It was over when ...
Giants QB Eli Manning connected with Amani Toomer on a 4-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter. The score put New York up 24-7 and gave the Giants just enough breathing room against a resilient Bucs team.
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| Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images |
| Three's a charm for Eli Manning as he got his first playoff win in his third attempt Sunday. His patience in the pocket confounded the Bucs' aggressive defense. |
Game balls
A pair of trusty veterans who have spent their entire careers with the franchise carried the day for the Giants. On offense it was Toomer who came up big with seven catches and the game-sealing touchdown. Defensivley, it was end Michael Strahan who delivered. He pressured Bucs QB Jeff Garcia relentlessly and finished with nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
Key stat
The turnover battle proved critical in this contest between evenly matched teams. The stats were very comparable in every category except for takeaways -- the Giants had three, while the Bucs had none.
Noteworthy
Jay Alford, David Diehl and Strahan all left the field with injuries at various times for the Giants. ... Bucs WR Joey Galloway was largely ineffective and was benched late with a sore shoulder. ... Filling in for the ailing Sam Madison, Giants CB Corey Webster peformed admirably, grabbing an interception and recovering a fumble. ... Giants CB R.W. McQuarters made a nifty interception to end a late comeback attempt by the Bucs and clinch the victory. The pick was originally ruled an incomplete pass before being overtuned by a booth replay.
