Notes and statistics from the Giants 24-2 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in an NFC Wild Card Game in MetLife Stadium.
*The Giants made their NFL record 31st postseason appearance, which they earned with their record 23rd first-place finish, the 2011 NFC East title.
*The Giants improved to 21-24 in postseason games – 14-10 as the home team, including three Super Bowls. They are 12-9 at home in the postseason when Super Bowls are excluded.
The victory broke a two-game home postseason losing streak – to Carolina in a 2005 Wild Card Game and to Philadelphia in a 2008 NFC Divisional Playoff Game.
*The Giants are 6-4 in the Wild Card games and have won their last two, including a 24-14 victory at Tampa Bay on Jan. 6, 2008,
*Atlanta's two points were the fewest allowed by the Giants since a 21-3 victory vs. Minnesota at Detroit on Dec. 13, 2010 and the fewest in a postseason game since a 41-0 victory over the Vikings in the 2000 NFC Championship Game.
*The Giants' 442 net yards was their third-highest total in a postseason game. They gained 518 yards in the 2000 NFC Championship game vs. Minnesota and 446 yards in a 39-38 loss at San Francisco in a 2002 NFC Wild Card Game. It was the fifth time this season the Giants gained more than 440 yards.
*The Giants' 172 rushing yards was their highest total since they ran for 213 yards in the victory over Minnesota on Dec. 13, 2010. Their previous best in the 2011 season was 122 yards in a victory over Buffalo on Oct. 16. The Giants averaged an NFL-low 89.2 rushing yards a game in the regular season.
*The Giants are 8-1 this season when they rush for at least 100 yards.
*Atlanta's 14 first downs were the fewest for a Giants opponent since St. Louis had 14 in Week 2.
*The Falcons rushed for only 64 yards one week after Dallas ran for just 49 yards against the Giants. Michael Turner, who was third in the NFL with 1,340 yards, was held to 41 yards on 15 carries, a 2.7-yard average.
*Neither team had a turnover, the first time that's happened in a Giants game since Dec 21, 2008, when the Giants defeated the Carolina Panthers in overtime to clinch the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
*It was the second week in a row the Giants did not have a turnover. They have won their last eight games (seven regular season, one postseason) in which they did not have an offensive turnover.
*The Giants' first touchdown drive covered 85 yards in 13 plays and took 7:32 to complete. It was the Giants' longest touchdown drive in time elapsed this season. The previous long took 5:48 at Arizona on Oct. 2. The Giants had seven offensive possessions that took between 6:01 and 8:33, but they ended in field goals, a missed field goal attempt or on downs.
*Tom Coughlin improved to 9-7 in the postseason, including 5-3 with the Giants. The nine postseason victories place him third among active coaches, behind New England's Bill Belichick (15) and Philadelphia's Andy Reid (10).
*Coughlin's five postseason victories are second in Giants' history to Bill Parcells' eight.
*Eli Manning completed 23 of 32 passes for 277 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 129.3. The 23 completions and three touchdowns were both career postseason highs. His previous bests were 21 completions in the 2007 NFC Championship Game in Green Bay – which was the only game of the Giants' four that postseason he did not throw two touchdown passes.
*Manning's completion percentage of 71.9 was the third-highest by a Giants quarterback in a postseason game.
*Manning has thrown 11 career postseason touchdown passes, a Giants record. The previous mark of 10 was owned by Phil Simms.
*Manning is the fourth Giants quarterback to throw at least three touchdown passes in a postseason game. Simms, Kerry Collins and Scott Brunner all did it twice (Collins had four- and five-touchdown games and Simms had a four-touchdown game).
*Manning's second touchdown pass was a 72-yarder to Hakeem Nicks that is tied for the longest postseason play in Giants history. On Jan. 3, 1982, Brunner threw a 72-yard pass to Earnest Gray. Manning's previous long postseason pass was a 52-yard touchdown to Amani Toomer in an NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Dallas on Jan. 13, 2008. It was Manning's fifth touchdown pass of more than 70 yards this season and the first caught by someone other than Victor Cruz.
*Nicks caught six passes for 115 yards, including touchdowns of four and 72 yards. It was the fifth time in Giants history a receiver had two touchdowns in a postseason game. Nicks is the fourth different player to accomplish the feat, joining Toomer (twice), Johnny Perkins and Ike Hilliard.
*Nicks' 100-yard game was the first by a Giants receiver in the postseason since the 2007 NFC Championship Game, when Plaxico Burress had 151 yards on 11 catches.
*Mario Manningham scored the Giants' third touchdown – his first postseason score – on a 27-yard pass from Manning.
*Victor Cruz, the Giants' leading receiver during the season, caught two passes for 28 yards.
*Tight end Jake Ballard, who missed the last two regular season games with a knee injury, had two receptions for 16 yards.
*Brandon Jacobs tied his career postseason high with 92 rushing yards on 14 carries. He also rushed for 92 yards in the 2008 NFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Philadelphia. Jacobs now has 389 career postseason rushing yards, moving him past Tiki Barber (338) and Ottis Anderson (375) and into second place on the Giants' career list. Joe Morris is first with 553 yards.
*With 97 career postseason rushing attempts, Jacobs moved past the same two players and into second place behind Morris, who had 140.
*Ahmad Bradshaw added 63 yards on 14 carries and caught five passes for 22 yards.
*Bradshaw, Jacobs and Manning all had their longest career postseason runs. Bradshaw had a 30-yard run. His previous long gain in the postseason was 13 yards in Super Bowl XLII. Jacobs had a 34-yarder, 10 yards better than his 24-yard run in the 2008 NFC Wild Card Game vs. Philadelphia. Manning picked up 14 yards on a scramble in the second quarter. His previous best was a five-yarder in Super Bowl XLII.
*Osi Umenyiora and Rocky Bernard each sacked Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. It was Umenyiora's third postseason sack and his first since Jan. 7, 2007, when he sacked Philadelphia's Jeff Garcia in an NFC Wild Card Game.
Bernard's sack was the fifth of his postseason career and first since Jan. 14, 2007 for Seattle against Chicago's Rex Grossman. It was Bernard's first sack in any game since Dec. 19, 2010, when he brought down Philadelphia's Michael Vick.
*The Falcons scored first, when Eli Manning was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone with 13:44 remaining in the second quarter. It was the first time a Giants opponent scored on a safety in a postseason game since Super Bowl XXV on Jan. 25, 1991, when Buffalo's Bruce Smith sacked Jeff Hostetler in the end zone. It was the second safety allowed by the Giants this season. On Oct. 9, Seattle's Anthony Hargrove tackled D.J. Ware in the end zone for two points.
*Lawrence Tynes scored six points on a field goal and three extra points to increase his Giants postseason total to move him past Matt Bahr (30) and into second place on the franchise's career list. Brad Daluiso and Ken Strong share the record with 36 postseason points. Amani Toomer is the franchise record-holder with 42.
*This season, Manning passed for 4,933 yards, while Matt Ryan had 4,177. Their combined passing yards (9,110) is the second-most in NFL history by opposing starting quarterbacks in a playoff game. The record was set last night in the Detroit-New Orleans game when Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford squared off with a 10,514 yards.
*The Giants have won their last four games against the Falcons, including three in the regular season.
*The Giants' inactive players were wide receiver Ramses Barden, running back Da'Rel Scott, linebacker Mark Herzlich, offensive linemen Jim Cordle and James Brewer and defensive linemen Jimmy Kennedy and Justin Trattou.
*George Martin, Ottis Anderson and David Tyree – each representing a Giants Super Bowl championship team – joined captains Manning, Justin Tuck, Zak DeOssie, Chris Snee and Deon Grant at midfield for the coin toss.
*Cornerback Aaron Ross and running back D.J. Ware left the game with concussions.
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