Third Tynes a charm: Kicker boots Giants into Super Bowl
Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Eli Manning has arrived, and just in time to take his New York Giants on an improbable trip to the Super Bowl.
A suddenly matured Manning guided the Giants to their 10th straight road win Sunday, a frostbitten 23-20 overtime victory over Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers for the NFC championship.
Now comes Mission Impossible: playing the unbeaten New England Patriots in two weeks for the NFL title.
Manning wasn't the only Giant who came through. Lawrence Tynes kicked the winning 47-yard field goal after two earlier misses. He missed a 36-yarder at the end of regulation following a bad snap, and also was wide left on a 43-yarder with 6:49 to go.
But he got a reprieve in overtime after Corey Webster intercepted a struggling Favre. He nailed his kick, then sprinted directly to the locker room while the rest of his frozen teammates celebrated on the field.
"I screwed it up twice," Tynes said. "Thank God we got another opportunity."
The Giants grabbed their first NFC championship in seven years, capping a monthlong surge that reversed a trend of mediocrity built around Manning's inconsistency. He has been a revelation in the playoffs, however, and his calm leadership keyed New York's turnaround.
Manning shook off below-zero temperatures and a wind chill that would make a Siberian husky shiver. He repeatedly put the Giants (13-6) in position to win in the third-coldest championship game ever -- and certainly the most frigid of his young career.
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