GAME RECAP: GIANT LEAP IN PLAYOFF PUSH WITH WIN OVER JETS

Talk never seemed so cheap and playing a game was never as sweet as it was for the Giants Saturday in MetLife Stadium.

After a week listening to the Jets sling verbal barbs in their direction – and arriving at the stadium to find the Super Bowl logos painted outside their locker room had been covered with a black curtain by the home-team Jets – the Giants answered in the best possible fashion. They took the lead on a franchise-record 99-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and never relinquished it in delivering a 29-14 decision over the Jets.

The Giants improved to 8-7 and the victory sets up an NFC East title game in the same venue next week against the Dallas Cowboys, who sport the same record. The winner will capture the division championship and host a wild card playoff game the following week. The loser will end its season at 8-8.

**POSTGAME QUOTES

*Coach Coughlin: *"I told our defense that last week we practiced with more energy and more enthusiasm and greater speed than we had in a long time. It was shocking, I looked up and said is that the same guys. I tell you they had great purpose and the way they practiced is the way they played. Tonight they were exceptional and regardless of the circumstances, kept turning the Jet offense back and that was the determining factor in the game. We weren't having a very good night offensively and the thought to me was let's just not turn it over and of course in that one situation, which was a crusher, we had a run called and we had too many people in the box. We threw a simple pass and it got bounced up in the air and it was a great play by the linebacker. Our guys played through that and they did a great job despite having that adversity thrown at them when they had just received a turnover and we turn around and give it right back to them. My hats off to our special teams, I thought we did a good job. I didn't like the ball going down the middle of the field a couple times on the punt but we did a good job in that regard. Then late in the game, we put the ball on the ground and did a pretty good job with that. It was a very nice locker room and it will be a very nice Christmas Eve and Christmas for the guys starting tonight." FULL TRANSCRIPT


BOX SCORE

[PHOTO GALLERY: 12/24 NEW YORK GIANTS AT NEW YORK JETS, METLIFE STADIUM

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