Jacobs, Bradshaw lead Giants to playoffs

In a game that featured rain, sleet, snow, and 60 MPH winds, an electrifying backfield tandem led the New York Giants to a 38-21 win over the Buffalo Bills. The victory put the Giants in the postseason for the third consecutive year.

Halfbacks Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for 296 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, Jacobs running for 145 and two and Bradshaw running for 151 and one. However, things did not start out all fine and sweet for New York.

The Bills won the opening coin toss and Trent Edwards led his team 60 yards down the field for a score. The drive was featured by a 30-yard catch-and-run by Marshawn Lynch. Edwards was leveled by safety Michael Johnson right as he threw the football, but fortunately for Buffalo, Lynch was in the right spot at the right time and ran to the six-yard line. Two plays later, Edwards tossed a three-yard pass in the end zone to tight end Michael Gaines, giving the Bills a 7-0 advantage.

After forcing the Giants to go three-and-out, Buffalo took over from their own 34. The drive was very similar to the previous one, as Edwards was hit by Johnson on the fifth play of the drive but somehow found Roscoe Parrish 42 yards down the field to get the Bills down to the eight-yard line. He then threw a four-yard touchdown to Lee Evans, making it 14-0.

New York still could not get much going on their next possession despite a 39-yard completion from Eli Manning to Amani Toomer that gave the Giants great field position at the Buffalo 31. They would punt for the third consecutive time.

That's when things began to bounce New York's way. After a seven-yard drive that only gained them 19 yards, the Bills were forced to punt. However, Brian Moorman muffed the snap and, after picking the ball up, proceeded to fumble after being hit by Bradshaw. Chase Blackburn recovered at the Giants' 23-yard line. Jacobs then got New York on the board with a six-yard touchdown run. Buffalo kicked the ball away once again on their next drive, leading to a 43-yard run by Jacobs to knot the score up at 14.

The Giants' defense began to take full control of the game, and after holding the Bills to another three-and-out, they went down the field and Lawrence Tynes converted on a 42-yard field goal attempt to give New York its first lead since beating Philadelphia two weeks ago, 17-14. The Giants had an opportunity to add more points at the end of the half, but Manning had the ball knocked out of his hand at the Buffalo 26 by Aaron Schobel to end the second quarter.

Manning then started the second half on a sloppy note, throwing an interception to Keith Ellison on the first play. It took the Bills two snaps to score a touchdown, both runs by Lynch, one for 28 yards and then a three-yard rush into the end zone to give Buffalo a 21-17 edge.

No points were scored again until Kawika Mitchell intercepted Edwards and ran 20 yards for a score to start out the fourth quarter, giving New York a 24-21 lead. This followed a huge goal-line stand by the Bills, stopping the Giants on a fourth-and-one on the one-yard line after a 13-play drive.

All the momentum was now on New York's side, as the Giants' defense continued to apply pressure to Edwards and force him into bad throws. Still, Manning refused to make it easy for his squad, getting picked off by Terrence McGee with 8:10 to play. Thankfully for Manning, his defense relentlessly backed him up, forcing the Bills to punt after three plays.

That's when Bradshaw shined. On the first play of New York's next possession, the rookie seventh-round pick bursted 88 yards up the middle and then down the sideline for a touchdown, making it 31-21 Giants. It was the longest run of the season in the NFL and the third longest in Giants' history. Corey Webster then sealed the deal with an interception for a score on the ensuing drive, putting New York up 38-21.

With the win, the Giants clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive year, joining the Patriots, Colts, and Seahawks as the only teams to accomplish that feat the past three seasons.

Injury notes: Jacobs injured his ankle in the third quarter, but returned. However, to get the 270-pound back some rest, Bradshaw got the bulk of the carries from there on in.