The 49ers made the defensive adjustments, holding Victor Cruz to two catches after he had eight in the first half. And they gave the Giants plenty of looks, coming at Eli Manning in waves at the end, sacking him six times and hitting him on another dozen occasions.
But in the end, there stood Manning.
He and the Giants didn't commit a turnover and they turned two Kyle Williams fumbles into 10 points in the fourth quarter and overtime for the 20-17 win Sunday night.
"They're great against the run and they get a lot of sacks," Manning said. "Those sacks can lead to turnovers, so I had to be smart and not turn the ball over. Try to be patient. That's what I kept telling myself. Don't force anything.
"I knew eventually we would get a big play or a break."
In winning their fifth straight game, the Giants (12-7) earned a date with New England in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis. It's a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, in which New York ended New England's perfect season.
That season, the Giants also caught fire late - and advanced on a Lawrence Tynes field goal in overtime in the NFC Championship Game (against the Packers).
Head coach Tom Coughlin was asked if he felt a sense of deja vu.
"I am trying to fight it, but (defensive end) Osi (Umenyiora) looked at me with a smile on his face," Coughlin said. "And he said, 'Have you thought about how this is coming down? Do you realize this is scary because of the way it's coming about?' "
There was a tiny scare on the game-winning 31-yard field goal, as the snap was low, but holder Steve Weatherford handled it.
Tynes' wife came running on the field after the game to hug the kicker, just like she had the night before.
"It's amazing," Tynes said. "I had dreams about this last night. It was from 42, not 31, but I was so nervous today ... just anticipating this kind of game."
Manning, who went 32-for-58 for 316 yards and two touchdowns, was not nervous in securing his record fifth road playoff win. Cruz helped Manning relax early by constantly beating cornerback Carlos Rogers for eight first-half catches for 125 yards.
"It's a matchup that I knew I had a pretty good shot against him," Cruz said. "Coming from the last game, I did some pretty good things. I knew that the key to this game was going to be getting open by any means necessary. ... (In the second half) they just played a lot of Cover 2 and forced us to run the ball."
The Giants' defense, meanwhile, didn't let Alex Smith get comfortable. Take away the two touchdown passes to Vernon Davis, and Smith was 10-for-24 for 95 yards. "Both defenses played superbly," Coughlin said. "Just a classic game. Seemed like no one was going to put themselves in a position to win it."
Manning made sure he didn't put the Giants in a position to lose it.
"We knew we couldn't turn the ball over, and we came close a couple of times," he said. "Just keep punting and don't give them a short field."
But in the end, there stood Manning.
He and the Giants didn't commit a turnover and they turned two Kyle Williams fumbles into 10 points in the fourth quarter and overtime for the 20-17 win Sunday night.
"They're great against the run and they get a lot of sacks," Manning said. "Those sacks can lead to turnovers, so I had to be smart and not turn the ball over. Try to be patient. That's what I kept telling myself. Don't force anything.
"I knew eventually we would get a big play or a break."
In winning their fifth straight game, the Giants (12-7) earned a date with New England in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis. It's a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, in which New York ended New England's perfect season.
That season, the Giants also caught fire late - and advanced on a Lawrence Tynes field goal in overtime in the NFC Championship Game (against the Packers).
Head coach Tom Coughlin was asked if he felt a sense of deja vu.
"I am trying to fight it, but (defensive end) Osi (Umenyiora) looked at me with a smile on his face," Coughlin said. "And he said, 'Have you thought about how this is coming down? Do you realize this is scary because of the way it's coming about?' "
There was a tiny scare on the game-winning 31-yard field goal, as the snap was low, but holder Steve Weatherford handled it.
Tynes' wife came running on the field after the game to hug the kicker, just like she had the night before.
"It's amazing," Tynes said. "I had dreams about this last night. It was from 42, not 31, but I was so nervous today ... just anticipating this kind of game."
Manning, who went 32-for-58 for 316 yards and two touchdowns, was not nervous in securing his record fifth road playoff win. Cruz helped Manning relax early by constantly beating cornerback Carlos Rogers for eight first-half catches for 125 yards.
"It's a matchup that I knew I had a pretty good shot against him," Cruz said. "Coming from the last game, I did some pretty good things. I knew that the key to this game was going to be getting open by any means necessary. ... (In the second half) they just played a lot of Cover 2 and forced us to run the ball."
The Giants' defense, meanwhile, didn't let Alex Smith get comfortable. Take away the two touchdown passes to Vernon Davis, and Smith was 10-for-24 for 95 yards. "Both defenses played superbly," Coughlin said. "Just a classic game. Seemed like no one was going to put themselves in a position to win it."
Manning made sure he didn't put the Giants in a position to lose it.
"We knew we couldn't turn the ball over, and we came close a couple of times," he said. "Just keep punting and don't give them a short field."
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