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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Still have doubts about the New
York Giants? They don't, not after earning the top seed in the NFC
for the playoffs.
The Giants (12-4) got the home-field advantage for the entire
postseason and a first-round bye by coming from behind in the
fourth quarter for the second straight week in a 28-25 win over the
Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9) on Saturday.
|  | | Jason Sehorn's fourth quarter TD helped seal the Giants' 28-25 victory over the Jaguars, giving them home field for the playoffs. |
The wild win capped a remarkable late season run that saw New
York win its last five games after coach Jim Fassel put his job on
the line a little more than a month ago by guaranteeing that his
team would make the playoffs.
"Nobody ever thought we would be here," defensive tackle Keith
Hamilton said. "Now we beat a couple of teams and we still don't
deserve to be here. We're just going to keep playing hard and they
can doubt us all the way to Tampa."
Doubting the Giants is easy. They don't have a potent offense,
the defense is susceptible to the pass and special teams is always
an adventure.
Bottom line though, the Giants' five-game winning streak makes
them the hottest team in the conference heading into the playoffs.
"I hate to repeat myself but it seems like we have gotten
better every week," Giants owner Wellington Mara said. "All you
can do is beat the teams the league schedules you to play, and they
found out they can do that."
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Jaguars: Which star players will the Jaguars keep next season?
Donahoe: The Jaguars will have an interesting offseason because of the salary cap. Who they keep and don't keep probably won't even come down to talent, it's going to come down to who they can afford to keep. Those are tough decisions to make because you're not making personnel decisions, you're making economic decisions. It's been reported that they're already $40 million over the cap. When you're that far over you're going to have to pare quite a few good players. Keep your eye on the Jaguars as the offseason begins, it will be an interesting time.
Question on the Giants: What will be the key to the Giants' Super Bowl run?
Donahoe: Everybody has been criticizing the Giants all year, but they ended up with one of the best records in the NFL. It's not easy to get home-field advantage in this league, so they deserve credit. The key for the Giants is, at all costs, don't fall behind. If they get down by a couple touchdowns it makes it very tough for that offense. But they can ball-control you to death and Kerry Collins has been pretty good over the last five weeks. Their defense is very difficult to run against as well, so they have some components that will make it difficult to beat them in the playoffs. The biggest key is to control the tempo of the game and not play catch-up.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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When asked if this team was as good as his Super Bowl champions
in 1986 and '90, Mara smiled.
"Well, I don't know," he said. "They say they have exceeded
my expectations, but not my hopes. They are very confident right
now."
The Giants ended the Jaguars' first non-winning season since
1995 by making big play after big play in the fourth quarter,
disappointing Minnesota and New Orleans, who were hoping a loss
would give them the top seed.
But Kerry Collins (22-for-39, 321 yards) threw fourth-quarter
touchdown passes of 5 yards to Ike Hilliard and 54 yards to Amani
Toomer, Jason Sehorn recovered two onside kicks, returning the
first 38 yards for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown
with 1:51 to play.
"I was telling someone this is like when you write to Santa
around Christmas time and then you get everything you asked for,"
linebacker Mike Barrow said. "For the past month, coach said
everything we wanted and we got it, the playoffs, the NFC East
title, a first-round bye and the top seed."
The Giants even got lucky in the closing minutes when halfback
Tiki Barber came away with only a sprained right toe that looked
far worse after he was tackled on a run.
Barber, who tallied the first touchdown on a 3-yard run in the
first quarter, finished with 78 yards rushing, giving him his first
1,000-yard (1,006) season.
Mark Brunell (23-for-41, 262 yards) threw touchdown passes of 5
yards to Kyle Brady and 12 to Alvis Whitted. The Brady TD and a
two-point conversion to him cut the Giants' lead to 21-18 with 1:56
to play, but Sehorn stunned the Jaguars by returning the onside
kick for a touchdown.
Jaguars halfback Fred Taylor had his nine-game streak of rushing
for at least 100 yards snapped. He gained 52 yards on 13 carries
before leaving the game with a hip pointer early in the second
half.
"I think they'll be great, they have a real good team," said
Taylor, who angered the Giants defense earlier this week by saying
it wasn't as talented as some AFC teams.
The Jaguars, who had their first losing season since their
inaugural year in 1995, seemed bent on spoiling the Giants' late
run. They overcame a 7-0 deficit on a 44-yard touchdown run by
Taylor in the second quarter and then took the lead early in the
third quarter on a 36-yard field goal by Mike Hollis.
Defensive end Tony Brackens set up the score by jumping up and
intercepting Collins at the line of scrimmage on the first play of
the second half.
It took the Giants a while to overcome the play. They had a
chance late in the third quarter when they drove from their own 1
to the Jacksonville 29 but Hilliard dropped a pass at the 5-yard
line on fourth and sixth.
After the Giants held the Jags, Collins directed the 75-yard
drive, igniting it with a 42-yard pass to Toomer. Then Hilliard
atoned for his mistake. He kept the drive alive with a
full-extension catch of a 28-yard pass at the Jags' 5 and scored
two plays later on a rollout by Collins.
Collins added a 54-yard TD pass to Amani Toomer, who had eight
receptions for 193 yards, with 3:05 to play for a 21-10 lead, but
that only started the wild finish.
"This feels great," Toomer said. "There are so many critics
out there who told us how we weren't going to win the division or
be the top seed. Now what can they say? We still have a lot to
prove in the playoffs and we're going in good fashion."
Game notes
Jags receiver Jimmy Smith was knocked out of the game in
the first quarter on a big hit by safety Shaun Williams but
returned for a couple of plays in the fourth quarter ... Jags wide
out Keenan McCardell had 11 catches for 131 yards, giving him a
career-best and team high 94 catches this season. His previous best
was 85 in 1996 and '97 ... Barber became the first Giant to go over
2,000 all-purpose yards, tacking on another 122 against the Jaguars
for 2,089 ... Toomer is first Giant since Homer Jones (1966-68) to
have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons receiving.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Jacksonville Clubhouse
NY Giants Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 A proud Jim Fassel says his Giants are ready to take care of business.
wav: 264 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
The Giants' Jason Sehorn explains his fourth-quarter heroics to ESPN's Sal Paolantonio.
wav: 335 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
New York's Michael Strahan comments on teammate Ike Hilliard's performance.
wav: 125 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
QB Kerry Collins is proud of his team and their attitude throughout the season.
wav: 99 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Kerry Collins Official Site
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