Giants grades
New York Giants wide receiver Devin Thomas celebrates in front of San Francisco 49ers punter Andy Lee after overtime of the NFC Championship. (Jan. 22, 2012) Credit: AP
OFFENSE: B
Considering they faced the best defense in football, the Giants did a very good job. They didn't turn the ball over, which was key. Eli Manning was sacked six times and hit another 12 -- that's 18 hits total -- but came through when they needed him the most, such as on some big third-down passes to Victor Cruz and the TD pass to Mario Manningham. Manning threw a whopping 58 passes, completing 32 of them for 316 yards and two TDs. The Giants were able to run for 85 yards, 74 of them by Ahmad Bradshaw on 20 carries. They converted 7 of 21 third-down chances and were 2-for-4 in the red zone, scoring points each time they were there. They have to clean up the protection of Eli, although the Patriots don't sack quarterbacks as often as the 49ers do.
DEFENSE: B
The secondary did an amazing job on the 49ers' wide receivers, limiting the entire group to one 3-yard reception. The rest of the passes were to Frank Gore and tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker. There were some breakdowns, such as the back-to-back plays when Gore had a big screen and Davis caught his second touchdown pass, but overall, the Giants kept the 49ers from doing what they love to do, which is run the ball. Gore became a non-factor in the game late and finished with 74 rushing yards on 16 carries. Alex Smith completed 12 of 26 passes for 196 yards and was sacked three times. Smith also ran six times for 42 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Two big turnovers and a game-winning field goal will get you a good grade every time. Jacquian Williams forced the big fumble in overtime and Devin Thomas recovered it. It was the second time Thomas pounced on a loose ball on a 49ers punt return, with the first one setting up a go-ahead touchdown that made it 17-14. Steve Weatherford had one sloppy punt at the end of regulation that nearly allowed the 49ers to get close enough for a game-winning attempt, but he made a great play on Zak DeOssie's low snap on the game-winner for Lawrence Tynes, picking the ball up off the wet grass and placing it down cleanly. Aaron Ross had a 14-yard punt return, the longest by a Giant since Will Blackmon's 16-yarder against the Cowboys on Dec. 11.
COACHING: A
Tom Coughlin had lost eight straight challenges, but his luck changed when the ball bounced off Kyle Williams' knee and he was able to red-flag it for a turnover that the Giants converted into a touchdown. But most of all, he had his players believing they could get to this point even when they were in the throes of a four-game losing streak. Coughlin tied Tom Landry with the most road playoff wins in the Super Bowl era (seven). Kevin Gilbride stuck with the run just enough and was able to fling it against the 49ers' secondary (when Manning had time to throw, anyway). There were a few lapses, but Perry Fewell's defense was stout when it needed to be. The last four 49ers possessions were three-and-outs.
