Giants' D can't make a stop in big moments

Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell had vowed this game would be different.

And for most of Sunday's game against Green Bay, his unit was just that. There was a fire and a sense of pride among his defense that hadn't been displayed during its meltdown in the Big Easy last week.

But in the critical moments, the Giants' defense couldn't hold on. Their valiant and spirited effort fell short as quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers went 68 yards in four plays and capped a 38-35 victory with a 31-yard field goal as time expired.

"We really came in prepared to shock the world," defensive end Justin Tuck said of trying to beat the undefeated Packers.

Tuck and Dave Tollefson each had a sack, Jason Pierre-Paul (who leads the team with 10.5 sacks) was relentless on defense throughout the game, and Linval Joseph had nine tackles. But the Giants couldn't come up with a stop when it counted.

On the final drive, Rodgers dropped back on first-and 10 from his own 20 and fired a pass toward Jermichael Finley on the right sideline. Giants rookie linebacker Jacquian Williams tried to make a diving interception but came up empty, allowing Finley to scamper 24 yards toward midfield.

"It was a good throw and a good catch," said Williams, who was also called for an illegal contact penalty that negated a joint fourth-quarter sack by Tollefson and Pierre-Paul. "I thought I had it. I felt like I was fast enough to get back and cover him."

If he had the chance for a do-over, Williams said, "I would play it more safe."

On the next play, Jordy Nelson beat cornerback Will Blackmon down the sideline on a 27-yard pass to put Green Bay on the Giants' 29. Three plays later, Mason Crosby made the winning kick.

Rodgers said he wasn't bothered by Fewell's pledge to get after him, nor did the quarterback use it as motivation.

"I don't really pay a whole lot of attention to quotes like that," said Rodgers, who was 28-for-46 for 369 yards and four TDs. "He's not playing in the football game, so I'm not really going to respond to a quote like that. But they had a good defense, had a good plan tonight and we just executed a little bit better down the stretch."

Giants safety Deon Grant said the final drive was a blur. "I can't even remember," he said. "It was too fast. It shouldn't have happened. It's just that simple . . . At the end of the day, we got to play defense, make sure we stop them and get them off the field, take it to overtime. We didn't do that."

Despite their frustration, several defensive players said they were confident they'd continue to show the same effort.

"I learned that when we put our minds to it, anything is possible," safety Antrel Rolle said. "We had our mind set today. We kept it a full 60 minutes. We just came up a little bit short . . . We're going to fight to get in these playoffs and once we're in these playoffs, there's not going to be anything to stop us."