Some of the best performances in the history of the New York Giants have come in conference championship games.
Five times the New York Giants have played on Championship Sunday. Five times they’ve emerged victorious, Some of the most memorable performances in franchise history have come in the conference championship.
In honor of Sunday’s games, we take a look back at the top 10 conference championship performances by the New York Giants.
Honorable Mention
Lawrence Tynes, 2007: Shook off two earlier misses to kick the game-winning 47-yard field goal in overtime against Green Bay in Lambeau Field.
Jeff Hostetler, 1990: The former backup quarterback completed 15-of-27 passes for 176 yards as the Giants ended the 49ers hopes of a three-peat.
Devin Thomas, 2011: Recovered two key fumbles—one in the fourth quarter, one in overtime—that set up Tynes’ game-winning field goal in San Francisco.
10. Sean Landeta, 1986
Playing in swirling 25 mph winds at Giants Stadium, Landeta was somehow able to average 42.3 yards per punt, helping the Giants earn their first trip to the Super Bowl as they defeated the Redskins 17-0. His ability to punt the ball efficiently was vital in a game where field position was crucial. Bill Parcells always speaks highly of Landeta’s performance as one of the main reasons why the Giants were victorious.
9. Leonard Marshall, 1990
Marshall had two sacks against San Francisco, including one of the most memorable sacks in NFL history when he crushed Joe Montana, forcing a fumble and knocking Montana out the game.
8. Eli Manning, 2007
Playing in subzero conditions in Green Bay, Manning outplayed Brett Favre, completing 21-of-40 passes for 251 yards, earning his first trip to the Super Bowl. He was unfazed by the frigid conditions and made key throws when the Giants needed it most.
7. The entire defense, 2000
The Vikings had scored 34 points the week before in the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints and were stacked offensively with Pro Bowlers Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Robert Smith.
But the Giants defense held the Vikings to just 132 yards offense and sacked quarterback Daunte Culpepper four times and intercepted him three times in route to their 41-0 win.
6. Victor Cruz, 2011
San Francisco cornerback Carlos Rogers is still having nightmares about Victor Cruz after the game he had against him in the 2011 championship game. Cruz caught 10 passes for 142 yards as the Giants earned their fifth trip to the Super Bowl.
5. Matt Bahr, 1990
How do you beat the two time defending Super Bowl champions without scoring a touchdown? You have a great defense and a clutch placekicker. Bahr connected on five-of-six field goals, including the game-winning 42-yarder as time expired to give the Giants a 15-13 victory.
4. Ike Hilliard, 2000
Hilliard torched the Vikings secondary all game long, catching 10 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings didn’t have a good defense but nobody expected Hilliard to have a career day in the Giants’ 41-0 drubbing of Minnesota.
3. Plaxico Burress, 2007
The Packers put Pro Bowl cornerback Al Harris on Plaxico Burress, hoping that he would be able to contain him. But Burress dominated this one-on-one matchup, catching 11 passes for 151 yards in the Giants 23-20 overtime win.
2. Eli Manning, 2011
Neither San Francisco’s fierce pass rush that sacked him six times nor the pouring rain would stop Manning from reaching his second Super Bowl. He completed 32-of-58 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. His ability to play mistake-free football is one of the main reasons the Giants came away with a 20-17 overtime victory.
1. Kerry Collins, 2000
Collins had the best game of his career in the 2000 NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings. He completed 28-of-39 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns in the 41-0 victory.
