2002 New York Giants season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 New York Giants 2002 10–6 2nd NFC East Jim Fassel Ernie Accorsi Wellington MaraRobert Tisch Giants Stadium Lost Wild Card Playoffs(at 49ers) 38–39 2 TE Jeremy Shockey DE Michael Strahan 200px Giants seasons The 2002 season was the New York Giants' 78th in the National Football League (NFL) and their sixth under head coach Jim Fassel. The team improved upon their 7–9 record from the previous season by three games and returned to the playoffs for the second time in three years, ending the season on a four-game winning streak.2002 New York Giants After a midseason slump, head coach Jim Fassel stripped offensive coordinator Sean Payton of playcalling duties, and the Giants went on to a winning streak that would carry them to the playoffs. Leading 35–14 in the third quarter of the NFC wild-card came at San Francisco, rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey dropped a touchdown pass forcing a field goal to make the score 38–14. The 49ers gained momentum after that, scoring 25 straight points, and the Giants did not score again, losing the game 39–38. Following the season, Payton was not retained; he won the Super Bowl seven years later as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Offseason Additions Subtractions DE Byron Frisch (Cowboys) K Morten Andersen (Chiefs) LB Jessie Armstead (Redskins) T Lomas Brown (Buccaneers) G Ron Stone (49ers) FS Sam Garnes (Jets) WR Joe Jurevicius (Buccaneers) NFL draft 2002 NFL draft 2002 New York Giants 1 14 Jeremy Shockey Tight end Miami (FL) from Tennessee yes yes 2 46 Tim Carter Wide receiver Auburn yes 3 78 Jeff Hatch Offensive tackle Penn yes 5 152 Nick Greisen Linebacker Wisconsin yes 6 188 Wesly Mallard Linebacker Oregon yes 7 226 Daryl Jones Wide receiver Miami (FL) yes 7 245 Quincy Monk Linebacker North Carolina yes yes no Undrafted free agents + 2002 undrafted free agents of note Player Position College Matt Bryant K Baylor Ryan Clark S LSU Calvin Coleman CB Montana Pat Crummey OG Youngstown State Ryan Deterding OT Chadron State Sean Guthrie DE Boston College Karon Key FB Tennessee State Gade Lindstrom P Toledo Matt Mitrione DT Purdue Delvin Joyce RB James Madison Charles Stackhouse FB Ole Miss David Thompson WR Holy Cross Staff 2002 New York Giants President and co-chief executive officer – Wellington Mara Chairman and co-chief executive officer – Preston Robert Tisch Executive vice president and general counsel – John Mara Vice president and general manager – Ernie Accorsi Assistant general manager – Kevin Abrams Director of player personnel – Jerry Reese Director of pro personnel – David Gettleman Director of college scouting – Jerry Shay Assistant director of pro personnel – Ken Sternfeld Head coach – Jim Fassel Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Sean Payton Running backs – Eric Studesville Wide receivers – Jimmy Robinson Tight ends – Mike Pope Offensive line – Jim McNally Offensive quality control – Jay Robertson Defensive coordinator – Johnnie Lynn Defensive line – Denny Marcin Linebackers – Tom Olivadotti Defensive backs – DeWayne Walker Senior defensive analyst – Dave Brazil Defensive quality control – Rod Rust Special teams – Bruce Read Strength and conditioning – John Dunn Assistant strength and conditioning – Craig Stoddard Roster 2002 New York Giants 53 12 5  5 Kerry Collins 17 Jason Garrett  3 Jesse Palmer 21 Tiki Barber 27 Ron Dayne 33 Delvin Joyce KR/PR y 45 Charles Stackhouse FB y 86 Ron Dixon American football 85 Derek Dorris 87 Daryl Jones American football y KR/PR 15 Tony Simmons wide receiver 81 Amani Toomer 89 Dan Campbell 83 Marcellus Rivers 80 Jeremy Shockey y 74 Ian Allen gridiron football T 67 Chris Bober C 72 Barrett Brooks T 65 Tam Hopkins G 77 Luke Petitgout T 78 Mike Rosenthal T 69 Rich Seubert G 68 Omar Smith C 66 Jason Whittle G 95 Frank Ferrara DE 99 Byron Frisch DE 97 Cornelius Griffin DT 90 Kenny Holmes DE 94 Dwight Johnson American football DT 96 Ross Kolodziej DT 70 Lance Legree DT 98 Matt Mitrione DT y 92 Michael Strahan DE 58 Micheal Barrow MLB 54 Nick Greisen y OLB 55 Dhani Jones OLB 59 Kevin Lewis linebacker MLB 51 Wesly Mallard y OLB 93 Quincy Monk y OLB 53 Brandon Short OLB 25 Will Allen cornerback CB 22 Ralph Brown cornerback CB 37 Johnnie Harris American football SS 28 DeWayne Patmon FS 24 Will Peterson CB 31 Jason Sehorn CB 26 Kato Serwanga CB 34 Reggie Stephens cornerback CB 23 Omar Stoutmire FS 36 Shaun Williams American football SS 12 Matt Allen P y  8 Matt Bryant K 44 Dan O'Leary American football LS 84 Tim Carter wide receiver WR IR y 41 Darnell Dinkins y S IR 71 Sean Guthrie American football DE IR y 75 Keith Hamilton American football DT IR 76 Jeff Hatch T IR y 88 Ike Hilliard WR IR 35 Clarence LeBlanc American football S IR  9 Owen Pochman K IR 29 Damon Washington RB IR 57 Clayton White LB PUP 52 Dusty Zeigler G IR 38 Adam Wright American football RB IR y 49 Taman Bryant TE 39 Ryan Clark American football y S 60 Pat Crummey G y 64 Sean O'Connor American football G y 18 Chris Taylor wide receiver WR 53 12 Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap HOF August 5, 2002 Houston Texans W 34–17 1–0 Fawcett Stadium (Canton) Recap 1 August 10, 2002 New England Patriots W 22–19 2–0 Giants Stadium Recap 2 August 17, 2002 at Atlanta Falcons L 24–36 2–1 Georgia Dome Recap 3 August 24, 2002 at New York Jets L 7–28 2–2 Giants Stadium Recap 4 August 29, 2002 Baltimore Ravens W 13–0 3–2 Giants Stadium Recap Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 5 San Francisco 49ers L 13–16 0–1 Giants Stadium Recap 2 September 15 at St. Louis Rams W 26–21 1–1 Edward Jones Dome Recap 3 September 22 Seattle Seahawks W 9–6 2–1 Giants Stadium Recap 4 September 29 at Arizona Cardinals L 7–21 2–2 Sun Devil Stadium Recap 5 October 6 at Dallas Cowboys W 21–17 3–2 Texas Stadium Recap 6 October 13 Atlanta Falcons L 10–17 3–3 Giants Stadium Recap 7 Bye 8 October 28, 2002 at Philadelphia Eagles L 3–17 3–4 Veterans Stadium Recap 9 November 3 Jacksonville Jaguars W 24–17 4–4 Giants Stadium Recap 10 November 10 at Minnesota Vikings W 27–20 5–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap 11 November 17 Washington Redskins W 19–17 6–4 Giants Stadium Recap 12 November 24 at Houston Texans L 14–16 6–5 Reliant Stadium Recap 13 December 1 Tennessee Titans L 29–32 (OT) 6–6 Giants Stadium Recap 14 December 8 at Washington Redskins W 27–21 7–6 FedExField Recap 15 December 15 Dallas Cowboys W 37–7 8–6 Giants Stadium Recap 16 December 22 at Indianapolis Colts W 44–27 9–6 RCA Dome Recap 17 December 28, 2002 Philadelphia Eagles W 10–7 (OT) 10–6 Giants Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants – game summary September 5 8:30 p.m. EDT 49ers 3 0 7 6 Giants 3 3 0 7 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,748 Clear, 72 F C Gerry Austin ESPN Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Suzy Kolber First quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 29-yard field goal, 5:52. Giants 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 5:59. SF – José Cortez 23-yard field goal, 1:00. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:52. Second quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal, 0:00. Giants 6–3. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 1:03. Third quarter SF – Garrison Hearst 9-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (José Cortez kick), 1:51. 49ers 10–6. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:26. Fourth quarter SF – José Cortez 33-yard field goal, 8:08. 49ers 13–6. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 4:54. NYG – Tiki Barber 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 1:55. Tied 13–13. Drive: 14 plays, 77 yards, 6:13. SF – José Cortez 36-yard field goal, 0:06. 49ers 16–13. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 1:49. Top passers SF – Jeff Garcia – 16/26, 166 yards, TD, INT NYG – Kerry Collins – 28/45, 342 yards, 3 INT Top rushers SF – Garrison Hearst – 12 rushes, 40 yards NYG – Tiki Barber – 15 rushes, 29 yards, TD Top receivers SF – Eric Johnson – 3 receptions, 44 yards NYG – Amani Toomer – 9 receptions, 134 yards The Giants opened their 2002 season at home against the 49ers, in a preview of their infamous Wild Card game later that season. This was the first-ever Thursday night NFL season opener. The Giants led 6–3 at halftime, with new kicker Matt Bryant kicking field goals of 29 and 33 yards. In the third quarter, 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia found running back Garrison Hearst for a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 10–6. After a Jose Cortez field goal made it 13-6 49ers with 8 minutes to go, Tiki Barber ran in for a 1-yard touchdown to tie the game at 13–13 with 1:55 to go. However, the Giants defense failed to hold at the end of the game. A 33-yard pass from Garcia to Terrell Owens set up a 36-yard field goal by Cortez with 6 seconds left to win the game for the 49ers. For the Giants, Amani Toomer caught nine passes for 134 yards.San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants - September 5, 2002 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200209050nyg.htm November 23, 2017 September 5, 2002 Week 2: at St. Louis Rams New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: New York Giants at St. Louis Rams – game summary September 15 4:05 p.m. EDT/3:05 p.m. CDT Giants 3 14 3 6 Rams 0 7 7 7 Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri 65,932 None (indoor stadium) Dick Hantak Fox Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver First quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 20-yard field goal, 9:54. Giants 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 5:06. Second quarter NYG – Jeremy Shockey 28-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 10:29. Giants 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:43. NYG – Jason Sehorn 31-yard interception return (Matt Bryant kick), 9:44. Giants 17–0. STL – Ricky Proehl 6-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick), 4:38. Giants 17–7. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 5:06. Third quarter STL – Marshall Faulk 1-yard run (Jeff Wilkins kick), 11:44. Giants 17–14. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 3:16. NYG – Matt Bryant 32-yard field goal, 6:08. Giants 20–14. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 5:36. Fourth quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 34-yard field goal, 11:47. Giants 23–14. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 5:34. STL – Marshall Faulk 8-yard run (Jeff Wilkins kick), 8:24. Giants 23–21. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 3:23. NYG – Matt Bryant 25-yard field goal, 4:19. Giants 26–21. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:05. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 22/26, 307 yards, TD, INT STL – Kurt Warner – 26/39, 266 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 19 rushes, 80 yards STL – Marshall Faulk – 14 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NYG – Ike Hilliard – 4 receptions, 97 yards STL – Torry Holt – 6 receptions, 88 yards The Giants next traveled to St. Louis to take on the defending NFC champion Rams, who were favored by 12 to defeat the Giants. However, the Giants jumped out to a 17–0 lead in the first half. In the second quarter, Kerry Collins found rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey for his first career touchdown on a 28-yard pass. Later in the quarter, Jason Sehorn picked off Kurt Warner and returned his errant pass 31 yards for a touchdown. The Rams finally got on the board with Warner finding receiver Ricky Proehl for a 6-yard touchdown to make the score 17–7 Giants at the half. In the third quarter, Marshall Faulk scored a touchdown to narrow the score to 17–14. After two Matt Bryant field goals, Faulk scored another touchdown from 8 yards out to make the score 23–21 with 8:24 to go. The Giants finally clinched the game when cornerback Will Allen intercepted a Kurt Warner pass with 1:43 remaining. Kerry Collins was 22 of 26 for 307 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Ike Hilliard was the leading receiver with 4 receptions for 97 yards, while Amani Toomer added 4 catches for 92 yards. The defense forced 4 Rams turnovers against just one by the Giants.New York Giants at St. Louis Rams - September 15, 2002 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200209150ram.htm November 23, 2017 September 15, 2002 Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 3: Seattle Seahawks (0–2) at New York Giants (1–1) – game summary September 22 4:15 p.m. EDT Seahawks 3 3 0 0 Giants 0 0 3 6 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,551 Clear, 82 F C Jeff Triplette Fox Sam Rosen, Bill Maas, and Brent Ringenbach First quarter SEA – Rian Lindell 42-yard field goal, 6:24. Seahawks 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 34 yards, 4:55. Second quarter SEA – Rian Lindell 27-yard field goal, 4:05. Seahawks 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 3:21. Third quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal, 8:06. Seahawks 6–3. Drive: 16 plays, 69 yards, 6:54. Fourth quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 21-yard field goal, 12:05. Tied 6–6. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:55. NYG – Matt Bryant 47-yard field goal, 2:04. Giants 9–6. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 6:00. Top passers SEA – Trent Dilfer – 16/25, 118 yards, INT NYG – Kerry Collins – 23/38, 282 yards Top rushers SEA – Shaun Alexander – 14 rushes, 37 yards NYG – Tiki Barber – 21 rushes, 50 yards Top receivers SEA – Darrell Jackson – 7 receptions, 54 yards NYG – Amani Toomer – 4 receptions, 100 yards Next came a contest against the Seahawks that did not feature a touchdown. The Giants trailed 6–0 at halftime after two Rian Lindell field goals, but Matt Bryant kicked three field goals in the second half, the last one a 47 yarder coming with 2:04 remaining. As he had the previous week, Will Allen clinched the game by intercepting a Trent Dilfer pass with 1:35 remaining. The Giants held the Seahawks to just 145 yards of total offense. Amani Toomer caught four passes for 100 yards.Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants - September 22, 2002 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200209220nyg.htm November 23, 2017 September 22, 2002 Week 4: at Arizona Cardinals New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 4: New York Giants (2–1) at Arizona Cardinals (1–2) – game summary September 29 4:05 p.m. EDT/2:05 p.m. MDT Giants 7 0 0 0 Cardinals 0 7 0 14 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 30,014 Scattered clouds, 90 F C Mike Carey Fox Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston and Ron Pitts First quarter NYG – Tiki Barber 6-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 8:38. Giants 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 4:21. Second quarter ARI – Justin Lucas 38-yard interception return (Bill Gramatica kick), 0:04. Tied 7–7. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter ARI – Marcel Shipp 7-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramatica kick), 10:36. Cardinals 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 3:28. ARI – Marcel Shipp 10-yard run (Bill Gramatica kick), 2:13. Cardinals 21–7. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 6:18. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 19/36, 199 yards, 2 INT ARI – Jake Plummer – 23/32, 168 yards, TD Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 13 rushes, 55 yards, TD ARI – Marcel Shipp – 17 rushes, 92 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Jeremy Shockey – 4 receptions, 56 yards ARI – Marcel Shipp – 5 receptions, 39 yards, TD Team – pass passing yards – rush rushing yards – total total yards – to turnovers NYG – 199 – 67 – 263 – 3 ARI – 168 – 102 – 263 – 1 The Giants completed their NFC West cycle with a poor performance against the Cardinals. The Giants struck first with Tiki Barber running in for a 6-yard touchdown in the first quarter. However, in the second quarter, Kerry Collins was intercepted by Justin Lucas, who returned the pick 38 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 7–7 at the half. In the fourth quarter, Cardinals running back Marcel Shipp scored two touchdowns. The first one was on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Jake Plummer to give the Cardinals a 14–7 lead with 10:36 to go, and the second touchdown was a 10-yard run to clinch the game with 2:13 left. Both teams gained 263 yards in this contest. However, the Cardinals won the turnover battle 3–1 and time of possession 36:05 to 23:55.New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals - September 29, 2002 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200209290crd.htm November 23, 2017 September 29, 2002 Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 5: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – game summary October 6 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT Giants 0 14 0 7 Cowboys 0 10 0 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 63,447 Mostly cloudy, 86 F C Bill Leavy Fox Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger, and Mike Doocy First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter NYG – Ike Hilliard 12-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 14:55. Giants 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 6:41. DAL – Emmitt Smith 30-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 5:40. Tied 7–7. Drive: 3 plays, 52 yards, 1:22. NYG – Amani Toomer 56-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 4:11. Giants 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 78 yards, 1:29. DAL – Billy Cundiff 32-yard field goal, 0:24. Giants 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 45 yards, 3:47. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter DAL – Antonio Bryant 5-yard pass from Quincy Carter (Billy Cundiff kick), 10:52. Cowboys 17–14. Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards, 5:56. NYG – Marcellus Rivers 17-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 6:51. Giants 21–17. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:01. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 18/27, 228 yards, 3 TD, INT DAL – Quincy Carter – 23/42, 262 yards, TD Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 17 rushes, 94 yards DAL – Emmitt Smith – 13 rushes, 70 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Amani Toomer – 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD DAL – Joey Galloway – 8 receptions, 109 yards Week 6: vs. Atlanta Falcons New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 6: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – game summary October 13 1:00 p.m. EDT Falcons 0 10 0 7 Giants 0 3 7 0 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,728 Drizzle, 61 F C Bob McElwee Fox Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Ron Pitts First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter ATL – Doug Johnson 15-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 14:49. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 17 plays, 88 yards, 9:34. NYG – Matt Bryant 38-yard field goal, 4:31. Falcons 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 5:41. ATL – Jay Feely 31-yard field goal, 0:30. Falcons 10–3. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 4:01. Third quarter NYG – Ike Hilliard 18-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 8:10. Tied 10–10. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 6:50. Fourth quarter ATL – Brian Finneran 14-yard pass from Doug Johnson (Jay Feely kick), 8:06. Falcons 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 94 yards, 3:33. Top passers ATL – Doug Johnson – 19/25, 257 yards, TD NYG – Kerry Collins – 20/31, 204 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ATL – T. J. Duckett – 16 rushes, 36 yards NYG – Tiki Barber – 14 rushes, 57 yards Top receivers ATL – Shawn Jefferson – 3 receptions, 84 yards NYG – Ike Hilliard – 7 receptions, 76 yards, TD Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – game summary October 28 9:00 p.m. EST Giants 0 3 0 0 Eagles 3 6 0 8 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 65,791 Scattered clouds, 47 F C Bill Carollo ABC Al Michaels, John Madden and Melissa Stark First quarter PHI – David Akers 27-yard field goal, 2:08. Eagles 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:15. Second quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 26-yard field goal, 12:55. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:13. PHI – David Akers 36-yard field goal, 5:23. Eagles 6–3. Drive: 16 plays, 70 yards, 7:32. PHI – David Akers 35-yard field goal, 0:43. Eagles 9–3. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 2:26. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter PHI – Donovan McNabb 40-yard run (Donovan McNabb–Chad Lewis pass), 10:30. Eagles 17–3. Drive: 9 plays, 99 yards, 3:33. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 20/34, 251 yards PHI – Donovan McNabb – 14/30, 157 yards Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 15 rushes, 79 yards PHI – Duce Staley – 24 rushes, 126 yards Top receivers NYG – Tiki Barber – 5 receptions, 92 yards PHI – James Thrash – 7 receptions, 69 yards Week 9: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 9: Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants – game summary November 3 8:30 p.m. EST Jaguars 0 0 3 14 Giants 7 7 10 0 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,337 Overcast, 43 F C Johnny Grier ESPN Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Suzy Kolber First quarter NYG – Tiki Barber 2-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 10:54. Giants 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:39. Second quarter NYG – Ron Dixon 8-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 0:09. Giants 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 4:12. Third quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 27-yard field goal, 11:54. Giants 17–0. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:06. NYG – Tiki Barber 44-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 7:18. Giants 24–0. Drive: 2 plays, 53 yards, 0:46. JAC – Tim Seder 24-yard field goal, 3:16. Giants 24–3. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:02. Fourth quarter JAC – Bobby Shaw 14-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Tim Seder kick), 5:20. Giants 24–10. Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 7:41. JAC – Jimmy Smith 9-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Tim Seder kick), 1:47. Giants 24–17. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:24. Top passers JAC – Mark Brunell – 23/38, 230 yards, 2 TD NYG – Kerry Collins – 20/28, 228 yards, TD Top rushers JAC – Mark Brunell – 5 rushes, 63 yards, TD NYG – Tiki Barber – 19 rushes, 101 yards, 2 TD Top receivers JAC – Jimmy Smith – 10 receptions, 123 yards, TD NYG – Tiki Barber – 4 receptions, 62 yards Week 10: at Minnesota Vikings New York Giants 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse Week 10: New York Giants (4–4) at Minnesota Vikings (2–6) – Game summary November 10 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST Giants 7 6 6 8 Vikings 0 3 3 14 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota 64,005 None (indoor stadium) Tony Corrente FOX Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston and Ron Pitts First quarter NYG – Charles Stackhouse 1-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 6:10. Giants 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 1:35. Second quarter MIN – Gary Anderson 20-yard field goal, 12:36. Giants 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 5:07. NYG – Ron Dayne 30-yard run (run failed), 8:48. Giants 13–3. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:48. Third quarter MIN – Gary Anderson 27-yard field goal, 9:11. Giants 13–6. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:02. NYG – Amani Toomer 11-yard pass from Kerry Collins (kick failed), 0:22. Giants 19–6. Drive: 6 plays, 91 yards, 3:04. Fourth quarter MIN – Moe Williams 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 12:06. Giants 19–13. Drive: 3 plays, 81 yards, 1:11. MIN – Michael Bennett 78-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 8:36. Vikings 20–19. Drive: 2 plays, 78 yards, 0:16. NYG – Tiki Barber 8-yard run (Kerry Collins–Marcellus Rivers pass), 2:43. Giants 27–20. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:53. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 25/35, 300 yards, 2 TD, INT MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 9/20, 91 yards Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 24 rushes, 127 yards, TD MIN – Michael Bennett – 15 rushes, 167 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Ron Dixon – 4 receptions, 107 yards MIN – Randy Moss – 3 receptions, 85 yards The Giants took on the Vikings in a midseason contest at the Metrodome. The Giants took charge early, with Kerry Collins finding Charles Stackhouse for a 1-yard touchdown to make the score 7–0. In the second quarter Ron Dayne ran in for a 30-yard touchdown, with a failed two-point conversion making the score 13–3 at the half. Late in the third quarter, Collins found Amani Toomer for an 11-yard touchdown, and the Giants led 19–6 at the start of the fourth quarter. While the Giants flourished offensively, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper struggled mightily. He completed just 9 of 20 passes, with many of his passes not even close to reaching his receivers. Due to his inability to perform and lack of confidence in this contest, Vikings head coach Mike Tice decided to have him take the rest of the day off. To replace Culpepper, Tice put in Todd Bouman, a local product from St. Cloud State University. Immediately after he went in, the Vikings' fortunes changed. Early in the fourth quarter, Bouman threw a 48-yard bomb to Randy Moss, which set up a 1-yard touchdown by running back Moe Williams. The lead was now 19–13 Giants. On the next Vikings possession, the Vikings ran a draw play where the fastest man in the NFL, Michael Bennett, took off for a 78-yard touchdown. With 8:36 to go, the Vikings were now leading 20–19 in a contest the Giants had dominated. The Giants recovered, however, and Tiki Barber ran in for an 8-yard touchdown with 2:43 to go. On the two-point conversion, the Giants were thrown a life preserver when a Vikings player dropped an interception, with rookie tight end Marcellus Rivers catching the loose ball to make the score 27–20 Giants. The Giants forced a punt on the next Vikings possession when Kenny Holmes sacked Bouman on a third down play to essentially clinch the game. Kerry Collins was 25 of 35 for 300 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Tiki Barber added 127 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown, and Ron Dixon caught four passes for 107 yards.New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings - November 10, 2002 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200211100min.htm December 30, 2017 November 10, 2002 Week 11: vs. Washington Redskins New York Giants 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse Week 11: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – game summary November 17 1:00 p.m. EST Redskins 0 10 7 0 Giants 3 7 6 3 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,727 Overcast, 43 F C Tom White Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green, and John DiScepolo First quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 43-yard field goal, 6:39. Giants 3–0. Drive: 16 plays, 54 yards, 6:17. Second quarter WAS – Willie Jackson 6-yard pass from Shane Matthews (James Tuthill kick), 14:10. Redskins 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:14. WAS – James Tuthill 31-yard field goal, 5:01. Redskins 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, −1 yards, 0:50. NYG – Amani Toomer 35-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 1:47. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 3:14. Third quarter WAS – Rod Gardner 11-yard pass from Shane Matthews (James Tuthill kick), 11:53. Redskins 17–10. Drive: 1 play, 11 yards, 0:08. NYG – Matt Bryant 34-yard field goal, 2:56. Redskins 17–13. Drive: 8 plays, 15 yards, 2:16. NYG – Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal, 1:32. Redskins 17–16. Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 1:17. Fourth quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 19-yard field goal, 11:56. Giants 19–17. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 4:11. Top passers WAS – Shane Matthews – 15/35, 113 yards, 2 TD, INT NYG – Kerry Collins – 22/46, 211 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers WAS – Stephen Davis – 19 rushes, 59 yards NYG – Tiki Barber – 24 rushes, 64 yards Top receivers WAS – Rod Gardner – 5 receptions, 47 yards NYG – Jeremy Shockey – 11 receptions, 111 yards Week 12: at Houston Texans New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 12: New York Giants at Houston Texans – game summary November 24 4:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. CST Giants 0 7 0 7 Texans 0 5 8 3 Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas 70,054 Mostly cloudy, 74 F C Terry McAulay Fox Sam Rosen, Bill Maas and Matt Sampsell First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter HOU – Kris Brown 40-yard field goal, 12:29. Texans 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 5:49. NYG – Tiki Barber 2-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 3:40. Giants 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:27. HOU – Bob Jones fumble out of bounds in end zone for a safety, 0:19. Giants 7–5. Third quarter HOU – Jonathan Wells 1-yard run (David Carr–James Allen pass), 6:41. Texans 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:51. Fourth quarter NYG – Amani Toomer 31-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 13:10. Giants 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:15. HOU – Kris Brown 50-yard field goal, 6:57. Texans 16–14. Drive: 11 plays, 41 yards, 6:13. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 18/41, 214 yards, TD, 2 INT HOU – David Carr – 10/23, 103 yards Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 20 rushes, 147 yards, TD HOU – Jonathan Wells – 24 rushes, 68 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Amani Toomer – 8 receptions, 113 yards, TD HOU – Billy Miller – 4 receptions, 70 yards Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Tennessee Titans at New York Giants – game summary December 1 1:00 p.m. EST Titans 0 14 0 15 3 Giants 3 7 10 9 0 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,640 Mostly cloudy, 36 F C Jeff Triplette CBS Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross and Beasley Reece First quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 38-yard field goal, 11:07. Giants 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards, 2:20. Second quarter TEN – Derrick Mason 6-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 12:02. Titans 7–3. Drive: 18 plays, 86 yards, 9:29. NYG – Dan Campbell 1-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 1:14. Giants 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:52. TEN – Drew Bennett 26-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 0:23. Titans 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 0:51. Third quarter NYG – Ron Dixon 24-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 14:03. Giants 17–14. Drive: 3 plays, 62 yards, 0:57. NYG – Matt Bryant 36-yard field goal, 8:44. Giants 20–14. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 3:00. Fourth quarter NYG – Tiki Barber 1-yard run (pass failed), 14:15. Giants 26–14. Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 4:47. TEN – Eddie George 1-yard run (Joe Nedney kick), 7:34. Giants 26–21. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 6:41. NYG – Matt Bryant 19-yard field goal, 2:21. Giants 29–21. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 5:13. TEN – Frank Wycheck 9-yard pass from Steve McNair (McNair run), 0:09. Tied 29–29. Drive: 12 plays, 81 yards, 2:12. Overtime TEN – Joe Nedney 38-yard field goal, 10:00. Titans 32–29. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 2:48. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 30/43, 334 yards, 3 TD NYG – Kerry Collins – 22/36, 283 yards, 2 TD Top rushers TEN – Eddie George – 20 rushes, 64 yards, TD NYG – Tiki Barber – 22 rushes, 64 yards, TD Top receivers TEN – Derrick Mason – 12 receptions, 116 yards, TD NYG – Amani Toomer – 5 receptions, 104 yards Week 14: at Washington Redskins New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 14: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – game summary December 8 1:00 p.m. EST Giants 3 14 7 3 Redskins 0 3 11 7 FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland 78,635 Mostly cloudy, 45 F C Ed Hochuli Fox Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston and Dave Feldman First quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 42-yard field goal, 2:10. Giants 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 43 yards, 3:53. Second quarter NYG – Charles Stackhouse 2-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 8:47. Giants 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 5:10. NYG – Amani Toomer 29-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 1:53. Giants 17–0. Drive: 2 plays, 34 yards, 0:34. WAS – José Cortez 24-yard field goal, 0:00. Giants 17–3. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 1:53. Third quarter WAS – José Cortez 44-yard field goal, 5:52. Giants 17–6. Drive: 7 plays, 18 yards, 3:29. WAS – Rod Gardner 13-yard pass from Patrick Ramsey (Patrick Ramsey–Chris Doering pass), 3:17. Giants 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 1:13. NYG – Tiki Barber 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 1:25. Giants 24–14. Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards, 0:44. Fourth quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 35-yard field goal, 10:57. Giants 27–14. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:07. WAS – Stephen Davis 1-yard run (José Cortez kick), 8:42. Giants 27–21. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:15. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 17/31, 212 yards, 2 TD WAS – Patrick Ramsey – 12/27, 204 yards, TD Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 20 rushes, 96 yards, TD WAS – Stephen Davis – 12 rushes, 70 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Jeremy Shockey – 5 receptions, 89 yards WAS – Derrius Thompson – 6 receptions, 122 yards Coming off two straight devastating losses, the 6–6 Giants were now two games behind the Saints for the NFC's second wild card playoff spot. To make matters worse, on the road against the 5–7 Redskins, they would be without five injured defensive players that opened the season as starters; however, many of their backups ended up playing pivotal roles. Washington was first to threaten on their second drive behind the arm of Danny Wuerffel, but José Cortez missed a 36-yard field goal. A 20-yard pass from Kerry Collins to Jeremy Shockey led to Matt Bryant converting a 42-yard kick for a 3–0 Giants lead. The Redskins reached New York's 22-yard line early in the second quarter; but following a 9-yard catch, Derrius Thompson had the ball stripped by Omar Stoutmire and recovered and returned 31 yards by Ralph Brown, a cornerback making his second career start. A 43-yard run by Tiki Barber and a third-down pass interference penalty on Antonio Pierce led to a touchdown reception by Charles Stackhouse. On the ensuing drive, Wuerffel fumbled on a sack, with rookie Nick Greisen—making his first career start—coming up with the force and recovery. A missed 37-yard kick by Bryant spoiled the opportunity, but Wuerffel was intercepted by Brown three plays later. Shortly after, Collins found Amani Toomer for a 29-yard touchdown and a 17–0 Giants lead with two minutes left in the first half. However, Wuerffel scrambled 26 yards to put Washington in field goal range, and Cortez's 24-yard field goal was good as time expired. In the third quarter, a 28-yard catch by Thompson put the Redskins in the red zone, but a taunting penalty on Darnerien McCants pushed them back 15 yards, and sacks by Brandon Short and Kevin Lewis—the latter also making his first start—forced them to punt. Soon after, Wuerffel fumbled on a sack by Cornelius Griffin; Stephen Davis recovered for Washington, but Wuerffel was out the rest of the game with a sprained right shoulder in favor of rookie Patrick Ramsey, who led Washington to a 44-yard Cortez field goal. After New York went three-and-out, a 33-yard run by Davis led to Ramsey finding Rod Gardner for a 13-yard touchdown, and the two-point conversion by Chris Doering cut the Giants' lead to 17–14 late in the period. Washington's defense then forced another punt; but the fair catch was muffed by Champ Bailey and recovered by Kato Serwanga. Two plays later, Barber scored from the 1; then on their next drive, Collins completed a 30-yard pass to Shockey and a 32-yard strike to rookie Daryl Jones, which led to a 35-yard Bryant field goal to extend New York's lead to 27–14. Ramsey quickly led the Redskins 62 yards in seven plays, converting on a fourth-down pass to Gardner before Davis scored a touchdown to make the score 27–21; they regained possession on their 30-yard line with seven minutes remaining. A 17-yard pass to Thompson and a 24-yard catch-and-run by rookie Ladell Betts took Washington across midfield; but on 2nd-and-8, Thompson fumbled on a strip by Serwanga, who had been cut by the Redskins six days earlier and was now spelling injured nickelback Reggie Stephens, and Shaun Williams recovered. A last-ditch heave by Ramsey was knocked away in the end zone as time ran out, securing a much-needed Giants win. Leading the effort by a much-maligned and battered defense, Griffin had a career-high three sacks, the team totaling six against the Washington quarterbacks. But thanks to the plays made by a group of reserves and castoffs, it was their five takeaways that proved the biggest factor in the harrowing victory. Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 15: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – game summary December 15 4:15 p.m. EST Cowboys 0 0 0 7 Giants 21 3 3 10 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,698 Mostly cloudy, 45 F C Walt Coleman Fox Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger and John DiScepolo First quarter NYG – Tiki Barber 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 8:36. Giants 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:48. NYG – Kenny Holmes 50-yard fumble return (Matt Bryant kick), 5:36. Giants 14–0. NYG – Ron Dayne 4-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 1:34. Giants 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:32. Second quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 38-yard field goal, 12:37. Giants 24–0. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:12. Third quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 35-yard field goal, 12:44. Giants 27–0. Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 2:16. Fourth quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 31-yard field goal, 14:46. Giants 30–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:49. NYG – Ron Dayne 3-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 5:58. Giants 37–0. Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 7:04. DAL – Antonio Bryant 9-yard pass from Chad Hutchinson (Billy Cundiff kick), 1:56. Giants 37–7. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 4:02. Top passers DAL – Chad Hutchinson – 16/40, 161 yards, TD, 2 INT NYG – Kerry Collins – 13/27, 190 yards Top rushers DAL – Troy Hambrick – 10 rushes, 42 yards NYG – Tiki Barber – 11 rushes, 81 yards, TD Top receivers DAL – Michael Wiley – 4 receptions, 31 yards NYG – Amani Toomer – 6 receptions, 99 yards Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 16: New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts – game summary December 22 1:00 p.m. EST Giants 3 7 20 14 Colts 0 3 3 21 RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana 56,579 None (indoor stadium) Dick Hantak Fox Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth and Pam Oliver First quarter NYG – Matt Bryant 20-yard field goal, 9:24. Giants 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 2:45. Second quarter NYG – Tiki Barber 4-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 12:42. Giants 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:23. IND – Mike Vanderjagt 20-yard field goal, 0:05. Giants 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:13. Third quarter NYG – Amani Toomer 82-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 14:41. Giants 17–3. Drive: 1 play, 82 yards, 0:19. NYG – Charles Stackhouse 18-yard pass from Kerry Collins (kick failed), 10:23. Giants 23–3. Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:54. IND – Mike Vanderjagt 27-yard field goal, 5:18. Giants 23–6. Drive: 14 plays, 49 yards, 5:05. NYG – Tiki Barber 1-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 0:11. Giants 30–6. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 5:07. Fourth quarter IND – Reggie Wayne 21-yard pass from Peyton Manning (run failed), 13:34. Giants 30–12. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 1:37. NYG – Amani Toomer 21-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 6:45. Giants 37–12. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 6:49. IND – Marvin Harrison 25-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Peyton Manning–Marcus Pollard pass), 4:51. Giants 37–20. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 1:54. IND – Reggie Wayne 40-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick), 4:44. Giants 37–27. Drive: 1 play, 40 yards, 0:07. NYG – Amani Toomer 27-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 4:00. Giants 44–27. Drive: 4 plays, 42 yards, 0:44. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 23/29, 366 yards, 4 TD IND – Peyton Manning – 30/46, 365 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 18 rushes, 60 yards, 2 TD IND – James Mungro – 8 rushes, 21 yards Top receivers NYG – Amani Toomer – 10 receptions, 204 yards, 3 TD IND – Marvin Harrison – 10 receptions, 128 yards, TD After two games against teams with losing records, the Giants' schedule got tougher with a road game at Indianapolis. However, the Giants would be up to the challenge in a shootout. The Giants took a 3–0 lead in the first quarter with a 20-yard Matt Bryant field goal. The first play of the second quarter was when this game took off. Kerry Collins threw a screen pass to Jeremy Shockey, who ran over and flattened Colts safety David Gibson before finally being brought down at the Colts' 14-yard line after a 24-yard gain. Shockey's takedown of Gibson was all the more embarrassing for the Colt as he declared before the game that Shockey was "just another player." Three plays later, Tiki Barber ran in for a 4-yard touchdown. The score was 10–3 Giants at the half, but some noted that the Giants should have been up by more as two lost fumbles hindered their offense. On the first play of the second half came the play of the game. The Giants ran a flea flicker where Tiki Barber took a handoff before throwing the ball back to Kerry Collins, who then launched a rocket (starting from his own 5-yard line, Collins' pass landed inside the Colts' 40) to Amani Toomer, who outran the already embarrassed David Gibson for an 82-yard touchdown. On the next Giants drive, they extended their lead with Collins finding Charles Stackhouse for an 18-yard touchdown to make the score 24–3. With 11 seconds to go in the third quarter, Tiki Barber ran in for a 1-yard touchdown. The score was 30–6 Giants heading into the fourth quarter. With 13:34 to go in the fourth quarter, the Colts finally got into the end zone with Peyton Manning finding Reggie Wayne for a 21-yard touchdown to make it 31–12 Giants. The Giants answered with Kerry Collins finding Amani Toomer for a 21-yard touchdown to make the score 37–12. However, after this touchdown the Giants defense and special teams began to blow their seemingly insurmountable lead. The Colts needed just six plays to drive 77 yards for a touchdown, with Manning finding Marvin Harrison for a 25-yard touchdown. The ensuing two-point conversion made the score 37–20 with 4:51 to go. The Colts needed an onside kick, and Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt lofted a kick up and over the Giants frontlines with the Colts recovering the ball. On the very next play, Manning found Reggie Wayne for another Colts touchdown. Suddenly with 4:44 to go, the Giants led by just 10, 37–27. However the Giants recovered the ensuing onside kick before facing a 3rd and 11. Rather than play it safe and run the ball to kill the clock, Jim Fassel called for another pass play. The gamble paid off with Collins hitting Toomer for his third touchdown of the day, a 27-yard touchdown that finally put the game away with 4:00 to go. Kerry Collins achieved a perfect passer rating of 158.3, going 23 of 29 for 366 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Amani Toomer caught 10 passes for 204 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, with Jeremy Shockey adding 7 receptions for 116 yards. Kenny Holmes registered two sacks for the Giants defense. Not only did the Giants remain in playoff contention with their win over the Colts, but they gained help from an unlikely source. While this game was taking place, the lowly 1–13 Cincinnati Bengals came from behind and stunned the New Orleans Saints. As a result of this game, the Giants were now ahead of the Saints in playoff standings.New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings - November 10, 2002 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200211100min.htm December 30, 2017 November 10, 2002 Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 17: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – game summary December 28 1:30 p.m. EST Eagles 7 0 0 0 0 Giants 0 0 0 7 3 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 78,782 Partly sunny, 36 F C Ron Blum Fox Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth and Pam Oliver First quarter PHI – James Thrash 20-yard run (David Akers kick), 12:36. Eagles 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 2:24. Second quarter No scoring plays. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter NYG – Jeremy Shockey 7-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 8:08. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:59. Overtime NYG – Matt Bryant 39-yard field goal, 9:50. Giants 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:46. Top passers PHI – A. J. Feeley – 13/25, 150 yards, INT NYG – Kerry Collins – 25/35, 256 yards, TD, INT Top rushers PHI – Duce Staley – 17 rushes, 28 yards NYG – Tiki Barber – 32 rushes, 203 yards Top receivers PHI – Duce Staley – 3 receptions, 39 yards NYG – Jeremy Shockey – 10 receptions, 98 yards, TD Three straight wins had put the Giants in control of their playoff destiny; a Saturday afternoon win over the Eagles would clinch a playoff spot, otherwise they'd need the Saints to lose to the Panthers the next day. Philadelphia, meanwhile, had won six straight games despite the absence of injured Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb and backup Koy Detmer. Third-stringer A. J. Feeley had been solid in their absences, and a win would give the Eagles home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Philadelphia received the opening kickoff and immediately drove 67 yards in four plays; a 20-yard completion to Jeff Thomason, a 35-yard catch-and-run by Duce Staley, and a 20-yard run for a touchdown on a double reverse by James Thrash gave them a 7–0 lead, the only first-quarter touchdown the Giants had allowed all season. New York responded with a quick march into the red zone with a mixture of Jeremy Shockey and Tiki Barber, but on 2nd-and-Goal from the 6-yard line, Kerry Collins forced a pass into double coverage and was intercepted by Michael Lewis to kill the possession. Neither team threatened to score in a sloppy first half of muffed snaps and grass field slips until the Giants took over at their own 29; Collins completed passes for first downs to Barber and Amani Toomer before a 24-yard strike to Shockey put the ball back on the Eagles' 6. Two plays later, Collins found Charles Stackhouse for a touchdown, but a questionable holding penalty on Mike Rosenthal nullified the score, and shortly after, Barber slipped and had the ball poked out after taking a handoff, and the Eagles recovered, maintaining their shutout at halftime. Barber lost his second fumble on the opening possession of the second half; but the Eagles missed their chance to capitalize when an offensive pass interference on Antonio Freeman wiped out a third-down conversion by Thrash that would've put them in the red zone, and Barber was quickly racking up the rushing yards for the Giants, scampering for a 39-yard run down the left sideline in the late minutes of the third quarter. But after rookie Daryl Jones mistimed his jump on what would've been a touchdown catch, the drive stalled, and Matt Bryant's 36-yard field goal drifted wide right to keep New York scoreless despite mostly controlling the pace of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, still trailing 7–0, Jim Fassel got tricky by calling a reverse pass from Shockey to Toomer; the pass was incomplete, and Rosenthal was flagged for clipping on Brandon Whiting, putting the Giants at 1st-and-25. Collins threw over the middle to an airborne Shockey, who was decked by Lewis as he somehow held on for the catch and 20-yard gain before standing and firing up the Giants Stadium crowd. Three plays later, they were at Philadelphia's 43-yard line, where Collins launched a deep bomb to Toomer for a touchdown; once again, however, the score was erased by a questionable penalty, this time Rich Seubert being called for holding. Undaunted, Collins passed and handed the ball to Barber on three straight plays, and he picked up 36 yards to put the ball inside the 10. On 2nd-and-Goal from the 7, Collins then threw a jump ball to Shockey, who outfought Brian Dawkins in the end zone for a touchdown. In their two games against the Eagles, the Giants had six drives reach the red zone and only had a field goal to show for it, before finally breaking through; Bryant's extra point hit the right upright but deflected in to tie the game at 7 to cap a 13-play, 80-yard drive. On the ensuing series, Feeley picked up 17 yards on a pass to Thomason to put the Eagles in New York territory; but the Giants' defense held up again, giving the ball back to the offense with 5:17 remaining. However, on the second play of the drive, Barber lost his third fumble when he had it knocked loose by Dawkins, giving Philadelphia the ball on the 26-yard line. With only one time-out left, the Giants used it as Feeley handed off to Staley six straight times before Pro Bowler David Akers came on for a 35-yard field goal attempt; he had been 30-of-33 on the season, but his kick missed wide right, igniting the crowd and giving the Giants new life with 1:12 to go. New York picked up a first down in the final minute of regulation but eventually took a knee, sending the game to overtime. Bryant's kickoff was returned 32 yards by Brian Mitchell to set the Eagles up at the 45-yard line. A one-handed sack of Feeley by Kenny Holmes and an 11-yard catch by Freddie Mitchell set up 3rd-and-5; Feeley's pass for Chad Lewis was tipped and intercepted by Shaun Williams, with Brandon Short getting away with a possible uncalled hold. Despite the fumbles, the Giants kept feeding Barber, and they were granted an additional 15 yards when Troy Vincent was called for unsportsmanlike conduct with a late shove against Jones. Three more carries by Barber—covering the ball up with both hands—picked up 21 yards and put New York at Philadelphia's 20. A heart-stopping moment took place when he muffed a handoff from Collins, but fell on the ball to save the possession; two plays later, Bryant came on and, despite a poor snap, converted the 39-yard field goal to put the Giants in the playoffs with a 10–7 win. New York dominated in the battle of first downs (23–9) and total yards (461–209) but were often self sabotaged by untimely penalties and turnovers squandering scoring opportunities. However, Barber rushed for a career-best 203 yards and gained 281 total yards from scrimmage, while Shockey had 10 catches in a rookie season in which he broke Mark Bavaro's franchise record for most receptions in a season by a tight end with 74. Standings Division Conference Postseason Prelude: Giants sign Trey Junkin While the Giants made the postseason in 2002 after a one-year absence, throughout the season they had struggled on special teams, particularly with stability at the long snapper position. The Giants began the season with Bob Jones as their long snapper, but after he struggled in games against the Vikings and Texans, the Giants signed Dan O'Leary, who split time as the long snapper with center Chris Bober for the final five games of the regular season until he was put on Injured Reserve with torn thumb ligaments. With guard Jason Whittle also long snapping for a game, the Giants had used four separate long snappers on the season, along with three separate kick holders in punters Matt Allen and Tom Rouen, and backup quarterback Jesse Palmer. Before the Giants' Wild Card playoff game with the 49ers, Jim Fassel made the decision to sign Trey Junkin, who had played 19 seasons with Buffalo, Washington, the Raiders, Seattle, and Arizona, where Fassel had coached in 1996 before his tenure with the Giants. Junkin had been cut before the beginning of the season by the Cowboys and had retired before the Giants signed him. Of particular note was an NFL Films video featuring a segment on him and his job as a long snapper late in his career; he stated in the interview that he had made only "two bad snaps" in his career.http://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/Giants-Sign-Long-Snapper-Trey-Junkin-7359896.php Giants Sign Long Snapper Trey Junkin 31 December 2002 Schedule 2002-03 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap Wild Card January 5 at San Francisco 49ers (4) L 38–39 0–1 3Com Park Recap Game summary NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) San Francisco 49ers New York Giants 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) New York Giants at (4) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary January 5 4:45 p.m. EST/1:45 p.m. PST Giants 7 21 10 0 49ers 7 7 8 17 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 66,318 Scattered clouds, 54 F C Ron Winter Fox Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver First quarter SF – Terrell Owens 76-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jeff Chandler kick), 9:59. 49ers 7–0. Drive: 1 plays, 76 yards, 0:11. NYG – Amani Toomer 12-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 0:18. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 4:15. Second quarter NYG – Jeremy Shockey 2-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 12:19. Giants 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:24. SF – Kevan Barlow 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 6:05. Tied 14–14. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 6:14. NYG – Amani Toomer 8-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 2:40. Giants 21–14. Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:05. NYG – Amani Toomer 24-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 0:10. Giants 28–14. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 1:43. Third quarter NYG – Tiki Barber 6-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 9:53. Giants 35–14. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:16. NYG – Matt Bryant 21-yard field goal, 4:27. Giants 38–14. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:20. SF – Terrell Owens 26-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Garcia-Owens pass), 2:03. Giants 38–22. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:24. Fourth quarter SF – Jeff Garcia 14-yard run (Garcia-Owens pass), 14:55. Giants 38–30. Drive: 3 plays, 27 yards, 0:41. SF – Jeff Chandler 25-yard field goal, 7:49. Giants 38–33. Drive: 15 plays, 74 yards, 5:26. SF – Tai Streets 13-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (pass failed), 1:00. 49ers 39–38. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 2:01. Top passers NYG – Kerry Collins – 29/43, 342 yards, 4 TD, INT SF – Jeff Garcia – 27/44, 331 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers NYG – Tiki Barber – 26 rushes, 115 yards, TD SF – Jeff Garcia – 7 rushes, 60 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Amani Toomer – 8 receptions, 136 yards, 3 TD SF – Terrell Owens – 9 receptions, 177 yards, 2 TD The 2002 Giants season ended in one of the most humiliating losses in franchise history, featuring a blown 24-point lead and a catastrophic finish featuring both an epic special teams blunder and a controversial officiating call. The game essentially unfolded in three phases: an evenly matched beginning, the Giants turning the game into a rout, and the 49ers' comeback. The Giants won the toss and drove on their opening possession to the 49ers' 33-yard line, but Kerry Collins threw a pass that deflected off running back Ron Dayne's hands and was intercepted by 49ers linebacker Julian Peterson to end the drive. On the 49ers' first play from scrimmage, Jeff Garcia found Terrell Owens, who broke away from the Giants' secondary and took off for a 76-yard touchdown. The Giants got on the board with 18 seconds left in the quarter, with Collins finding Amani Toomer for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the score 7–7. The Giants scored another touchdown early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Collins to Jeremy Shockey for their first lead of the game, 14–7. After a 25-yard pass from Owens to wide receiver Tai Streets on a gadget play, the 49ers tied the game up with 6:05 left to go in the first half, with running back Kevan Barlow scoring a rushing touchdown. It was during the final minutes of the first half when the Giants began to build their big lead. A muffed punt by Cedrick Wilson led to Collins finding Toomer for an 8-yard touchdown with 2:49 to go in the first half. After a Garcia interception to Jason Sehorn, Collins found running back Tiki Barber for a 30-yard pass, and threw yet another touchdown to Toomer for his third touchdown reception of the game, and the Giants led 28–14 at the half. On the opening possession of the second half, the 49ers faced a 4th-and-1 when linebacker Dhani Jones stopped 49ers fullback Fred Beasley for no gain. The Giants scored again, with Barber running in for a 6-yard touchdown. On their next possession, the Giants advanced to the 49ers' 3-yard line for a goal-to-go situation. On 2nd-and-goal, Collins threw a pass directly to Shockey, but Shockey dropped the pass and the Giants were forced to settle for a 21-yard Matt Bryant field goal. The Giants were up 38–14 with 4:27 to go in the third quarter, but their momentum had been stopped with Shockey's dropped pass. This play is widely considered to be the turning point in the game. Switching to a no-huddle tempo, the 49ers began their comeback with 2:10 to go in the third quarter, when Garcia found Owens for a 26-yard touchdown pass. A two-point conversion from Garcia to Owens made it 38–22 heading into the final quarter. After a terrible punt by Matt Allen and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Jones, the 49ers had great field position at the Giants' 27 to start their next drive, and they cashed in with Garcia running in for a 14-yard touchdown, followed by another two-point conversion from Garcia to Owens. Suddenly, with 14:55 to go in the game, the Giants were only leading 38–30. After another three-and-out by the Giants, the 49ers drove into the Giants' red zone again with a chance to tie the game, when the Giants finally held and the 49ers settled for Jeff Chandler's 25-yard field goal with 7:52 to go. The Giants finally got a drive going again, getting into field goal range with 3:06 to go when their special teams began to unravel. Long snapper Trey Junkin, signed only a few days before the game, sent a low snap into the dirt, resulting in Matt Bryant shanking the 42-yard field goal attempt wide left. The 49ers then drove 68 yards, with Garcia finding Streets for a 13-yard touchdown with 1:00 to go. The Giants were now losing a game they had been winning by 24 points, 39–38. As if blowing a seemingly insurmountable lead was not enough, the Giants were losing composure on the field as well, with safety Shaun Williams getting into a confrontation with Owens, resulting in offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties following both the touchdown and the failed two-point conversion. Although the Giants had blown their huge lead, they had one more chance to save their season. Kick returner Delvin Joyce returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to give the Giants good field position at their own 48-yard line. Collins found Ron Dixon for 10 yards, then after his next pass was nearly intercepted by cornerback Ahmed Plummer, he found Dixon for 19 yards. With 9 seconds left, the Giants ran a quick out to Toomer for 5 more yards, setting up a 41-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the game. What instead ensued was one of the worst plays in Giants history. Junkin launched a poor snap into the dirt, to the point that holder Allen could not get the ball down. Realizing that Bryant could not kick the field goal, Allen rolled out and threw a Hail Mary towards Rich Seubert, an offensive lineman who checked in as an eligible receiver for the play. As the ball neared, 49ers defensive end Chike Okeafor dragged down Seubert, which should have resulted in a pass interference against the 49ers and one more attempt for Bryant, since the game cannot end on a defensive penalty. However, the refs not only did not call pass interference on Okeafor, but instead called ineligible receiver downfield on Seubert, even though he in fact was an eligible receiver. As a result, the game was over. The blown lead and ending ruined several outstanding individual performances by the Giants. Collins went 29 of 43 for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns with an interception, while Toomer caught 8 passes for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns and Barber added 177 yards from scrimmage with a touchdown. The most notable stat from the game, however, related to total yards: Both the Giants and the 49ers were dead even with 446 yards of total offense. The day after the game, the NFL admitted that the penalty on the final play was incorrectly called. Their statement declared that although the Giants had ineligible receivers downfield, Seubert was eligible, and Okeafor should have been called for pass interference, meaning that offsetting penalties should have given the Giants one more chance to win the game. However, when a reporter revealed this to 49ers coach Steve Mariucci after the game, he simply replied, "Bummer," as there was no way the final outcome could be changed. Junkin, the long snapper who botched the snap on the final play, promptly retired for good immediately after the game. He was deeply distraught about his role in the team's loss and solely blamed himself for the outcome, though many did note that he was hardly the only factor. The 2002 Wild Card against the 49ers is among the most devastating losses in Giants history not only for its comeback and ending, but also because of the impact on the team. The following season, the Giants fell to 4–12 and tied for the worst record in the NFL. After the season, head coach Jim Fassel was fired and replaced with Tom Coughlin. Following their trade for rookie Eli Manning in the 2004 NFL draft, Collins was released, than signed with the Oakland Raiders, while many key defensive starters left. As a result, the Wild Card against the 49ers would retrospectively be seen by Giants fans as the beginning of the end of the Fassel era. References External links 2002 New York Giants at Pro-Football-Reference.com 2002 New York Giants at jt-sw.com Category:New York Giants seasons New York Giants New York Giants season Category:21st century in East Rutherford, New Jersey Category:Meadowlands Sports Complex