Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Throwback Thursday: The 2011 NFC Championship Game
The 2011 NFC Championship game stands out as a favorite Giants moment because it was perhaps the most memorable performance of Eli Manning’s career.
Facing a menacing San Francisco 49ers’ defense, he continually found himself on the ground. Manning showed just how tough he was by getting up and having the strength to keep playing. It could even be said that this was the defining moment of his career.
With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Giants and 49ers had a lot of pressure heading into this game. Both teams were coming off exciting wins in the Divisional Round of the 2011-212 NFL Playoffs.
The Giants had just stunned Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The 15-1, defending champion Packers were the clear favorites, but Manning and the Giants pulled off another improbable playoff win in Green Bay.
Following that unbelievable victory against the team widely regarded as the best in the NFL that season, the Giants were now in a good position to go on another Super Bowl run.
Although they were a team that won the NFC East with a 9-7 record and barely made the playoffs, they now had momentum. Manning threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers, two of them to Hakeem Nicks. He looked as confident as ever during that game and was not phased at all by the Packers or the frigid Green Bay weather.
Manning was now in a different position than he was four years earlier. Instead of dealing with the freezing weather in Green Bay, he would be playing this NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park in windy San Francisco.
As many Giants fans probably remember, the conditions at Candlestick that day were not exactly ideal either thanks to not only the wind but the rain, which made the field a pile of mud.
The 49ers also had an exhilarating win, as Alex Smith found Vernon Davis for a last-second touchdown to beat Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Smith threw for nearly 300 yards and had three touchdowns in that game.
Most NFL fans have a clear memory of how good the 49ers were last season, but they might have a harder time recalling the dominant team they had in 2011.
Under the leadership of head coach Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco put together an impressive 13-3 season. With a defense led by guys like Aldon Smith, Justin Smith Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Dashon Goldson, and Carlos Rodgers, they held their opponent to under 20 points eleven times during the season.
It wasn’t just the 49ers’ defense that made them so good. With Harbaugh coaching him, Smith had finally put it all together in 2011. The former number one overall pick threw for over 3,000 yards for the first time in his career.
Smith had great chemistry with Davis and Michael Crabtree. After the nail-biting last-second win over the Saints, he was now just a win away from his first Super Bowl.
The two teams met once in the regular season, with the 49ers coming out on top 20-17. Manning threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns that day but was intercepted twice by Rodgers. To beat San Francisco this time, Manning knew that he could not afford to turn the ball over.
With a trip to the biggest game of the year on the line, the Giants and 49ers kicked off in wet, muddy and windy conditions at Candlestick Park. Both teams ended up punting on their first drive. On San Francisco’s second drive of the game, Smith hit Davis for a 73-yard touchdown pass. The Giants responded by driving into 49ers’ territory, but Brandon Jacobs was stuffed on fourth-and-short.
The next time the Giants got the ball back, Manning marched them down the field for a 10-play drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to Bear Pascoe. Smith was able to get into Giants’ territory on the next possession, but the 49ers were forced to punt again.
A couple of possessions later, the Giants got the ball back with under two minutes to play in the half. Again Manning was able to methodically move his team down the field, completing four passes to Cruz on the drive. This put Tynes in a good position to kick a field 31-yard field with just seconds left, giving the Giants a 10-7 lead.
That drive to put the Giants ahead before halftime was crucial, as this game was a low-scoring, defensive battle. It was one of the many times in his career that Manning successfully ran the two-minute drill in a high-pressure situation. This was one of the critical moments in a performance that is now remembered as one of Manning’s best.
After making the necessary adjustments at halftime, San Francisco’s defense came out of the locker room and was prepared for Manning’s offense. They forced the Giants to punt on their first two possessions of the second half.
The 49ers got the ball back in good field position with under seven minutes to play in the third quarter. Smith completed a pass to Frank Gore to put his team up in Giants’ territory and then hit Davis again for a 28-touchdown pass. San Francisco had now retaken the lead.
At this point, it was starting to feel like the tide was turning in the game. The 49ers’ defense forced the Giants to punt again on their next two possessions, only allowing them to gain one first down. Thankfully, the Giants’ defense was resilient and did not let Smith and his offense add to their lead.
Following a punt from Andy Lee, the Giants had the ball back on their 20-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Although there was still plenty of time in the game, this was another high-pressure situation where the Giants needed Manning to come through.
Unfortunately, San Francisco’s defense stopped him yet again, and Steve Weatherford was forced to punt. However, the 49ers’ return man Kyle Williams muffed the punt and the Giants recovered. It was initially ruled that the ball did not touch Williams, but Tom Coughlin challenged the call, and it was reversed.
Considering how well the 49ers’ defense was playing at this point in the game, Williams’ muffed punt was exactly the type of break that the Giants desperately needed.
As we know, this would not be his only mistake of the game. Manning took advantage of the good field position and found Mario Manningham for a 17-yard touchdown pass.
The 49ers were now the team feeling the pressure, but they were able to respond quickly. Smith drove them inside the Giants’ 10-yard line, but they ended up having to settle for a David Akers field goal, tying the game.
This game was certainly living up to the hype. Both teams went three-and-out on each of their next two possessions. The Giants got the ball back with just over a minute to play, and Manning was able to drive them into 49ers’ territory.
However, they were unable to get into field goal range, and Weatherford punted again. With just 19 seconds remaining in regulation, Smith and the 49ers ran out of time and failed to get in a position to kick the game-winning field goal.
For the second time in five years, Manning and the Giants were in overtime with a trip to the Super Bowl. As a Giants fan, it was hard not to feel confident that they could come out on top.
Manning had consistently proven that no moment was too big for him. Even though the Giants were on the road again, it felt like they had a good chance to pull out the win.
After picking up a first down on the first play of overtime, the Giants could not get anything going against San Francisco’s stifling defense. The 49ers went three-and-out on their first possession, giving Manning another opportunity to drive down the field and lead his team to another Super Bowl.
After a couple of short completions, the Giants were in 49ers’ territory, but the drive looked over after Justin Smith sacked Manning. Williams fielded Weatherford’s punt cleanly this time but quickly fumbled the ball on the return. Devin Thomas recovered the fumble, giving the Giants excellent field position.
Ahmad Bradshaw had three nice runs in a row, and the Giants were inside the 49ers’ ten-yard line. Coughlin then decided that it was time to bring out the field goal unit and go for the win.
A delay of game penalty pushed the Giants back five yards, but this did not hurt them. Zak DeOssie’s snap was a little low, but Tynes easily drilled the 31-yard field goal. The Giants were going back to the Super Bowl.
Thanks to their resilient defense and a gritty performance by Manning, the Giants once again triumphed in the NFC Title Game. For the second time in five years, they would now have the chance to knock off Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Two weeks later, they did just that. Manning spearheaded another fourth-quarter comeback, capturing his second Super Bowl MVP in the process. It was a fitting ending to what was a remarkable 2011 season for the Giants.
As a fan, watching the Giants pull off another major playoff upset was a truly memorable experience. After watching them go on a seemingly improbable Super Bowl run in 2008, it felt like we would never live through something quite like that again.
Four years later, we once again found ourselves watching the Giants hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Manning and Coughlin had proven the doubters wrong for a second time.
When Manning announces his retirement earlier this year, many pointed to his performance in this game against the 49ers as the best one of his career.
Considering what was at stake for the Giants, the conditions he had to play in, and the hits he took from San Francisco’s defense, it’s hard to argue with this sentiment.
Manning’s performance in the 2011 NFC Championship Game exemplified his toughness. It didn’t matter how many times the 49ers’ defense knocked him down; he kept getting back up. This game was a perfect metaphor for Manning’s career.
