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GAME RECAP: DEJA BLUE IN GIANTS’ WIN AT NEW ENGLAND

Tom Coughlin said he didn’t have time for a flashback, but to everyone else who watched the Giants’ scintillating 24-20 victory Sunday over the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium, it was eerily similar to Super Bowl XLII.

Same teams. Same Uniforms. New England takes a late lead on a Tom Brady pass (in the Super Bowl it was with 2:42 remaining, on Sunday 1:36 was left). Eli Manning and the Giants respond with a long drive for the ages (83 yards in the Super Bowl, 80 yards in Gillette) that includes a memorable catch in the center of the field by a receiver wearing No. 85 (then David Tyree, now Jake Ballard) and a late, game-winning touchdown pass that is caught on the left side of the end zone (in the Super Bowl 35 seconds remained, on Sunday, just 15).

The teams traded the lead three times in the fourth quarter, just as they did 46 months ago in the Super Bowl. Last time, the Giants’ ruined New England’s perfect season. On Sunday, they ended the Patriots’ 20-game regular season home winning streak.

Manning’s one-yard touchdown pass to Ballard – whose 38-yard catch on third-and-10 kept the drive alive – gave the Giants their third consecutive victory and improved their record to 6-2 at midseason. It wasn’t the Super Bowl, but you wouldn’t know it by the delirium that broke out in the Giants’ locker room. Players and coaches hugged and back-slapped each other and everyone was laughing and yelling. The players gathered around Coughlin and running back Brandon Jacobs lifted the coach up over his shoulders.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Coach Coughlin: “Patriots are a heck of a football team. It was a heck of a game. I could sit here and pick it apart, but getting the four turnovers, wasn’t too happy about the two that we gave them back, but nevertheless, the way in which it went 10-10 and then back and forth it went, and then the final two drives were outstanding and then the play there at the end. Again, the ball was down there at like the 6-inch line and we have one timeout left, and we do get the ball in the end zone. There is never, you know you never feel like you’re got enough. I remember when Tom Brady had 35 seconds and I wasn’t real comfortable there, and here we are with 12, I wasn’t real comfortable. But, the guys did a really nice job. So, the defensive package, the pressure… You know, I don’t know what the numbers are, the run/pass ratio or anything like that, but I do know that we got some pressure on the quarterback, which we tried to do. They kept two tight ends in there a lot which made it kind of difficult to rush and yet they were still very effective with their passing game, so I give them a lot of credit for that. And again, Eli [Manning] came back from the interception and made two exceptional touchdown plays and we able to just barely have enough time to win.” FULL TRANSCRIPT