Going into the 2011 season it was well known that if the New York Giants missed the playoffs for a third straight season, coach Tom Coughlin would be let go. The Giants appeared to be long shots because they were decimated by injuries to their secondary. They experienced a season filled with ups and downs but much like the 2007-08 season, have gotten hot when it counted the most.The season got off to an inauspicious start when the Giants fell at Washington 28-14. The Giants were without many starters on defense but it was their offense that really struggled. They only could muster 102 yards of total offense in the second half. In a sign of things to come during the season, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs did next to nothing running the ball. In Week 2, the Giants hosted the St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football and came away with their first victory of the season, 28-16. The Giants were happy to get the win but the game was ugly and the Giants looked less than impressive. The Giants struggled again on offense and were able to win mostly because of the Rams being mistake prone. In Week 3, the Giants outscored the Philadelphia Eagles 15-0 in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia to knock off the "Dream Team" 29-16. Eli Manning threw for 2 TDs in that fourth quarter and finished the game with 4. This game marked the emergence of WR Victor Cruz who finished with 2 TDs and 110 yards receiving. The Giants defense also played well, forcing three Eagles turnovers and knocking Eagles QB Mike Vick out of the game. The Giants improved to 3-1 after a narrow road win against Arizona in Week 4. The Giants trailed 27-17 in the 4th quarter but Eli hit TE Jake Ballard for a TD with 3:37 remaining to get the Giants within three. Later, the Giants were driving for the winning score when Cruz appeared to fumble the ball and the Cardinals recovered. However, it was ruled that Cruz gave himself up on the play and was down, meaning no fumble and the play could not be challenged. The Giants quickly followed that with a 29 yard touchdown strike to Hakeem Nicks, and escaped with a 31-27 win.
The Giants good thoughts about themselves came crashing in Week 5, when they shockingly lost at home to Seattle, 36-25. Manning had an up and down game that has been typical of his career, throwing for 420 yards and 3 TDs, but also 3 INTs. Bradshaw had just 58 yards rushing and the Giants defense was torched for over 400 yards by the less than imposing Seahawks offense. Instead of falling apart after such a disappointing loss, the Giants hung tough in Week 6, outlasting the Bills for a 27-24 win at home. Ahmad Bradshaw had his only 100 yard rushing performance of the season, and finished with 3 TDs. After a bye, the Giants squeezed past the stubborn Dolphins on the road, 20-17. Manning was spectacular, throwing for 349 yards and 2 TDs. The Giants defense held the Dolphins to just 242 total yards and the Giants were now 5-2. The Giants announced their arrival as Super Bowl contenders in Week 9 when they upset the New England Patriots 24-20 at Gillette Stadium. It was the Patriots first home loss of the regular season in over two years. Even more impressive was that the Giants were without Bradshaw and Nicks. Manning found Ballard for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to secure the victory. The Giants were 6-2 at the halfway point, alone in first place in the NFC East.
In Week 10, the Giants traveled cross country to take on the surprising San Francisco 49ers. It was a back and forth game, and the Giants led 13-12 going into the 4th quarter. Manning threw 2 crucial interceptions, including one that set up the game winner for the 49ers. However, Manning still almost rallied the Giants from a 14 point deficit before seeing a 4th down pass knocked down by Justin Smith, giving the Niners a 27-20 victory. Week 11 saw the Giants suffer an embarrassing home loss to a injury depleted Eagles team, 17-10. Vince Young started for Vick, but it was LaSean McCoy who keyed the victory for Philly. The Giants inability to run the ball came back to bite them, as Jacobs was the leading rusher with just 21 yards. The Giants then dropped their third straight game on Monday night football, 49-24 to the Saints. The game was never close and the Giants defense had no answer for Drew Brees and New Orleans. The Giants gave up 577 yards of total offense to New Orleans and now at 6-5 panic was starting to set in. In Week 13, the Giants nearly knocked off the undefeated Packers but fell 38-35, for their fourth straight loss and placing them at 6-6. The defense was torched for the second straight week and Manning couldn't overcome the lack of a running game.
Week 14 saw the Giants travel to Dallas in a must win game on Sunday Night football. Dallas was 7-5 and with a win would have had a stranglehold on the NFC East. The Cowboys led by 12 late in the fourth quarter but Manning shined and was able to bring the Giants back like had done many other times during the season. The star of the game was Jason Pierre-Paul on defense. Paul had a safety, forced a fumble in the second quarter and blocked the Cowboys attempt at game tying field goal to preserve the win. Those good feelings quickly dissipated the next weekend when the Giants suffered a shocking 23-10 loss at home to the Redskins. The Skins won 5 games all season, and two of those came against the Giants by a combined score of 51-24. Manning suffered through his worst game of the season and the Giants appeared completely lifeless in the loss. It set up a do or die game against their cross town rivals, the New York Jets. The Giants were again struggling on offense when Victor Cruz broke free for a 99 yard touchdown reception. The Giants led the rest of the way as the defense made life miserable for Mark Sanchez. The Giants ended up winning 29-14, setting up a win or go home battle with the Cowboys in the regular season finale. The Giants came out on fire, racing to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. The Cowboys fought back in the second half and were trailing just 21-14 in the fourth quarter. However, the Giants defense stiffened and the Giants won the game, earning a playoff berth and NFC East title. Cruz was the key, finishing with 6 catches, 178 yards, and a touchdown.
The Giants opened with a Wild Card home game against the Atlanta Falcons. Some felt that the Giants were hitting their stride while others weren't that impressed that the Giants closed the season beating two 8-8 teams. The Giants then went out and had their best defensive performance of the season, in a 24-2 blowout. The Giants defense allowed zero points and stuffed Atlanta twice on 4th and 1 chances. Manning was spectacular, throwing for 277 yards and 3 TDs. Nicks, who struggled towards the end of the season, returned to form with 115 yards receiving and 2 TDs. The win earned the Giants another chance to beat the NFL's juggernaut, the Packers. Some felt the Giants could pull off the upset but no one anticipated what ended up happening. The Giants led 13-10 late in the first half when Manning hit Nicks on a hail mary, 37 yard touchdown pass. That put the Giants up 20-10 going into the half and they never looked back. The Giants defense continued their strong play, holding Aaron Rodgers to just 264 yards passing, and forcing him to fumble and throw and interception. The Giants had now won four in a row and the script was starting to look eerily similar to their 2008 playoff run. Their revenge tour continued in the NFC Championship game at San Francisco. Aside from Cruz, the Giants couldn't get much going on offense, but their defense kept them in the game with strong play. The Giants got behind early but took the lead late in the 4th quarter on a Manning to Mario Manningham touchdown. The game went to overtime, tied at 17, the Giants first overtime game of the season. Neither team could move the ball but then Kyle Williams of the 49ers fumbled on his punt return and the Giants recovered. Lawrence Tynes then hit a 31 yard field goal and the Giants were headed to Super Bowl XLVI. It will be the Giants fifth Super Bowl appearance as they look to hoist the Lombardi trophy for a fourth time.
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