The Giants are incredibly lucky, and keep winning playoff games due to critical unforced errors by their opponents. Let’s review some history:
1. 4 years ago, the Packers gave them the NFC Championship Game, which the Giants won in overtime, by having the worst offensive and defensive gameplans in the history of the playoffs. This became obvious very early in the game, yet the Packers never adjusted. They did receive national criticism for this.
2. In the Super Bowl 4 years ago, on the final drive which was the game-winning drive, Manning threw a ball right to Patriot DB Assante Samuel. If he catches it, the Patriots win. He dropped it, and the Giants went on to score the winning TD.
3. This year, the Packers gave the Giants the Divisional Playoff Game by dropping many passes (costing themselves about 4 TDs), fumbling numerous times without being hit hard (not protecting the ball), and three-man rushes and other idiotic coaching moves.
4. This year, the refs gave the Giants the NFC Conference Championship Game by overruling a Giant fumble deep in their territory toward the end of regulation, which would have given the 49ers the game. The 49ers gave the Giants the game by letting a punt hit them, giving the Giants a critical 4th-quarter TD, then fumbling a punt without being hit hard in overtime, giving the Giants the “winning” FG. The Giants had been going nowhere offensively.
5. Today’s Super Bowl was more of the same. The Giants won 21-17. The Patriots gave them their first 2 points by Brady grounding the ball from the endzone. Up 2-0, the Giants fumbled the ball deep in Patriot territory, but the Patriot recovery was nullified by them having 12 men on the field, and the Giants scored the TD. The first 9 points were gifts. Later in the game, the Patriots stopped the Giants inside the Giant 20, which would have given them great field position at a critical point in the game. However, the Patriots were offside, nullifying the stop, and the Giants got the first down and continued the drive to get better field position. Toward the end of the game, Welker dropped a wide-open pass at the Giant 21 that probably would have won the Patriots the game.
All of these instances are unforced errors by the opponents.
Aside from the refs giving the Giants the game, the 49ers gave the Giants the game with the 2 plays on the punts. The Giants were going nowhere all game, and the first muff gave them a TD and the 4th-quarter lead. They then went nowhere again, until the second fumble gave them the “winning” FG. In addition, Manning threw 2 passes right to 49ers where 2 DBs collided on both and dropped the balls. These passes were terrible and easy interceptions. I could go on and on, but anyone who doesn’t think the Giants were lucky to make the playoffs due to the Miles Austin play, then lucky to beat the Packers who gave the game away (more on that in a minute), then lucky to beat the 49ers (see above), then lucky to beat the Patriots (see below), isn’t looking at things realistically. Now, in the Packer-Giant game, I’m finally getting a chance to watch the tape, since I was at the game. I have a long way to go, but let me just start by saying two things now. On the Packers’ opening drive, Finley took a forearm to the helmet at midfield that the announcers showed and said should have been a personal foul. This was blatant and out in the open, and could have cost the Packers a TD. On the second drive, on the Jennings fumble that wasn’t called a fumble, I now know why he fumbled. Grant hit him with a forearm blow to the facemask, then stripped the ball. That should have been a personal foul on the Giants.