Cruz shines bright for Giants
Victor Cruz runs for yardage against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half. (Jan. 22, 2012) Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
SAN FRANCISCO -- Two games into the Giants' postseason run, it was Hakeem Nicks who had starred in the receiving game with exceptional performances against the Falcons in the wild-card round and the Packers in the divisional round. So what happened in Sunday night's NFC Championship Game against the 49ers?
Why, it was Victor Cruz's turn to be the go-to guy, of course.
Nicks sparkled in the Giants' 24-2 win over the Falcons with six catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns, then did even better in a 37-20 win over the Packers with seven catches for 165 yards and two TDs. But with the Giants expecting the 49ers to pay special attention to Nicks -- which they did on a regular basis -- Cruz became Eli Manning's primary target through much of the game.
The Giants took a 10-7 halftime lead thanks largely to Cruz's heroics. He had eight catches for 125 yards, including a long of 36 yards, in the first half to highlight an offense that found the going very difficult on the ground. That was to be expected against the NFL's top-ranked rushing defense. But after a quiet game against the Falcons with two catches for 28 yards and a five-catch, 74-yard effort against the Packers that featured some clutch work on third downs, Cruz turned into the featured act for a Giants offense that didn't have much else going for it against San Francisco's stingy defense.
"I just knew we had to move the ball," Cruz said after the game. "I was telling myself that this [49ers] team isn't going to take this from me. I'm not going to let fatigue or anything make this slip away. I'm going to make every necessary adjustment, make every catch that comes my way and just try to move the chains."
The Giants struggled to get the ball to Cruz on a consistent basis in the second half, but they managed to get contributions from Nicks and Mario Manningham on the go-ahead touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter.
After the Giants recovered a muffed punt at the 49ers' 29 -- a play that initially was awarded to the 49ers but then overturned on replay -- the Giants went ahead 17-14 with 8:34 left in the quarter.
It was Nicks who came up with a clutch 14-yard reception on a third-and-7 play to the 49ers' 12, and Manningham finished off the drive four plays later with a 17-yard touchdown reception on a third-and-15.
Said Cruz: "Every minute we had the ball in our possession, I knew we were going to make the necessary play or plays, take advantage of them and do what we had to do to win this game."
