Giants win NFC's top seed with win over Panthers

[December 22, 2008]  EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The NFC road to the Super Bowl will run through the Meadowlands because the New York Giants did what they had to do against frigid, swirling wind -- run the ball.

Derrick Ward ran for career-best 215 yards and set up Brandon Jacobs' winning 2-yard touchdown run with 9:57 left in overtime and the Super Bowl champion Giants clinched the NFC's top seed for the postseason with a thrilling 34-28 comeback victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night.

Fans who braved the numbing wind chill tossed snowballs onto the field earlier and threw like confetti when Jacobs won the game.

New York (12-3) forced the overtime when Jacobs plowed into the end zone from a yard out, and Eli Manning hit Domenik Hixon on a slant pattern for the tying 2-point conversion with 3:21 to play.

Jacobs finished with three short touchdown runs, and Manning and Kevin Boss combined on a 4-yard touchdown pass as the Giants found the cold and wind to their liking in snapping a two-game losing streak.

New York clinched a first-round bye earlier in the day when Atlanta beat Minnesota, then added the icing on this frosty night by beating Carolina (11-4) in the winner-take-all game for the NFC's top seed.

The loss spoiled a record-tying, four-touchdown performance by Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams, who gave Carolina a 28-20 lead with a 30-yard TD run 2 minutes into the final quarter. He also scored on runs of 13, 5 and 1 yards.

The Panthers, who have qualified for the playoffs, can clinch the NFC South and the No. 2 seed with a win at New Orleans next weekend.

The Panthers had a chance to win the game in regulation but the swirling wind at Giants Stadium pushed John Kasey's 50-yard field-goal attempt wide left, sparking some more celebratory snow throwing by Giants fans.

The Giants won the coin toss in the overtime and couldn't generate anything, and the Panthers followed suit on their possession.

New York nearly lost the ball before its winning drive when R.W. McQuarters muffed a punt at the Giants 13. He emerged from a pile with the ball and then Ward took over.

On first-and-10 from the 13, Ward went 51 yards to Carolina 36. Three plays later on third-and-7, he went 14 yards to the 19 and followed that with a 17-yarder to the 2.

Jacobs scored on the next play, capping a night New York rushed for a season-high 301 yards.

Until the late heroics, Williams and the Panthers seemingly had overcame the non-Carolina elements and landed the home-field advantage, which was important since the Panthers were 8-0 at home.

New York finished 7-1 at home. The last time they were the No. 1 seed was the 2000 season and they went to the Super Bowl, losing to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Panthers scored touchdowns the first three times they had the ball with Williams tallying from 13, 5 and 1 yard in leading Carolina to a 21-10 lead. The last touchdown came a play after a Tom Coughlin challenge left Steve Smith a half-yard shy on a play that originally was ruled a TD.

Carolina had eight plays of 10 yards or more on the drives of 77, 66 and 65 yards, with five going for more than 15 yards. The biggest play was a 60-yard pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad on a pass that went right through the hands of Giants cornerback Aaron Ross.

The Giants' defense limited Carolina to seven second-half points.

John Carney got New York to with 21-13 with a 35-yard field goal late in the half, and New York closed to within 21-20 when Manning found a wide-open Boss for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds to go in third quarter.

It capped a 12-play, 84-yard marched that took more than eight minutes.

Carolina came right and restored the eight-point lead when Williams, who gained 108 yards on 24 carries, broke a tackle by Antonio Pierce and scampered 30 yards for a touchdown.

The Giants' tying touchdown was set up by great coffin-corner punt by Jeff Feagles, a 12-yard pass from Manning to Boss and a pass-interference call in the end zone against Ken Lucas, one play later.

Jacobs scored on the next play.

[Associated Press; By TOM CANAVAN]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.