Last Night's Action: Giants Make Playoffs, Jets Don't

Justin Tuck, right, and Osi Umenyiora celebrate (AP)

With the season on the line, the Giants needed no dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to advance to the playoffs. In a winner-take-all game for the NFC East, the Giants surged to a 21-point lead and then defeated the Cowboys, 31-14. Victor Cruz caught six passes for 178 yards. Included in those was a 74-yard touchdown that opened the scoring. Eli Manning, who completed nine passes last week against the Jets, threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys, who blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Giants on Dec. 11, tried rally and cut the lead to 21-14, but two long passes from Manning to Cruz helped any hopes of a comeback. The Giants will be the No. 4 seed and host the Falcons on Sunday in a wild-card playoff. If they win that game, they could play at Green Bay the following week.

Five AFC teams entered Sunday with a shot at the playoffs. Only one of them won, and that team didn't make the postseason. The Jets, who fell, 19-17, at the Dolphins, would not have made the playoffs even had they not put forth a dismal effort, but maybe they wouldn't have left such a bad taste in their mouths. They entered Sunday needing a win plus a Titans loss plus a Bengals loss plus a loss by either the Broncos or the Raiders. The win obviously did not happen, and neither did the Titans loss. But the Bengals, Broncos and Raiders all fell. This game, like the Jets' season, was not pretty. Santono Holmes was benched late in the fourth quarter, and Mark Sanchez threw three interceptions. Let the offseason of complaining about the offense and the coaching staff commence.

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By Tom Boorstein in News on January 2, 2012 12:00 AM

Comments [rss]

splicernyc

As a long-suffering Jets fan, I'm not surprised by the shitty play of the Jets. As a New Yorker, I say that the Coughlin, Manning, Cruz and the rest of the Giants are a class act all the way. The Jets organization could learn a little about this. Instead of making embarrassingly bad Pepsi commercials, they might want to practice a little harder during the week.

ktinnyc

The teams are a perfect reflection of their head coach. To the bitter end Rex finds a way to take the classless way out the door.

“I’m always going to chase the Super Bowl,” he said. “I know I get criticized for it beyond belief and all that stuff. But if you don’t, then you are probably a loser."

Every head coach wants to win the Super Bowl you're the only one that makes guarantees in the preseason year after year.

ktinnyc

I hate to be that guy but were you drunk when you wrote this piece, Tom?

"but two long passes from Manning to Cruz helped any hopes of a comeback"?
" Santono Holmes"

GentleGiant

Give Tom a break. You'd be drunk too if you had to watch the Jets week after week!

ktinnyc

Haha, the win last night by the Giants could not have been sweeter. Not only did the Giants win the NFC East, they beat the Cowboys and another Ryan to do it! I hope Rob and Rex eat themselves to death watching the playoffs.

Stay classy, Rex. Where are all the Jets fans now?