Packers-Giants Quasi Live Blog: Fourth Quarter

3rd and 10 starts the quarter, and it's just a huge play... and Favre finds Driver for 20 on a crossing route. If the Giants don't get to the QB, the WR is open -- it's just that simple.

On the next play, Favre makes a back-breaking pick, but McQuarters gives it back on the return, and I'd describe the play further, but you will see it a million times on highlight films. The net is a 15 yard gain, and how Favre doesn't throw the ball away in the first place is just kind of astounding. If the Giants lose this game, that play will haunt them.

Screen to Robinson gets nothing. Grant to the right side gets 7, and the Packers have a third and 3 from the 12. On third, Favre telegraphs the screen and throws it anyway, and Corey Webster shuts it down for a loss of 7. Mason Crosby tries to tie it from 37, and does. This game couldn't get any more compelling, really, and with that field goal, the over bet is a certain winner, the 40-point over is assured, assuming that the game ever ends. With 11:46 left, it's Packers 20, Giants 20.

The last time the Giants got the ball, Hicskson sparked them with a big return... and he does it again, with a 35-yard burst on the left sideline. The G-Men start from their 40, and Manning hits Toomer for 5. There's no doubt that he's the best Manning there ever was! Bradshaw for 3, and Seubert is down on the play as Fox sneaks in another unnecessary commercial break. Thanks, Fox! I was starting to enjoy the game!

Seubert's in a bad way, but Eli Manning and Plexico Burress do not care, and gets another great 14 yard play down the sideline. Bradshaw follows for 6 on the right side, and Packers LB Nick Collins is down after a helmet-to-helmet hit. Whoopee, another commercial break!

Harris is on the bench now as well, and the Pack has to be said to be teetering in this game, despite it being tied. Bradshaw goes nowhere on a run to the left, and it's 3rd and 5. The Pack has no chance to stop Mighty Eli here, do they? Nope... but he does have to use Big Blue's second time out. Even Fox takes mercy on us and doesn't call for the commercial break, and Harris returns for the Pack. With nine minutes left, it's a monstrously big play... and Toomer drops a clean ball from Manning, not that it would have counted anyway, as they called him for the push-off. The Packers take the penalty, rather than face the 4th and 5, and Collins returns. 3rd and 15 from the 43, and Bradshaw picks up the same 10 they just lost, as bad tackling let him get free. Coughlin goes for it, rather than trust Tynes from 51, or Feagles to pin the Packers deep. Manning is blitzed, gets the ball away, and Woodson is called for a questionable pass interference call for the first down. I'm not sure what the reft are trying to do with this game; it was physical in the first and flags in the second.

After the first down, Manning tries Burress in the end zone, and Harris knocks it down, rather than catches it. Bradshaw worms his way to the 25. Meyers tells us that Collins and Harris are cramping. 3rd and 7, and the Packers use their second time out, leaving both sides with just one left. I'm pretty sure this drive has lasted an hour, and Harris returns and doesn't look good doing it.

Manning's worst ball of the day is behind Smith, who looked open at the first down marker, and Tynes comes on to try from 43. He misses, there are no flags, Coughlin curses out Tynes -- that was fun -- and the Packers take over at their own 33. With 6:49 left, that's just immense, and if the Packers had any kind of ball-control element to them today, the Giants would be in real trouble.

First down, Favre has time and misses over the middle. Second down, Jennings almost bails out his QB on a wild high throw; Umenyiora leveled Favre at the end, but he had time for a while. Third down is an underneath route to Morency, who I'm fairly sure has never converted on third down. He's stopped, the Pack go three and out, and an ugly punt is returned to the Giants 36.

With 5:53 left, in a game in which they've had a running game and the opponent hasn't, there's never been a better chance for the road team to seize this one by the throat. Jacobs goes for 5 on first down, and COughlin's thought is the same as mine -- control the ball, control the clock, win the game on this possession. Jacobs gets a lot on a play where he could have been stopped in the backfield, and the lack of timeouts for both sides here is just huge. It's third and inches now, and if this was a prize fight, the Packers would be bleeding right now and looking very vulnerable. If I were Coughlin, I'd sneak here... and that's what he does. First down, Giants.

Aikman thinks the Giants shouldn't run the clock too much. I'm not sure which team he's been watching, since the Giants almost always snap the ball with less than five seconds left. A rollout leads to an incompletion. Jacobs is stopped after a gain of 1 on second and 10, and if the Packers want to win this game, they need a stop here. 3rd and 9, 3:30 left, Giants at midfield... and KGB is clearly offsides, but not called, and Manning is sacked. Expect to see that a few times in the highlights... and after the Feagles punt and a juggle, the Packers have it at their own 17 with 2:48 left.

The first down here is just huge, and the play call of a screen that hasn't worked all day is curious at best. It fails. 2nd and 10, and the Packer tackles jump; that's also terrible. Now it's 2nd and 15, and the home team looks scared. Favre tries Lee over the middle and it's incomplete. 3rd and 15 is looking like blood in the water... and it's another underneath route, this time to Lee for 5 yards. Coughin calls his final timeout with 2:30 left, and that was just a terrible series for the Pack.

The punt is returned by McQuarters, who fumbles, and the Packers fail to cover it, as they are trying to return it, rather than just recover. The Giants wind up with it at their own 48, and McQuarters is saved from being Goat of the Year in New York.

There has never been a more gift-wrapped opportunity to lead your team to a game-winning touchdown on the road then right here and right now. I'd argue, even, that not coming through in this moment is a bigger failure than the triumph of getting the winning score.

Bradsahw takes it to the house on terrible tackling... but it comes back on a hold. 1st and 20, and I'm wondering if either of these teams actually wants to win this game. Given the opportunities that both have whiffed on, Patriot fans have to be locking down any available point spread right now.

Tyree for a couple on a terrible tackle by Woodson, who seems more interested in playing bumper cars than putting the man on the ground. At the 2 minute warning, it 2nd and 15, and Manning finds Smith on wide-open play, and after review, it's 3rd and 1. Bradshaw slips tackles in the backfield and gets 8 yards, and Tynes is in range. After another pass to Smith, the Giants have it at the 21. Bradshaw gets it to the 19, and with the clock ticking, Manning clocks it with 4 seconds left. Tynes has to hit from 36 to send the Giants to the Super Bowl.

Wow.

A high snap to Feagles, who did everything he could. A complete hook by Tynes, who, if the Giants somehow win this game, may still be out of a job on Monday. And we're into overtime. Wow, wow, wow.