New York Giants Playoff Review: Road to the Super Bowl

The New York Giants have shocked the football world by making it to Super Bowl XLII. The road to the Super Bowl has been anything but easy for this Giants team. Underdogs throughout the playoffs, the Giants have met every challenge head-on and is now one game away from winning a world championship. Here is a look back at the Giants during the 2008 NFL Playoffs.

New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Giants went into Wild Card Weekend as the road team. Regardless, many experts picked the Giants over the Bucs. New York delivered in Tampa Bay, controlling most of the game after the first quarter. After going down 7-0, the Giants beat up an overmatched Tampa Bay team en route to a 24-14 victory. For the second week in a row, Eli Manning quieted his critics, completing 20 of 27 pass attempts for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Amani Toomer caught 7 balls, including one for a touchdown. The running duo of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs had exactly 100 yards rushing and Jacobs finished with both a rushing and receiving score.

The 24-14 score makes the game seem much closer than it actually was. The Giants scored 24 straight points before giving up what would be a meaningless touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The New York defense dominated Tampa Bay, creating three turnovers and constantly hassling quarterback Jeff Garcia.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

The Giants lost to the Cowboys twice during the 2007 regular season. It was clear from the beginning of the Divisional Playoff Game, though, that New York had learned from those meetings. It also became clear that we were watching Eli Manning mature right before our very eyes.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Cowboys tied the game on a touchdown pass to Terrell Owens. In the last minute of the half, the Cowboys took a 14-7 lead after Marion Barber ran in a one-yard score. Instead of running out the clock and going into the locker room down a touchdown, Eli Manning executed what may have been the biggest drive of his young career. Aided by a personal foul call against the Cowboys, Manning drove the Giants the field and hit Amani Toomer in the end zone for his second touchdown reception.

The Giants would take the lead early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs. They wouldn't relinquish that lead but things sure got interesting as the clock wound down. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo took the Cowboys deep in New York territory before cornerback R.W. McQuarters intercepted Romo in the end zone, giving the Giants a 21-17 victory.

Eli Manning was once again solid, completing 12 of 18 attempts for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Even more importantly, Manning once again did not throw an interception. The Giants defeated the top seed in the NFC and were on their way to face the second best team in the conference during the regular season.

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

The New York Giants were supposed to lose this game, giving people the opportunity to watch Brett Favre face off against the undefeated New England Patriots. The Giants refused to oblige. Showing no fear in below zero temperatures at historic Lambeau Field, the Giants once again shocked everybody by defeating the Packers in an overtime thriller.

Eli Manning was fantastic once again. Although he didn't throw a touchdown pass, Manning finished with 254 yards passing and once again did not turn the ball over. Manning seemed more confident than ever and looked like a true leader in front of a hostile crowd. Now he has his team one win away from a championship that nobody could have seen coming.

The real star of the game was wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress has been physically less than 100 percent for weeks. You wouldn't have known it during the NFC Championship Game. He finished with a career high eleven catches for 154 yards and at times looked downright unstoppable.

The game also gave kicker Lawrence Tynes a chance at redemption. Tynes missed a 36-yard field goal at the end of regulation but was given a second shot when cornerback Corey Webster intercepted a Brett Favre pass in the early moments of overtime. Tynes put the 47-yard attempt through the goalposts and the Giants were officially headed for a date with destiny against the undefeated New England Patriots.