By Paul Lomax and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Reporters
MANHATTAN — New England, here we come.
In a remarkable test of defensive will and sheer determination, the Giants pulled off a thrilling overtime win against the 49ers to earn a trip to Super Bowl — their second in four years against the New England Patriots.
Battling under rainy skies in San Francisco and grappling with a slippery field, the Giants fought their way into overtime, capitalizing on two precious San Francisco turnovers to win the game 20-17 on Lawrence Tynes' 31-yard field goal.
The win sent New Yorkers into a tizzy after a mediocre second half of the regular season that had some skeptics doubting whether the Giants would even make it into the playoffs.
"Everyone counted us out," said Willy McNeal, 47, the bouncer at Coogan's at 4015 Broadway in Washington Heights. "Now look at us. Now were heading to the big show against the Pats.
"Tell Tom Brady to duck because we're coming for him!"
NYPD cop Jose Nunez, 33, of Washington Heights, said, "Big Blue, lets do this again! We run the show. Go Eli!"
In the end, it was San Francisco punt returner Kyle Williams' crucial errors that made the difference in the hard-fought contest, allowing the Giants to get in field position to set up kicker Lawrence Tynes' game-winning kick.
The Giants' defense, led by a ferocious pass rush and air-tight coverage, held the 49ers to just one third down conversion and quarterback Alex Smith to 196 yards passing.
Defensive end Justin Tuck combined with Jason Pierre-Paul for one sack and had a crucial solo sack with seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The relentless pass rush from the 49ers led to Eli Manning being sacked six times in the game, the Giants' first NFC Championship since they won the Super Bowl four years ago.
Still, Manning, coming off a regular season with nearly 5,000 passing yards, managed to put up 316 yards with two touchdown passes.
One of the grabs went to tight end Bear Pascoe, in the second quarter. The other went to wide receiver Mario Manningham to give the Giants a 17-14 lead with 8:31 to go in the fourth quarter.
Despite not having a touchdown during the game, salsa-dancing Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz had 10 catches for 142 yards.
After San Francisco put the first points on the board in the first quarter with a 73-yard touchdown catch by tight end Vernon Davis, the Giants answered back in the second with Pascoe's 6-yard touchdown grab.
And a last second field goal put New York up by three going into the half.
The Giants were held scoreless in the third, when the 49ers took the lead off another Davis touchdown grab, this one from 28 yards out.
But the Giants answered in the fourth quarter with Manningham's acrobatic touchdown catch to put New York up 17-14.
While the 49ers managed to score a field goal, the Giants were then able to stop the driving San Francisco team from scoring before time ran out.
In overtime, the Giants won the coin toss, but were not able to capitalize on the first drive.
The Giants eventually got the ball back, but were forced to punt again.
Down the field, rookie linebacker Jacquian Williams knocked the ball away from returner Kyle Williams, setting up a fumble recover for the Giants and ultimately the field position that led to Tynes' game-winning kick.
It was the first NFC Championship game for the Giants since they beat Green Bay in 2008 to win a trip to the Super Bowl where they upset the previously undefeated Patriots.
The epic match up, which included a stunning last-minute catch by David Tyree, will be repeated in two weeks in Indianapolis.
