Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Monday, January 21, 2008
Giant upset
 New York Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes (9) reacts after making the game-winning field goal in overtime during the NFC Championship football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008, in Green Bay, Wis. The Giants won 23-20. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) |
GREEN BAY — Afterward, the strains of John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” blared over the loudspeakers, the loser’s lament set to music. But as Lawrence Tynes’ game-winning 47-yard field goal split Lambeau Field’s north end zone uprights, the place was sadly, eerily silent.
Yes, the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl XLII dream died a painful, quiet death Sunday night, with quarterback Brett Favre’s interception on the second play of overtime setting up Tynes’ redemption and sending the New York Giants to a 23-20 NFC Championship Game victory before a stunned stadium-record crowd of 72,740.
The Giants (13-6), who won three straight road playoff games, will face the undefeated New England Patriots (18-0) in Super Bowl XLII Feb 3 in Glendale, Ariz. — where it was 63 degrees at kickoff, for the record. The Patriots advanced to their fourth Super Bowl in seven years with a 21-12 victory over the San Diego Chargers earlier in the day.
The Packers, who beat the Giants, 35-13, on Sept. 16 in East Rutherford, N.J., end their magical season 14-4 thanks to Tynes, who missed two kicks in the fourth quarter: A 43-yarder with 6 minutes, 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and a 36-yarder as time expired in regulation.
The temperature at kickoff was minus-1 degree, making it the second-coldest home game in Packers history; only the Ice Bowl on Dec. 31, 1967 (minus-13) was colder. The wind chill was minus-23 degrees; only the Ice Bowl (minus-46) and a Dec. 22, 1990 game against Detroit (minus-35) were worse.
But it wasn’t the cold that beat the Packers, who had their chances but never got control of the game offensively. Halfback Ryan Grant, who ran for a franchise record 201 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s divisional playoff victory over Seattle, carried just 13 times for 29 yards.
McCarthy came out throwing, with seven passes and only one run called in the first eight plays. After driving to midfield on the opening series of the game and going three-and-out on their ensuing two possessions, the Packers found themselves in a 6-0 hole — after a pair of Tynes field goals — that could’ve been deeper if not for the defense stiffening inside the red zone.
First, Tynes connected from 29 yards out at the end of a 14-play, 71-yard Giants’ initial drive that ate up almost 8 minutes of clock but stalled after the Giants had first-and-10 from the Green Bay 11-yard line.
On the next three plays, linebacker Brady Poppinga drilled oversized running back Brandon Jacobs for no gain; safety Atari Bigby broke up quarterback Eli Manning’s pass to tight end Kevin Boss in the end zone; and Aaron Kampman and Corey Williams pressured Manning into a near interception by Cullen Jenkins.
New York went three-and-out on its next possession but then used good starting field position (their own 43) and a 21-yard gain on a pass to Plaxico Burress (which he fumbled out of bounds to the Packers’ 17) to set up another field goal. This time, after a 5-yard false start on fullback Madison Hedgecock, the Packers defense stuffed Ahmad Bradshaw after a 3-yard gain, got an incompletion to Steve Smith that probably should’ve been caught and saw nickelback Tramon Williams break up a pass to David Tyree at the goal line to force another 3-pointer.
Returner Koren Robinson then botched the ensuing kickoff, with Williams recovering the muff at the Packers’ 10, leaving them with horrible field position.
No matter. Out of a base set, wide receiver Donald Driver beat cornerback Corey Webster’s jam at the line, throwing Webster aside to get wide open at the Packers’ 28, where quarterback Brett Favre hit him in stride. Driver took it from there, outrunning Webster and safeties Gibril Wilson and James Butler up the right sideline for a 90-yard touchdown and a 7-6 lead.
The Packers pushed their advantage to 10-6 shortly before halftime, with a third-down illegal contact penalty keeping their drive alive and a 20-yard Favre-to-Driver strike down the middle setting up Mason Crosby’s 36-yarder.
The Giants reclaimed the lead on the opening possession of the second half, though, with another lengthy drive — with help from the Packers, who had three chances to stop the drive and failed: Al Harris drawing an illegal contact flag to wipe out an interception on a Manning-to-Burress pass; blitzing safety Nick Collins’ 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on a third-down incompletion that would’ve forced a punt; and defensive end Aaron Kampman forcing a Jacobs fumble but couldn’t recover it when it dribbled between his legs.
But the Packers answered — and the Giants returned the help — with Williams returning the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the Giants’ 39-yard line and a crucial personal foul on cornerback Sam Madison keeping the drive alive. On a third-and-8 pass across the middle, Michael Strahan deflected Favre’s throw and while Driver snagged it, he was still 5 yards shy of the first down.
But Madison, who’d blitzed on the play and been picked up by third-down back Vernand Morency, mixed it up with Morency and got caught, and on the very next play, Favre hit tight end Donald Lee for a 12-yard touchdown and a 17-13 lead.
The back-and-forth continued, though, as the lead changed hands for the fourth time on Ahmad Bradshaw’s 4-yard touchdown run with 2:12 left in the third quarter. But the Packers caught a colossal break on their next drive to tie the game.
After driving to the Giants’ 31-yard line, Favre rolled right to avoid the rush and find an open receiver. He saw Koren Robinson flash, but his ill-advised throw was well off-target and intercepted by R.W. McQuarters inside the Giants’ 15. But as McQuarters took off on the return, running back Ryan Grant hit him and forced a fumble, with right tackle Mark Tauscher Johnny-on-the-spot to it at the Giants’ 19 with 14 minutes to go on the game. While the offense couldn’t take advantage, Crosby’s 37-yard field goal tied it up.
Tynes then missed a 43-yarder with 6:49 to play, keeping the game tied and setting the stage for his second miss to force overtime.
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