Giants 21 - 17 Cowboys

What a difference a few weeks makes. Four weeks ago, I was slating Eli Manning for his inconsistency, his poor decision-making, etc. I had written off the Giants chances of doing much of anything in the playoffs.

Now, after a third consecutive excellent performance from Eli - not to mention the defense - the Giants are one win away from the Super Bowl. A gutsy 21-17 win in Dallas over the Cowboys earned the Giants their first trip to the NFC Title game since 2001. Eli was flawless, not turning the ball over once, while the defense stepped up, in particular in the fourth quarter. The key sequence though, the thing everyone will remember about this game, was the drive that the Giants composed with less than a minute left in the first half which led to a game-tying touchdown.

The Cowboys had just spent nearly twelve minutes of the second quarter marching 90 + yards to take a 14-7 lead, leaving the Giants only seconds before the half. Instead of playing out the clock, the offense moved like lightning down the field, Manning conducting every movement with precision unseen from him before. It was impressive to be sure, and adds confidence to the team who now head to Green Bay for a show-down with a rejuvenated Brett Favre and the Packers. Kickoff is this Sunday 6:30 PM ET, and the forecasted high for that day is 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Good lord. Anyway, you know I’ll be tuned in to FOX, who are covering the game beginning at 6, which should be right around the time Tom Brady should be speaking to the media about the Pats’ win over the Chargers. Honestly, the Chargers are so banged up, it’ll take a miracle for them to come out of New England with anything less than a whipping.