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**BeastJacobs** · 01-06-2008, 07:10 PM

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Giants Coach Tom Coughlin had a simple message for his team last week.

WR Amani Toomer caught a 4yd touchdown in the Giants win!

“Let’s keep playing,” Coughlin said.

And so they will. The Giants extend their season Sunday afternoon with a 24-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC Wild Card Game in Raymond James Stadium. The fifth-seeded Giants advanced to a Divisional Playoff Game next Sunday at 4:30 against the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium. Dallas beat the Giants twice in the regular season.

The Giants broke a four-game postseason losing streak that began in Super Bowl XXXV – in this stadium. The won their first playoff road game since the 1990 NFC Championship Game in San Francisco. The Giants also defeated Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia, who had defeated them in the playoffs with the 49ers in 2002 and Philadelphia last year.

Coughlin improved to 5-6 in the playoffs, including 1-2 with the Giants, who had lost the previous two seasons in the Wild Card round.

Brandon Jacobs scored two touchdowns for the Giants, one on a five-yard pass, the other on an eight-yard run, Amani Toomer caught a touchdown pass and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 25-yard field goal for the Giants.

Earnest Graham scored on a one-yard run for fourth-seeded Tampa Bay and TE Alex Smith caught a six-yard touchdown from QB Jeff Garcia.

Manning’s four-yard touchdown pass to Toomer extended the Giants’ lead to 24-7 with 8:03 remaining in the game. On third-and-goal, Toomer found an open space in the end zone and caught his fifth career postseason touchdown pass, extending his team record.

The score capped a huge 15-play, 92-yard drive that ate 8:37 off the clock. Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 38 yards in the series, and Manning completed passes of 11 yards to Toomer, 11 more to Kevin Boss and 14 to Plaxico Burress prior to the touchdown.

Tynes’ field goal increased the Giants’ lead to 17-7 with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter. The Giants got the ball when Tank Daniels forced Micheal Spurlock to fumble the second-half kickoff. Corey Webster recovered the ball on the Buccaneers’ 30-yard line.

Three Jacobs runs moved the ball to the 18. On third-and-nine, Jacobs’ catch-and-run gained 11 yards to the seven. An eight-yard pass to Amani Toomer was sandwiched between false start and delay of game penalties. On third-and-nine, Manning’s pass to Steve Smith gained just two yards and Tynes came on to kick the field goal.

Two Jacobs touchdowns gave the Giants a 14-7 halftime lead.

The Giants tied the score at 7-7 on Manning’s five-yard touchdown pass to Jacobs with 10:02 remaining in the second quarter. It was Jacobs’ first postseason touchdown. On first-and-goal from the five, Manning slipped a short pass to Jacobs, who caught the ball at the eight yards line and worked his way into the end zone.

The score successfully concluded an eight-play, 53-yard drive that took 4:04 to complete. Manning completed five passes for 49 yards in the series. Amani Toomer accounted for 40 yards on three catches, including a 13-yarder down the middle that moved the ball to the five. Jacobs scored on the next play.

Tampa Bay then went-three-and-out on a series highlighted by Michael Strahan’s five-yard sack of Jeff Garcia. The Giants took possession on their own 35 and needed seven plays to cover the 65 yards. The biggest play of the series was Manning’s 21-yard pass to Steve Smith on third-and-two. That put the Giants on the Bucs’ 17-yard line. Manning’s pass to Ahmad Bradshaw gained nine yards. Jacobs then took a handoff and sliced off left tackle for the touchdown.

The Buccaneers led at the end of the first period, 7-0, thanks to a Graham’s one-yard touchdown run with 1:49 remaining. On second-and-goal, Graham took a handoff from Garcia and bulled his way over left guard and into the end zone.

The score capped a 10-play, 54-yard drive following a Giants punt. Graham rushed for 27 yards and caught a 14-yard pass on the series. The reception put the ball on the Giants’ six-yard line. Graham covered the remaining territory on runs of five and one yards.

The Giants couldn’t get untracked offensively in the first quarter. They went three-and-out on all three of their possessions and finished with minus-two yards.

http://giants.com/news/eisen/story.asp?story_id=26509