New York Giants vs. New England Patriots: 2011 Conf. Championship Recap

Game story

In the Conf. Championship of the 2011 NFL season on 2012-02-05, the New York Giants took care of business against the New England Patriots, pulling away with a 21–17 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q3 with 13 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

E. Manning (New York Giants) paced the passing game, with +13.64 total EPA, and +10.5% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, E. Manning (New York Giants) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +13.64 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+14.4% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when New England Patriots changed the game: (:39) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass deep left to 84-D.Branch pushed ob at NE 33 for 19 yards (23-C.Webster).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 E. Manning · New York Giants · Passing · +13.64 total EPA · 45 snaps · +0.30 EPA/play
2. 2 T. Brady · New England Patriots · Passing · +11.23 total EPA · 44 snaps · +0.26 EPA/play
3. 3 H. Nicks · New York Giants · Receiving · +10.30 total EPA · 13 snaps · +0.79 EPA/play
4. 4 D. Woodhead · New England Patriots · Receiving · +6.75 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.69 EPA/play
5. 5 V. Cruz · New York Giants · Receiving · +4.21 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.05 EPA/play
6. 6 W. Welker · New England Patriots · Receiving · +2.73 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.34 EPA/play
7. 7 D. Branch · New England Patriots · Receiving · +2.36 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.39 EPA/play
8. 8 W. Welker · New England Patriots · Rushing · +2.08 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.04 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New York Giants — V. Cruz (E. Manning pass) (Q1 48:29)
• New England Patriots — D. Woodhead (T. Brady pass) (Q2 30:15)
• New England Patriots — A. Hernandez (T. Brady pass) (Q3 26:25)
• New York Giants — A. Bradshaw (Q4 1:04)

Field goals

• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q2 43:52)
• New York Giants — L. Tynes (Q3 21:47)
• New York Giants — L. Tynes (Q3 15:40)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New York Giants won the period 9–0. New York Giants registered a safety from the NYG 94 (Q1 54:00); New York Giants found the end zone from the NE 2 (Q1 48:29) — (3:29) 10-E.Manning pass short middle to 80-V.Cruz for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Giants added 1 points from the NE 2 (Q1 48:24) — 9-L.Tynes extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford..

The second quarter: New England Patriots won the period 10–0. New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the NYG 11 (Q2 43:52) — (13:52) 3-S.Gostkowski 29 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Aiken, Holder-14-Z.Mesko.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the NYG 4 (Q2 30:15) — (:15) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 39-D.Woodhead for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the NYG 2 (Q2 30:08) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Aiken, Holder-14-Z.Mesko..

The third quarter: New England Patriots won the period 7–6. New England Patriots found the end zone from the NYG 12 (Q3 26:25) — (11:25) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 81-A.Hernandez for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the NYG 2 (Q3 26:20) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Aiken, Holder-14-Z.Mesko.; New York Giants connected on a field goal from the NE 20 (Q3 21:47) — (6:47) 9-L.Tynes 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.; New York Giants connected on a field goal from the NE 15 (Q3 15:40) — (:40) 9-L.Tynes 33 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford..

The fourth quarter: New York Giants won the period 6–0. New York Giants found the end zone from the NE 6 (Q4 1:04) — (1:04) (Run formation) 70-T.Ugoh reported in as eligible. 44-A.Bradshaw up the middle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• New England Patriots (Q4 0:39) — (:39) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass deep left to 84-D.Branch pushed ob at NE 33 for 19 yards (23-C.Webster). [WPA +14.4% · EPA +0.64]
• New England Patriots (Q4 14:31) — (14:31) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass deep left intended for 87-R.Gronkowski INTERCEPTED by 93-C.Blackburn [90-J.Pierre-Paul] at NYG 8. 93-C.Blackburn to NYG 8 for no gain (87-R.Gronkowski). [WPA -13.2% · EPA -1.32]
• New York Giants (Q4 3:34) — (3:34) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 82-M.Manningham to NE 34 for 16 yards (29-S.Moore). [WPA +12.5% · EPA +1.29]
• New England Patriots (Q4 0:05) — (:05) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass incomplete deep middle to 81-A.Hernandez (21-K.Phillips). [WPA -12.4% · EPA -0.27]
• New York Giants (Q4 3:46) — (3:46) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass deep left to 82-M.Manningham pushed ob at 50 for 38 yards (25-P.Chung). New England challenged the pass completion ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1.) [WPA +12.4% · EPA +1.91]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New England Patriots (Q2 30:15) — (:15) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 39-D.Woodhead for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +10.1% · EPA +3.04]
• New England Patriots (Q4 8:35) — (8:35) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short right to 39-D.Woodhead to NE 32 for 19 yards (34-D.Grant). [WPA +9.3% · EPA +2.37]
• New York Giants (Q4 1:04) — (1:04) (Run formation) 70-T.Ugoh reported in as eligible. 44-A.Bradshaw up the middle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +10.6% · EPA +2.35]
• New York Giants (Q2 42:14) — (12:14) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass deep middle to 88-H.Nicks to NE 47 for 18 yards (27-A.Molden). [WPA +2.8% · EPA +2.35]

Quarterback report card

E.Manning led all passers in efficiency for New York Giants, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• E.Manning (New York Giants) · 45 dropbacks · 66.7% completion · +10.5% CPOE · +0.30 EPA/play · +13.64 total EPA
• T.Brady (New England Patriots) · 44 dropbacks · 61.4% completion · +5.8% CPOE · +0.26 EPA/play · +11.23 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (New York Giants +0.17, New England Patriots +0.14) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• New England Patriots: 9 drives, +11.09 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• New York Giants: 9 drives, +15.52 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New York Giants leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• E. Manning (New York Giants) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• E. Manning (NYG) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• T. Brady (NE) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New York Giants Safety (+2) — Q1 54:00 · NYG 94 · Score 2-0
   (9:00) (Run formation) 77-N.Solder reported in as eligible. 12-T.Brady pass incomplete deep middle [91-J.Tuck]. PENALTY on NE-12-T.Brady, Intentional Grounding,
2. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q1 48:29 · NE 2 · Score 8-0
   (3:29) 10-E.Manning pass short middle to 80-V.Cruz for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
3. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q1 48:24 · NE 2 · Score 9-0
   9-L.Tynes extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.
4. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q2 43:52 · NYG 11 · Score 9-3
   (13:52) 3-S.Gostkowski 29 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Aiken, Holder-14-Z.Mesko.
5. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q2 30:15 · NYG 4 · Score 9-9
   (:15) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 39-D.Woodhead for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q2 30:08 · NYG 2 · Score 9-10
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Aiken, Holder-14-Z.Mesko.
7. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q3 26:25 · NYG 12 · Score 9-16
   (11:25) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 81-A.Hernandez for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q3 26:20 · NYG 2 · Score 9-17
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Aiken, Holder-14-Z.Mesko.
9. New York Giants FG (+3) — Q3 21:47 · NE 20 · Score 12-17
   (6:47) 9-L.Tynes 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.
10. New York Giants FG (+3) — Q3 15:40 · NE 15 · Score 15-17
    (:40) 9-L.Tynes 33 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.
11. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q4 1:04 · NE 6 · Score 21-17
    (1:04) (Run formation) 70-T.Ugoh reported in as eligible. 44-A.Bradshaw up the middle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.