepted and attempted to return. As he did so, Ryan Grant stripped the ball from McQuarters and it fell into the arms of Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher. The sequence netted the Packers 12 yards, as Tauscher's recovery gave Green Bay the ball at the New York 19-yard line and a fresh set of downs.
However, Green Bay did not gain a yard in three plays and Crosby was called on to kick a game-tying field goal, which he converted. The Giants then attempted to drive down the field and score on their third consecutive drive, and got into position for a go-ahead field goal. Tynes, however, missed from 43 yards and the game remained tied at 20.
Neither the Packers nor the Giants had any success moving the ball on their next series, resulting in the Packers punting twice and the Giants once. On the second Green Bay punt McQuarters fumbled for the second time in the game. This time, the Giants were able to recover as Hixon fell on the ball after a scrum. With 2:15 remaining and the ball at the Packers' 48, Bradshaw took a hand-off from Manning on the first play of the drive and ran all the way for the apparent go-ahead touchdown, but Chris Snee was called for holding which nullified the play. Despite the penalty the Giants continued to drive, and with the ball at the Green Bay 18-yard line Tynes was called on again for a field goal with four seconds remaining. Once again, however, he did not make the kick, instead hooking the 36-yarder wide left and forcing overtime.
Green Bay won the coin toss to start the extra period, but on the second play of overtime Favre's pass, which would be his last as a Packer, was intercepted by Corey Webster, who returned the ball nine yards to the Green Bay 34-yard line. The Giants gained five yards on three plays and then sent Tynes out to try his fifth field goal of the game, and his longest attempt of the day (47 yards). Just as Bahr had done seventeen years prior to the day, Tynes connected on the game-winning field goal, clinching a fourth NFC Championship for the Giants and their first since 2000. The Giants, the NFC's #5 seed, became just the second NFC wild card team ever to win a conference championship (the 1975 Dallas Cowboys being the other) and the third team ever (and first NFC team) to reach the Super Bowl with three road playoff wins (joining the 1985 New England Patriots and the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Green Bay Packers matched the feat three years later).
The game was the third ever conference championship game to be decided in overtime since the AFL/NFL merger, joining the 1986 AFC Championship Game and the 1998 NFC Championship Game. Tynes joined Rich Karlis and Morten Andersen as the only players to score the decisive points in an overtime conference championship game (coincidentally, all three players were members of the respective visiting teams in those years). Since, four more NFC Championship Games have gone to overtime, with the 2009 NFC Championship Game and the 2011 NFC Championship Game won by the Saints and Giants (Tynes would again kick the game-winning field goal in the 2011 game). Tynes also set a record for longest field goal by an opposing player in Lambeau Field playoff history with his game-winning kick. The first NFC Championship Game ending in overtime on a touchdown was the 2014 NFC Championship Game, won by the Seattle Seahawks. The 2018 NFC Championship Game also went into overtime, which was won by the Los Angeles Rams on a game-winning field goal.
The Packers' loss was their third in the last five Lambeau Field playoff games and marked the first time that they had ever lost an NFL/NFC Championship Game at home (losing three previous games at the Polo Grounds, Franklin Field, and Texas Stadium).
This was the last time the Packers hosted the NFC Championship game until the 2020 season.
The game was featured as one of the NFL's Greatest Games as The Chilling Championship.
This was the sixth postseason meeting between the Giants and Packers, with Green Bay winning four of the prior five games. The most recent meeting was won by Green Bay in the 1962 NFL Championship Game.
Wikipedia
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