Lawrence Tynes hit a game-winning 31-yard field goal in overtime as the Giants beat the 49ers 20–17 at a rain-soaked, wind-swirling Candlestick Park Sunday.
The kick was setup by a fumble from San Francisco punt returner Kyle Williams that gave Eli Manning and the offense the ball at the 49ers 24-yard line. The fumble was Williams’s second turnover of the day—both led to quick scores by the Giants. Manning finished with 32 completions on 58 attempts—both are team postseason records—for 316 yards and two touchdowns but was sacked six times by an aggressive Niners defense.
The win, coupled with New England’s earlier win over Baltimore, sets up a rematch of Super Bowl XLII where the Giants and Manning shocked the 18-0 Patriots 17–14.
That win was especially sweet for Manning, the first overall pick of the 2004 draft, who after four sub-par seasons, had yet to fulfill his potential. Manning actually led the NFL with 20 interceptions in 2007, while failing to complete better than 58 percent of his throws for the fourth year in a row.
This year, Manning enters the NFL’s biggest stage having already proved himself with a pair of Pro Bowl selections and having the clutch distinction of being the NFL’s leader in game-winning drives for the second time in five seasons.
In an odd bit of irony, Manning entered the season under a bit of a media firestorm after claiming he (who led the NFL interceptions in 2010) considered himself in the same class with the reigning-MVP Tom Brady, of the Patriots. After his performance thus far this season, it’s not so far-fetched.
