NFL playoffs, 2007–08 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The National Football League playoffs for the 2007 season

2007 NFL season

The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....

began on January 5, 2008 and led up to Super Bowl XLII

Super Bowl XLII

Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...

on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium

University of Phoenix Stadium

University of Phoenix Stadium, opened August 1, 2006, is a multipurpose football stadium located in Glendale, Arizona. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and the annual Fiesta Bowl...

in Glendale, Arizona

Glendale, Arizona

Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....

NFC: Seattle Seahawks 35, Washington Redskins 14

The Redskins rallied back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Seattle responded by intercepting two passes from Todd Collins, who hadn't thrown an interception in any of his games since replacing injured starter Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell is an American football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

, and scoring 22 points during the last 6 minutes of the game.

Midway through the first quarter, Seattle receiver Nate Burleson

Nate Burleson

Nathaniel Burleson is an American football player, who currently plays wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . Burleson played college football for the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2003 NFL...

returned a punt 20 yards to the Washington 45-yard line, setting up Leonard Weaver's 17-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, Burleson returned a punt 19 yards and a caught a 25-yard pass to set up a 50-yard field goal by Josh Brown, giving the Seahawks a 10-0 lead by halftime. Meanwhile, Seattle's defense forced the Redskins to punt on all of their possessions and did not allow them to move the ball more than 30 yards.

In the third quarter, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck

Matt Hasselbeck

Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...

completed four consecutive passes for 47 yards, including a 35-yard completion to D. J. Hackett, setting up Brown's second field goal to increase their lead to 13-0. Collins led the Redskins 84 yards in 12 plays and finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle El

Antwaan Randle El

Antwaan Randle El is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He attended Indiana University, after turning down a Major League Baseball draft selection by the Chicago Cubs in 1997...

on the first play of the fourth quarter. Then shortly after the ensuing kickoff, Redskins safety LaRon Landry

LaRon Landry

LaRon Louis Landry is an American football strong safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Redskins sixth overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State...

intercepted a pass from Hasselbeck and returned it to the Seattle 42-yard line. Two plays later, Collins threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss

Santana Moss

Santana Terrell Moss is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami.-Early years:...

, giving them their first lead of the game at 14-13.

The ensuing kickoff took an odd bounce away from Seattle and was recovered by Washington at the Seahawks 14-yard line. But the Redskins failed to gain a first down after three plays and came up empty when Shaun Suisham

Shaun Suisham

Shaun Christopher Suisham is a Canadian placekicker of American football for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2005...

missed a 30-yard field goal attempt, the shortest miss of his career. A few plays after the missed field goal, Landry recorded his second interception on the game, picking off a deep pass from Hasselbeck on his own 9-yard line. But Washington was forced to punt again, and Derrick Frost

Derrick Frost

Derrick E. Frost is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2003...

's punt went just 33 yards to the Seattle 42. Four plays later, Hasselbeck threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Hackett, and then followed it up with a 2-point conversion pass to Marcus Pollard

Marcus Pollard

Marcus LaJuan Pollard is a former American football tight end.-College career:Pollard attended Bradley University, where he played basketball. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there...

, giving the Seahawks a 21-14 lead. Then on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Seattle cornerback Marcus Trufant

Marcus Trufant

Marcus Lavon Trufant is an American football cornerback who plays for the Seattle Seahawks. He was originally drafted by the Seahawks 11th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington State.-Early years:...

intercepted a pass from Collins and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown. The Redskins responded with a drive to Seattle's 31-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs. Then after a punt, Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux

Jordan Babineaux

Jordan Jude Babineaux is an American football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2004 out of Southern Arkansas University....

intercepted Collins and returned the ball 57 yards for a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the game, making the final score 35-14.

Burleson finished the game with 167 total yards, including 6 punt returns for a franchise playoff record 84 yards.

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 29

Jacksonville gained only 239 yards of offense, but still managed to win on Josh Scobee

Josh Scobee

Joshua Taylor Scobee is an American football placekicker, who currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League . He began his college football career as kicker for the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs, setting several school records...

's 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds left in the game. The Jaguars defense sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger

Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...

six times, intercepted three of his passes, and forced him to lose a fumble on the final drive of the game.

Pittsburgh opened up the scoring by marching 80 yards in 10 plays on their first drive and finishing it off with Najeh Davenport

Najeh Davenport

Najeh Trenadious Monté Davenport is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...

's 1-yard touchdown run. But Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew

Maurice Jones-Drew

Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew is a professional American football player who currently plays running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League . He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to the 1-yard line, and Fred Taylor scored a 1-yard touchdown run on the next play.

Early in the second quarter, Jacksonville defensive back Rashean Mathis

Rashean Mathis

Rashean Jamil Mathis is an American football cornerback currently playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.-High school:Mathis attended Englewood High School in Jacksonville at the same time as Brett Myers of the Houston Astros, and was a student and a letterman in football. In football, he...

intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown. Then shortly after the kickoff, Mathis intercepted another pass at the Steelers 46-yard line, setting up David Garrard

David Garrard

David Douglas Garrard is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent.Garrard played college football at East Carolina. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and served as the team's starting quarterback from 2007 to 2010...

's 43-yard touchdown pass to Jones-Drew and making the score 21-7. Later in the second quarter, the Steelers took advantage of a missed Scobee field goal by driving all the way to the Jaguars 21-yard line. But defensive tackle Derek Landri

Derek Landri

Derek Landri is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...

intercepted a short pass from Roethlisberger, and the score remained 21-7 at halftime.

In the second half, the Steelers scored on their first four drives. Three plays after the opening kickoff, linebacker James Farrior

James Farrior

James Alfred Farrior is an American football player who currently plays as an inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Virginia, and played with the New York Jets from 1997 to 2001.-Early years:Farrior was born...

's interception of a Garrard pass set up Jeff Reed's 28-yard field goal. Jacksonville responded by driving 82 yards in 8 plays, with Garrard rushing for 15 yards and completing two passes to Ernest Wilford

Ernest Wilford

Ernest Lee Wilford, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...

for 39, while Jones-Drew capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, increasing their lead to 28-10. But the Steelers drove right back, and on the first play of the fourth quarter, facing fourth down and 12 on the Jags 37-yard line, Roethlisberger threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State...

. Then after a punt, Roethlisberger completed six passes for 65 yards on a 69-yard drive that ended with his 14-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller

Heath Miller

Earl Heath Miller, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He was selected as the 30th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia.-Early years:...

. The Steelers attempted a two-point conversion to cut the lead to three points, and Roethlisberger initially completed a pass to Hines Ward

Hines Ward

Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...

, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty and Pittsburgh's second attempt was incomplete, keeping the score at 28-23.

Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor

Ike Taylor

Ivan "Ike" Taylor is an American football defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League...

intercepted a pass from Garrard and returned it 31 yards to the Jacksonville 16-yard line. Following a pass interference penalty against the Jaguars in the end zone on a fourth down play, Davenport scored his second 1-yard touchdown run of the day. The two point conversion failed again, but the Steelers took the lead, 29-28.

Jacksonville was unable to score on their next drive, but they forced the Steelers to punt after three plays and Dennis Northcutt

Dennis Northcutt

Dennis LaMont Northcutt is an American football wide receiver and punt returner who last played for the Detroit Lions...

returned the punt 16 yards, giving the Jaguars the ball at their own 49-yard line with 1 timeout remaining and 2:38 left to play. Three plays later on fourth down and 2, Garrard dropped back to pass, but then ran back to the line and took off for a 32-yard burst to the Steelers 11-yard line. After a few more running plays, Scobee kicked a 25-yard field goal, giving his team a 31-29 lead. The Steelers got the ball back with 37 seconds left, but Jaguars defensive end Bobby McCray

Bobby McCray

Bobby L. McCray, Jr. is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft...

sealed the victory by forcing a fumble from Roethlisberger which was recovered by defensive tackle Derek Landri

Derek Landri

NFC: New York Giants 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14

Eli Manning

Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...

completed 20 of 27 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns, while the Giants' defense forced three turnovers and held the Buccaneers to 271 total yards for a Giants victory. The Giants won their first playoff game since the 2000 NFC Championship Game, their first road playoff game since the 1990 NFC Championship Game, and extended their road winning streak to eight games, while the Buccaneers lost in the opening round at home for the second time in three seasons.

Tampa Bay scored first with Earnest Graham

Earnest Graham

Earnest Graham, Jr. is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Florida....

's 1-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. Early in the second period, a 14-yard punt return by Giants cornerback R. W. McQuarters

R. W. McQuarters

Robert William McQuarters, II, born December 21, 1976 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is an American football cornerback who most recently played for the New York Giants. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...

gave New York the ball on their own 47-yard line. Following three receptions by Amani Toomer

Amani Toomer

Amani Toomer is a retired American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan, where he was a fan favorite.Toomer has also been a member of the Kansas...

for 40 yards, Manning threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jacobs

Brandon Jacobs

-New York Giants:Going into the 2006 season Jacobs stated that he studied film of famed power running back Eddie George in an effort to refine his running style. George, like Jacobs, was a large, power running back. In the 2006 season, Jacobs carried the ball 96 times for 423 yards and nine...

to tie the game. Then after a punt, Manning completed four consecutive passes for 50 yards on a 65-yard drive that ended with Jacobs' second touchdown on an 8-yard run.

Micheal Spurlock

Micheal Spurlock

Michael Curtis Spurlock is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2006...

fumbled the second half kickoff, and it was recovered by New York defensive back Corey Webster

Corey Webster

Corey Jonas Webster is an American football cornerback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State University.-High school career:Webster attended St. James High...

, setting up a 25-yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes

Lawrence Tynes

Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...

to make the score 17-7. Tampa Bay responded with a drive to the Giants 25-yard line, but Webster ended it by intercepting a pass from Jeff Garcia

Jeff Garcia

Jeffrey Jason "Jeff" Garcia is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State University....

in the end zone. Following an exchange of punts, the Giants drove 92 yards and increased their lead to 24-7 with Manning's 4-yard touchdown pass to Toomer.

With 3:25 left in the game, Garcia's 6-yard touchdown pass to Alex Smith

Alex Smith (tight end)

Edwin Alexander "Alex" Smith , is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

cut the score to 24-14. The Buccaneers then managed to force a punt, but McQuarters picked off a pass from Garcia with less than two minutes left to put the game away.

AFC: San Diego Chargers 17, Tennessee Titans 6

San Diego held the Titans to 248 yards and two field goals, while also forcing two turnovers, en route to their first playoff win since the 1994

1994 NFL season

The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...

AFC Championship Game

The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...

.

The Titans started off the scoring with a field goal from Rob Bironas

Rob Bironas

James Robert Douglas "Rob" Bironas is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Auburn University and Georgia Southern.Bironas was an All-Pro...

on their opening drive. Early in the second quarter, Tennessee drove all the way to the Chargers' 13-yard line, but running back Chris Brown

Chris Brown (American football)

Christopher Rejean Brown is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

fumbled the ball while being tackled by Shawne Merriman

Shawne Merriman

Shawne DeAndre Merriman is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. On November 2, 2010, the Chargers waived Merriman...

and linebacker Shaun Phillips

Shaun Phillips

- San Diego Chargers :As a rookie, Shaun Phillips played in all 16 games and was second on the team with four sacks. He continued to improve in his second season as he recorded seven sacks in 15 games, good for second on the team....

recovered it. Meanwhile, the Chargers offense was limited to three punts and a missed field goal, while Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan

Cortland Finnegan

Cortland Temujin Finnegan is an American football defensive back for the Tennessee Titans. He played college football for Samford University.-High school career:...

also intercepted a pass from Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college...

in the end zone. And on the last play of the half, Bironas kicked another field goal to give Tennessee a 6-0 lead.

However, the Chargers scored 17 points on three consecutive possessions in the second half. First, two 19-yard receptions by Chris Chambers

Chris Chambers

Christopher J. "Chris" Chambers is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

and a 34-yard catch by Vincent Jackson

Vincent Jackson

Vincent Jackson , nicknamed "Action Jackson", is an American football wide receiver who currently plays in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers....

set up Nate Kaeding

Nate Kaeding

Nathaniel James Kaeding is an American football placekicker who plays for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa...

's 20-yard field goal to put San Diego on the board. Then seven plays after forcing the Titans to punt, Rivers threw a 20-yard scoring strike to Jackson, giving the Chargers their first lead of the game. Tennessee responded with a drive to the San Diego 20-yard line, only to have Bironas miss a 38-yard field goal attempt. On San Diego's ensuing drive, Rivers completed a 39-yard pass to Chambers at the Titans 8-yard line. Three plays later, faced with fourth down and goal on the 1-yard line, San Diego decided to go for the score. Running back LaDanian Tomlinson took a handoff, dove over a pile of players and stretched the ball over the goal line for the touchdown, which was upheld after a Titans challenge, increasing the Chargers' lead to 17-6. The San Diego defense then took over the rest of the game, forcing a punt and an interception on the last two Tennessee drives.

NFC: Green Bay Packers 42, Seattle Seahawks 20

Despite falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, Green Bay gained 400 yards of offense and scored touchdowns on six consecutive drives to defeat the Seahawks and advance to their first NFC Championship Game

NFC Championship Game

The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...

in 10 years

NFL playoffs, 1997-98

The NFL playoffs following the 1997 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXII.-Bracket:-NFC: Minnesota Vikings 23, New York Giants 22:The Vikings scored 10 points in the final 90 seconds of the game to stun the Giants.-AFC: Denver Broncos 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 17:Denver ran over the Jaguars with...

. Meanwhile the Packers' defense limited Seattle to just 200 total yards, with only 28 yards on the ground. Packers running back Ryan Grant

Ryan Grant

Ryan Brett Grant is a running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but was traded to the Packers shortly before the 2007 season in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick...

, who fumbled twice in the first quarter, ended up with a franchise playoff record 201 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.

Both of Grant's fumbles in the first quarter were converted into Seattle touchdowns. On the first play of the game, Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu

Lofa Tatupu

-Seattle Seahawks:Tatupu quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league as a rookie in 2005, in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, while leading the NFC Champion Seahawks in tackles, with 104, en route to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history...

recovered Grant's fumble and returned it 12 yards to the Green Bay 1-yard line, setting up Shaun Alexander

Shaun Alexander

Shaun Edward Alexander is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama.- Early career :Alexander was born and...

's 1-yard touchdown run on the next play. Then shortly after the ensuing kickoff, Grant, who only fumbled once during the regular season, lost another fumble which was recovered by Jordan Babineaux

Jordan Babineaux

at the Packers 49-yard line. Five plays later, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck

Matt Hasselbeck

threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Engram

Bobby Engram

Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III is currently the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...

, giving the Seahawks a 14-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

However, the Packers responded with a touchdown on all of their ensuing possessions until early in the fourth quarter. First, quarterback Brett Favre

Brett Favre

Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...

completed four consecutive passes for 65 yards and finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings

Greg Jennings

Gregory Jennings, Jr. is a professional American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...

. Then after a punt, the Packers drove 64 yards in 9 plays, with Grant rushing the ball four times for 43 yards and finishing it off with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

On the first play of the second quarter, with heavy snow falling, Green Bay defensive end Aaron Kampman

Aaron Kampman

Aaron Allan Kampman is an American football defensive end and linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa....

recovered a fumble from Marcus Pollard

Marcus Pollard

on the Seahawks 18-yard line. Following two carries for 16 yards by Grant, Favre threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jennings. Aided by a 15 yard roughing the punter penalty against Green Bay on fourth down, Seattle responded by driving to the Packers 10-yard line where Josh Brown kicked a field goal to cut the score to 21-17. But Green Bay then moved the ball 70 yards in 14 plays and scoring with Grant's 3-yard touchdown run to give them a 28-17 lead at halftime.

After a Seahawks punt began the second half, Favre completed a 24-yard pass to Jennings and Grant broke off a 24-yard run to the Seahawks 12-yard line, setting up Favre's 13-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jackson. Hasselbeck responded by completing 6 of 7 passes for 68 yards en route to another Brown field goal, but Grant's 43-yard run on the Packers next drive set up his third touchdown of the day, making the final score 42-20.

AFC: New England Patriots 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 20

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady

Tom Brady

Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...

set the NFL record for completion percentage in a single game (92.9%) with 26 of 28 completions for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns, while running back Laurence Maroney

Laurence Maroney

Laurence Maroney is an American football running back who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 21st overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.-Early years:Maroney attended Normandy Senior High School in St...

added 162 total yards (122 on the ground). Overall, New England gained 401 yards and didn't punt the ball until 31 seconds remained in the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and went 80 yards in 9 plays, featuring two receptions by Marcedes Lewis

Marcedes Lewis

Marcedes Alexis Lewis is an American football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted from UCLA as the 28th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft...

for 57 yards, on the way to David Garrard

David Garrard

's 9-yard touchdown pass to Matt Jones

Matt Jones (American football)

Matthew Jones is a former American football wide receiver . He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and retired officially in November 2010. He played college football at Arkansas....

. The Patriots then went on a 74-yard drive and scored with Tom Brady

Tom Brady

's 3-yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson

Benjamin Watson

Benjamin Watson is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Georgia.-Early years:Watson attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South...

. On Jacksonville's next possession, New England lineman Ty Warren

Ty Warren

Ty'ron "Ty" Markeith Warren is an American football defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

forced a fumble while sacking Garrard, and linebacker Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel

Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...

recovered it at the Jaguars 29-yard line. Several plays later, Maroney scored a 1-yard touchdown run to give New England a 14-7 lead.

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew

Maurice Jones-Drew

muffed the ensuing kickoff and was downed at his own 5-yard line. The Jaguars then moved the ball 95 yards in 11 plays without even facing a third down and scoring with Garrard's 6-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Wilford

Ernest Wilford

Ernest Lee Wilford, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...

. For the third time in a row, New England drove deep into Jacksonville territory. But this time the drive stalled at the 17-yard line and ended with no points when Stephen Gostkowski

Stephen Gostkowski

Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...

missed a 35-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the first half.

On the opening drive of the second half, Brady completed 7 of 8 passes for 54 yards on an 82-yard drive. On the last play, he took a snap in shotgun formation with Kevin Faulk

Kevin Faulk

Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...

to his right, Brady jumped in the air with his arms raised to make it look like a play used by the Patriots before where Faulk took the direct snap. The Jaguars defense followed Faulk, leaving Wes Welker

Wes Welker

-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...

open in the end zone, and Brady threw him the ball for a touchdown to give the Patriots a 21-14 lead. Jacksonville responded with a drive to the New England 21-yard line, but receiver Dennis Northcutt

Dennis Northcutt

Dennis LaMont Northcutt is an American football wide receiver and punt returner who last played for the Detroit Lions...

dropped a pass on third down, forcing them to settle for a Josh Scobee

Josh Scobee

39-yard field goal, cutting the score to 21-17. On New England's next drive, Jacksonville's Derek Landri

Derek Landri

was assessed a roughing-the-passer penalty, turning Welker's 6-yard catch into a 21-yard gain. Maroney gained 40 yards with his next two carries, and following two more Welker receptions, Brady threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Watson giving New England a 28-17 lead.

An unnecessary roughness penalty and a 25-yard reception by Reggie Williams

Reggie Williams (wide receiver)

Reginald "Reggie" Williams, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currenly a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.-Early years:...

on the Jacksonville's next drive set up a 25-yard field goal by Scobee, which cut the Jaguars deficit to one touchdown, 28-20. On the second play after the kickoff, Brady completed a 52-yard strike to Donté Stallworth, setting up Gostkowski's second field goal attempt to put New England back up by two scores, 31-20.

Then, with 3:46 left in the game, Pats safety Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison

Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...

, intercepted a pass from Garrard at the Patriots' 31-yard line, ending any hope of a Jacksonville comeback. Harrison's interception was his 7th career postseason pick, a Patriots record. This was also his fourth consecutive postseason game with an interception, tying an NFL record held by Aeneas Williams

Aeneas Williams

Aeneas Demetrius Williams is a former American football cornerback and free safety, who played with the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. Williams attended Fortier High School, where he played football on a team with three future NFL players. Although he was admitted to Dartmouth College,...

.

With this win, the Patriots advanced to the AFC title game for the second year in a row and extended their perfect record to 17-0, matching the final record of the 1972 Miami Dolphins

1972 Miami Dolphins season

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only National Football League team to win the Super Bowl with a perfect season. The undefeated campaign was led by coach Don Shula and notable players Bob Griese, Earl Morrall, and Larry Csonka...

AFC: San Diego Chargers 28, Indianapolis Colts 24

Despite the loss of starting quarterback Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers

and running back LaDanian Tomlinson (the NFL's leading rusher during the season), San Diego still managed to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Colts, forcing them to turn the ball over on downs twice in San Diego territory in the final minutes of the game.

The Colts started out the game on a 76-yard drive and scored on a Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning

Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...

25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Clark

Dallas Clark

Dallas Dean Clark is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts 24th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa...

. Then defensive back Kelvin Hayden

Kelvin Hayden

Kelvin Darnell Hayden, Jr. is an American football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Illinois. He returned a Rex Grossman interception 56 yards for a...

intercepted a pass from Rivers on the Colts 24-yard line and the Colts moved the ball to the San Diego 40-yard line. However, Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison

Marvin Harrison

Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...

, playing in his first game back from an injury in nearly 3 months, fumbled the ball while being tackled by Antonio Cromartie

Antonio Cromartie

Antonio Cromartie is an American football cornerback for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers 19th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft...

, and defensive back Marlon McCree

Marlon McCree

Marlon Tarron McCree is an American football safety who is currently a free agent, as well as a mentor and coach. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the Seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

recovered it. Following the turnover, San Diego drove 78 yards and tied the game with Rivers' 14-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson

Vincent Jackson

Vincent Jackson , nicknamed "Action Jackson", is an American football wide receiver who currently plays in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers....

. Manning responded by completing 3 passes for 42 yards on a 44-yard drive that ended with an Adam Vinatieri

Adam Vinatieri

Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...

field goal to give the Colts a 10-7 lead. Both teams blew scoring opportunities on their next drives. First the Chargers drove to the Indianapolis 31-yard line, only to have Nate Kaeding

Nate Kaeding

miss a 48-yard field goal. Then the Colts advanced to the Chargers 35-yard line, but on their last play of the half, Manning's pass was intercepted by Cromartie. Cromartie's 89-yard touchdown return was called back by a holding penalty, but he managed to prevent the Colts from scoring and it remained 10-7 at halftime.

The Chargers took the second half kickoff and quickly took the lead with a 30-yard touchdown catch from Chris Chambers

Chris Chambers

Christopher J. "Chris" Chambers is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

. Once again the Colts drove into Chargers territory, moving the ball all the way to the San Diego 4-yard line. But on third down and 3, Manning's pass was intercepted by Eric Weddle

Eric Weddle

Eric Steven Weddle is an American football safety for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League.-Early years:...

. However, the Chargers could only move the ball to their own 6-yard line and T. J. Rushing

T. J. Rushing

Terrall Brent "T. J." Rushing is a free agent American football cornerback and return specialist who last played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

returned their punt 12-yards to midfield. This time the Colts drove 50 yards and scored with Manning's 9-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne

Reggie Wayne

Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...

. Wayne was initially ruled out of bounds at the 7, but a Colts challenge showed he remained in bounds on the way to the touchdown, and the Colts took the lead, 17-14. On the Chargers ensuing drive, Rivers threw a 22-yard completion to Chambers and followed it up with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles

Darren Lee Sproles is an American football running back of the NFL who plays for the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

, a special teams returner who was brought in on offense as an extra receiver.

With 10:50 left in the fourth quarter, Indianapolis retook the lead with Manning's 55-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez

Anthony Gonzalez

Anthony E. Gonzalez is an American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.-Early years:Gonzalez attended St...

, who caught the ball along the left sideline and narrowly managed to keep his feet in bounds en route to a score, which was upheld after a Chargers challenge. But San Diego, now led by second-string quarterback Billy Volek

Billy Volek

John William Volek is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Fresno State.-Early years:Volek attended Clovis West High School in...

, drove 78 yards in 8 plays and scored with Volek's 1-yard touchdown run, giving them a 28-24 lead with 4:50 left in regulation. Manning led the Colts down the field, moving the ball 70 yards and converting a 4th down and 5 with a 16-yard completion to Clark. But he threw three consecutive incompletions from the Chargers 7-yard line, turning the ball over on downs. Indianapolis' defense managed to force a punt, but the Colts turned the ball over on downs again with 53 seconds left and San Diego ran out the rest of the clock to close the RCA Dome

RCA Dome

RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....

for good.

NFC: New York Giants 21, Dallas Cowboys 17

With :09 left in the game, Giants defensive back R. W. McQuarters

R. W. McQuarters

intercepted a Tony Romo

Tony Romo

Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...

pass in the end zone to preserve a victory over the Cowboys, who had defeated New York twice during the season. The win marked the first time in 20 years that the NFC's #1 seeded team had been eliminated in the divisional round, the first time it had happened since the current playoff format was instituted in 1990, and sent the Cowboys home with their sixth consecutive playoff loss since 1996

NFL playoffs, 1996-97

The NFL playoffs following the 1996 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXI. This post-season was remarkable in that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each made it all the way to their respective conference championships, only two years after their inception into the league as expansion...

. The Giants advanced to their first NFC Championship game since 2000 with the win and won their ninth consecutive game away from Giants Stadium.

The Giants scored on their opening drive when Eli Manning

Eli Manning

threw a pass to Amani Toomer

Amani Toomer

, who caught the pass on a curl route at the Dallas 39 before spinning away from the defense and running down left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown reception. Following an exchange of punts, Dallas running back Marion Barber

Marion Barber III

Marion Sylvester Barber III is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....

rushed twice for 56 yards on a 9-play, 95-yard drive that ended with Romo's 5-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has been one of the dominant receivers of his era...

. Then after a punt, Dallas scored on one of the longest drives in playoff history, moving the ball 90 yards in 20 plays and taking 10:28 off the clock. Barber capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Dallas a 14-7 lead with 53 seconds left in the second quarter. The Giants responded by scoring a second touchdown, going 74 yards in 46 seconds. Ahmad Bradshaw

Ahmad Bradshaw

Ahmad Bradshaw is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants...

ran for 13 yards, Manning completed two passes to Steve Smith

Steve Smith (New York Giants)

Steve Smith is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft...

for 34 yards, and a facemasking penalty adding another 15 yards. Following a 19-yard reception by tight end Kevin Boss

Kevin Boss

Kevin Boss is an American football tight end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League...

, Manning threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Toomer to tie the game with seven seconds remaining until halftime.

Dallas took the second half kickoff and retook the lead with a 62-yard drive that ended with a field goal by Nick Folk

Nick Folk

Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...

. The rest of the quarter was scoreless, but with 53 seconds left, McQuarters' 25-yard punt return gave New York the ball on the Cowboys 37-yard line. Five plays later, Brandon Jacobs

Brandon Jacobs

scored a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Giants a 21-17 lead. After an exchange of punts, Dallas got the ball on their own 44-yard line with 7 minutes left in the game. But following several penalties, could only move the ball to their 49 and had to punt. Their defense managed to force New York to punt again after only three plays and Patrick Crayton

Patrick Crayton

Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...

returned it 8 yards, giving them a first down with 1:50 left to play, one timeout, and the ball on the New York 48-yard line. Romo threw a 9-yard pass to Barber and an 18-yard completion to Jason Witten

Jason Witten

Christopher Jason Witten is an American football tight end who plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee....

at the 27-yard line. The Cowboys, however, only managed to gain four more yards and on fourth down Romo threw an interception to McQuarters in the end zone to clinch the victory for the Giants, who ran out the clock from there.

AFC Championship: New England Patriots 21, San Diego Chargers 12

Despite three interceptions from Tom Brady

Tom Brady

, the Patriots still managed to defeat San Diego, holding them to four field goals while Laurence Maroney

Laurence Maroney

rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown for the second game in a row. With this win, the Patriots became the first NFL team to start with a 18-0 record and advanced to their fourth Super Bowl appearance in seven years.

With just over 5 minutes left in the first quarter, Chargers defensive back Quentin Jammer

Quentin Jammer

Quentin Tremaine Jammer is an American football player who currently plays cornerback for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL.- Early years :...

intercepted a pass from Brady on the Patriots 40-yard line, setting up a 26-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding

Nate Kaeding

. New England responded by driving 65 yards and scoring with a 1-yard Maroney touchdown run to take a 7-3 lead.

Kaeding kicked a 23-yard field goal in the second quarter to cut the score to 7-6, but after a punt, Patriots defensive back Asante Samuel

Asante Samuel

Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

intercepted a pass from Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers

and returned it 10 yards to the Chargers 24-yard line. One play later, Brady's 12-yard touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney

Jabar Gaffney

Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...

increased their lead to 14-6. Later on, a 26-yard run by Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles

Darren Lee Sproles is an American football running back of the NFL who plays for the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

moved the ball to the New England 34-yard line. But once again, the Patriots defense kept San Diego out of the end zone, stopping them on 3rd and 1 and forcing them to settle for another Kaeding field goal, making the score 14-9 at halftime.

On the opening drive of the second half, Brady threw his second interception of the game, this one to Drayton Florence

Drayton Florence

Drayton Florence, Jr. is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

at the New England 49-yard line. San Diego then moved the ball to the 4-yard line, but on 3rd and 1, linebacker Junior Seau

Junior Seau

Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California and was the progenitor of the "NFL-USC linebacker".A ten-time All-Pro and...

tackled Michael Turner for a 2-yard loss and the Chargers had to settle for Kaeding's fourth field goal. New England responded with a drive to the San Diego 2-yard line, with Maroney gaining 39 yards on four running plays, but Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie

Antonio Cromartie

Antonio Cromartie is an American football cornerback for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers 19th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft...

ended the drive by intercepting Brady in the end zone.

On their first drive of the fourth quarter, New England moved the ball 67 yards and scored with Brady's 6-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker

Wes Welker

, making the score 21-12. Following a Chargers punt, the Patriots ended the game with a 15-play drive that took the final 9:13 off the game clock.

NFC Championship: New York Giants 23, Green Bay Packers 20 (OT)

Seventeen years to the day after their win over the 49ers in the 1990 NFC Championship game, the Giants won the 2007 NFC Championship Game. And seventeen years to the day that Matt Bahr

Matt Bahr

Matthew David Bahr is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League. He attended Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania where he excelled in both football and soccer...

kicked the winning field goal to send the Giants to the Super Bowl, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes

Lawrence Tynes

Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...

did exactly the same thing. New York won its fourth NFC Championship Game in as many tries, and won their tenth consecutive game away from home.

For the third playoff game in a row, Giants quarterback Eli Manning

Eli Manning

didn't throw a single interception, finishing the game with 254 yards. His top target was Plaxico Burress

Plaxico Burress

Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...

, who set a franchise postseason record with 11 receptions for 154 yards. Donald Driver

Donald Driver

Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...

was the Packers top receiver with 5 catches for 141 yards.

The game was played in frigid conditions, with a gametime temperature of 0°F/-18°C and a wind chill

Wind chill

Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind. The wind chill temperature is always lower than the air temperature, and the windchill is undefined at the higher temps...

of -23°F/-30°C. The Giants drove twice into Packers territory early, but were unable to score a touchdown on either drive and had to settle for two Tynes field goals. On the kickoff following the second field goal Packers return man Koren Robinson

Koren Robinson

Koren Lynard Robinson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seahawks ninth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina State....

misplayed the ball and was forced to chase after it. Tramon Williams

Tramon Williams

Tramon Vernell Williams is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...

, the other returner on the play, recovered the ball at the Packers' 10-yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive Brett Favre

Brett Favre

responded by hitting Donald Driver

Donald Driver

Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...

on a 90-yard touchdown pass, which was the longest play in Green Bay postseason history and gave the home team a 7-6 lead. The Packers extended the lead to 10-6 on a second quarter Mason Crosby

Mason Crosby

Mason Walker Crosby , is a professional American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League. During his playing days at the University of Colorado, Crosby was widely considered the best kicker in college football, as evidenced by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s...

field goal and kept that lead into the half.

The Giants got the ball to start the second half and drove the ball 69 yards for a score, a one-yard run into the end zone by Brandon Jacobs

Brandon Jacobs

. On the play prior to the touchdown Jacobs fumbled the ball at the one yard line but tight end Kevin Boss

Kevin Boss

Kevin Boss is an American football tight end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League...

of the Giants recovered. The Packers committed four penalties on the drive, one negating an Al Harris interception and another a roughing the passer penalty on a failed third down conversion.

Williams' 49-yard return on the ensuing kickoff put the Packers in New York territory to start their response. The Giants appeared to have the Packers stopped after Driver caught a pass short of the first down, but Sam Madison

Sam Madison

Samuel Adolfus Madison, Jr. is an American football cornerback who is retired. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville....

was called for a personal foul which gave Green Bay a first down at the Giants' 12-yard line. On the next play Favre hit Donald Lee for a touchdown to retake the lead.

Almost as quickly as the Packers scored, the Giants answered right back as Manning was given the ball at his own 43-yard line thanks to a short kick from Crosby and a 33-yard return from Domenik Hixon

Domenik Hixon

Domenik Hixon is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Akron.-Early years:Hixon was born to an African American...

. Seven plays later, the Giants re-took the lead as Ahmad Bradshaw

Ahmad Bradshaw

Ahmad Bradshaw is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants...

scored from four yards away.

Once again, however, Favre and the Packers went down the field and into Giants territory, reaching the 31-yard line. On the second play of the fourth quarter, however, Favre threw a pass that R.W. McQuarters of the Giants intercepted and attempted to return. As he did so, Ryan Grant

Ryan Grant

stripped the ball from McQuarters and it fell into the arms of Packers lineman Mark Tauscher

Mark Tauscher

Mark Tauscher is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft...

. The sequence netted the Packers 12 yards, as Tauscher's recovery gave Green Bay the ball at the New York 19-yard line and a fresh set of downs.

However, Green Bay did not gain a yard in three plays and Crosby was called on to kick a game-tying field goal, which he converted. The Giants then attempted to drive down the field and score on their third consecutive drive, and got into position for a go-ahead field goal. Tynes, however, missed from 43 yards and the game remained tied at 20.

Neither the Packers nor the Giants had any success moving the ball on their next series, resulting in the Packers punting twice and the Giants once. On the second Green Bay punt McQuarters fumbled for the second time in the game. This time, the Giants were able to recover as Hixon fell on the ball after a scrum. With 2:15 remaining and the ball at the Packers' 48, Bradshaw took a hand-off from Manning on the first play of the drive and ran all the way for the apparent go-ahead touchdown, but Chris Snee

Chris Snee

Christopher Snee is an American football guard for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College....

was called for holding which nullified the play. Despite the penalty the Giants continued to drive, and with the ball at the Green Bay 18 yard line Tynes was called on again for a field goal with four seconds remaining. Once again, however, he did not make the kick, instead hooking the 36-yarder wide left and forcing overtime.

Green Bay won the coin toss to start the extra period, but on the second play of overtime Favre's pass, which would be his last as a Packer, was intercepted by Giants defensive back Corey Webster

Corey Webster

, who returned the ball 9 yards to the Green Bay 34-yard line. The Giants gained five yards on three plays and then sent Tynes out to try his fifth field goal of the game, and his longest attempt of the day (47 yards). Just as Matt Bahr

Matt Bahr

had done seventeen years prior to the day, Tynes connected on the game-winning field goal, clinching a fourth NFC Championship for the Giants and their first since 2000. The Giants, the NFC's #5 seed, became just the second NFC

National Football Conference

The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...

wild card

Wild card (sports)

The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...

team ever to win a conference championship (the 1975 Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

being the other) and the third team ever (and first NFC team) to reach the Super Bowl with three road playoff wins (joining the 1985 New England Patriots

1985 New England Patriots season

The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears...

and 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season

The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 15–1 record from 2004 in which they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field. The Steelers, with the sixth and final seed to the playoffs, became just the second team ever to win...

).

The game was the third ever conference championship game to be decided in overtime since the AFL/NFL merger, joining the 1986 AFC Championship Game and the 1998 NFC Championship Game. Tynes joined Rich Karlis

Rich Karlis

Richard John Karlis is a former American Football placekicker who played nine seasons for the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Detroit Lions in the National Football League from 1982 to 1990...

and Morten Andersen

Morten Andersen

Morten Andersen , nicknamed "The Great Dane", is a former National Football League kicker. He holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, as well as being the all-time leading scorer for two different teams; the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent 13 seasons, and...

as the only players to score the decisive points in an overtime conference championship game (coincidentally, all three players were members of the respective visiting teams in those years). Tynes also set a record for longest field goal by an opposing player in Lambeau Field playoff history with his game-winning kick.

The Packers' loss was their third in the last five Lambeau Field playoff games and marked the first time that they had ever lost an NFL/NFC championship game at home (losing three previous games at the Polo Grounds

Polo Grounds

The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...

, Franklin Field

Franklin Field

Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...

, and Texas Stadium

Texas Stadium

Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...

Super Bowl XLII

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