Super finish: Eli, Giants stun Pats again

FOXBORO, Mass. -- It had been three years since anyone had celebrated in the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium during the regular season, so the Giants made it count.

Just as Tom Coughlin was preparing to address the team after a rousing 24-20 victory in which they came from behind twice in the final 3:03 and Eli Manning out-Bradied Tom Brady, Brandon Jacobs hoisted the coach into the air.

The big guy just couldn't help himself.

"Coughlin's a little heavy," Jacobs said, joking that he might have injured his back in the process. "It was a big game. We knew it was going to be a dogfight, and to fight through it and come out on top at the end, it was a big win for us."

And what did Coughlin think of being airborne? "I was afraid they were going to drop me on my head," he said.

Why? Clearly the Giants (6-2) could do little wrong yesterday as they played their best game of the season against their toughest opponent so far. Manning led two touchdown drives that were capped with scoring passes to Mario Manningham with 3:03 left and Jake Ballard with 15 seconds remaining to give him five fourth-quarter wins this season. The emotions that flowed after the performance were palpable.

Making the win even more noteworthy was that the Giants did it without their top receiver (Hakeem Nicks) and their leading rusher (Ahmad Bradshaw), who were out with injuries.

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"Everybody is crunked, everybody's swagged out," safety Antrel Rolle said. "We went out there and represented something today . . . This is why I became a New York Giant, to play in games like this."

They may have been crunked after the game, but late in the fourth quarter, they looked to be sunked. After Manningham's 10-yard TD catch, he was flagged for taunting, giving the Pats field position and time to score the go-ahead points. Brady led New England (5-3) on a 64-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski on fourth-and 9 with 1:36 left. That gave the Patriots a 20-17 lead.

"You're kind of sick to your stomach at that point," defensive captain Justin Tuck said. "It's like being real amped about something and then all of a sudden something happens and you just crash down. I had a throbbing headache at that point."

Tuck didn't reach for an Excedrin, through. He just reached for Eli.

"At that point, as crappy as you're feeling, you're still understanding that we're putting the ball in the hands of one of the best quarterbacks in the league," he said. "He's proven over and over again that he can drive a team down the field and get that last-second score. After he started getting going and those yards started rolling a little bit, I had no doubt that we were going to win the football game."

After a scoreless first half, the Giants struck first. Deon Grant intercepted a pass from Brady to set up a 22-yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes. The Patriots' next possession ended with a turnover as well, as Michael Boley stripped the ball from Brady's hands and it landed in the lap of Jacquain Williams at the New England 10. Jacobs ran it in from there on the next play for a 10-0 lead.

But the Pats converted a muffed punt return by Aaron Ross and a Manning interception in the end zone into 10 points to tie it with 14:28 left.

The Giants started the winning drive at their 20. They faced third-and-10 from their own 39 with 1:07 left, but Manning threw a pass down the seam to Ballard, who made a cross-handed catch -- using his right hand to pin the ball against the back of his left -- and came down in traffic with a 28-yard reception.

That play offered shades of David Tyree. It was not the first time Manning had thrown a fourth-quarter desperation pass against the Pats and a guy wearing a No. 85 jersey made a remarkable Velcro-like catch.

"Right after Jake caught that ball over the middle, it kind of inspired us and we knew we were not coming out of here without a win," receiver Victor Cruz said.

Cruz drew a pass-interference penalty in the end zone two plays later to set up first-and-goal at the 1 with 30 seconds left. ("Those last two calls were rough," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of that one and the pass interference on the previous touchdown drive; the two accounted for 55 yards combined).

After an incompletion and a run by Jacobs for no gain, the Giants had no timeouts remaining and no choice but to throw the ball. Manning found Ballard for the game-winner.

"When we needed touchdowns, when we had to step up, guys continued to make plays at the right time," Manning said. "It's a great quality."

And, quite literally for the head coach, an uplifting experience.