NFC Championship: New York Giants travel to face Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 6:42pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Green Bay Packers, the home crowd at Lambeau Field is asked to be a player; for New York Giants, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
New York Giants and Green Bay Packers have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Lambeau Field with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
New York Giants versus Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New York Giants-Green Bay Packers cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 16-0 | W16 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1-15 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 10-6 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-9 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 13-3 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 11-5 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 10-6 | W3 |
| Houston Texans | 8-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 11-5 | W6 |
| Denver Broncos | 7-9 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-12 | L9 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 10-6 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 8-8 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-11 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3-13 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 13-3 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 10-6 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 9-7 | W4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 8-8 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 13-3 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 7-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | L2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4-12 | W1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 3 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 36202023 |
| Green Bay Packers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 010172020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Lawrence Tynes 29 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Lawrence Tynes 37 yard field goal | 6-0 |
| Packers | Donald Driver 90 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Mason Crosby kick) | 6-7 |
| Packers | Mason Crosby 36 yard field goal | 6-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Brandon Jacobs 1 yard rush ( Lawrence Tynes kick) | 13-10 |
| Packers | Donald Lee 12 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Mason Crosby kick) | 13-17 |
| Giants | Ahmad Bradshaw 4 yard rush ( Lawrence Tynes kick) | 20-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Mason Crosby 37 yard field goal | 20-20 |
| OT | ||
| Giants | Lawrence Tynes 47 yard field goal | 23-20 |
| Giants | Packers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 24 | 13 |
| Total Yards | 377 | 264 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 21/40 | 19/35 |
| Pass yards | 251 | 236 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 8 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 243 | 236 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 39 | 14 |
| Rush yards | 134 | 28 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 5 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 6 | 7 |
| Penalty yards | 50 | 37 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYG | |||||
| Eli Manning | 21/40 | 251 | 0 | 0 | |
| GNB | |||||
| Brett Favre | 19/35 | 236 | 2 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYG | ||||
| Brandon Jacobs | 21 | 67 | 1 | 12 |
| Ahmad Bradshaw | 16 | 63 | 1 | 10 |
| Eli Manning | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| GNB | ||||
| Ryan Grant | 13 | 29 | 0 | 13 |
| Brett Favre | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYG | ||||
| Plaxico Burress | 11 | 151 | 0 | 32 |
| Amani Toomer | 4 | 42 | 0 | 23 |
| Steve Smith | 2 | 25 | 0 | 14 |
| Kevin Boss | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Ahmad Bradshaw | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Brandon Jacobs | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| David Tyree | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| GNB | ||||
| Donald Driver | 5 | 141 | 1 | 90 |
| Donald Lee | 3 | 35 | 1 | 18 |
| Koren Robinson | 4 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Greg Jennings | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Korey Hall | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Bubba Franks | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Vernand Morency | 2 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Brandon Jackson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ryan Grant | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
New York Giants defeated Green Bay Packers 23-20 at Lambeau Field in the NFC Championship. The final scoring play was Giants: Lawrence Tynes 47 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; New York Giants won by 3. Top line of the day: Eli Manning: 251 pass yards on 21-of-40, 0 TD, 0 INT. New York Giants advance to the Super Bowl.
New York Giants walked out of Lambeau Field as the team that survived an NFC Championship Green Bay Packers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 23-20. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Giants: Lawrence Tynes 47 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New York Giants are bound for the Super Bowl.
New York Giants 23, Green Bay Packers 20. Round: NFC Championship. Attendance: 72740. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Eli Manning: 251 pass yards on 21-of-40, 0 TD, 0 INT - Brandon Jacobs: 67 rush yards on 21 carries - Plaxico Burress: 11 catches for 151 yards
NFC Championship, played at Lambeau Field. Final: New York Giants 23, Green Bay Packers 20, with New York Giants taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Giants: Lawrence Tynes 29 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Giants: Lawrence Tynes 37 yard field goal - Packers: Donald Driver 90 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Mason Crosby kick) - Packers: Mason Crosby 36 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Giants: Brandon Jacobs 1 yard rush ( Lawrence Tynes kick) - Packers: Donald Lee 12 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Mason Crosby kick) - Giants: Ahmad Bradshaw 4 yard rush ( Lawrence Tynes kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Packers: Mason Crosby 37 yard field goal
**Overtime**
- Giants: Lawrence Tynes 47 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Eli Manning: 251 pass yards on 21-of-40, 0 TD, 0 INT - Brandon Jacobs: 67 rush yards on 21 carries - Plaxico Burress: 11 catches for 151 yards
A 3-point margin in NFC Championship is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.