Now comes Mission Impossible for Manning and the Giants, who will play the unbeaten New England Patriots - who beat San Diego earlier Sunday - in two weeks for the NFL title. (Details of AFC Championship game below).
After Lawrence Tynes missed a 36-yard field goal at the end of regulation following a bad snap, he got a reprieve in overtime following Corey Webster's interception of a struggling Brett Favre. He nailed a 47-yarder on his third attempt to win it, then sprinted directly to the locker room as the rest of his frozen teammates celebrated on the field.
The Giants grabbed their first NFC championship in seven years, capping a monthlong surge that reversed a trend of mediocrity built around Manning's inconsistency. He has been a revelation in the playoffs, however, and his calm leadership keyed New York's turnaround.
Manning shook off below-zero temperatures and a wind chill that would make a Siberian husky shiver. He repeatedly put the Giants (13-6) in position to win in the third-coldest championship game ever - and certainly the most frigid of his young career.
And then he saw Tynes make his first game-winning field goal of the season in the first OT title game in nine years.
It was the second NFC title game to go to overtime. Atlanta beat Minnesota in 30-27 in 1999.
One year after older brother Peyton finally won a Super Bowl, earning MVP honors to boot, here comes Eli.
Just a month ago, Eli's moxie was being questioned as the Giants struggled to clinch a wild-card berth. He responded with the best work of his four-year career, including four touchdown passes in the season finale against the Patriots.
He and the Giants are getting another shot at New England, the first team to go 18-0. The Patriots will be after their fourth Super Bowl title in seven years on Feb. 3 at Glendale, Ariz., as well as the first completely perfect season since Miami went 17-0 in 1972.
But don't discount New York, which led the Patriots by 12 points in the third quarter before falling 38-35 on Dec. 29.
PATRIOTS REACH 4TH SUPER BOWL IN 7 YEARS
"Now we can look ahead." Bill Belichick, a coach of few words, said it all with that sentence after his New England Patriots claimed the AFC championship trophy. Looking ahead means only one thing: A trip to the Super Bowl, and a chance to give their perfect record a whole new meaning.
Despite a shaky Tom Brady, the Patriots were still too much for the banged-up San Diego Chargers, pulling out a 21-12 victory Sunday that sent them back to the NFL title game for the fourth time in seven seasons.
"There was history on the line," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "We recognize it, we acknowledge it."
Brady made several stunningly poor throws that fluttered in the wind, Randy Moss was a non-factor for the second straight game and the highest-scoring team in NFL history sputtered all afternoon. Instead, the Patriots (18-0) relied on Laurence Maroney's spins, cuts and helmet-rattling runs.
With injured Chargers star LaDainian Tomlinson reduced to mostly watching in a parka, the Patriots moved on to a Feb. 3 matchup in Glendale, Ariz., against the New York Giants.
Yet for all the Brady Bunch has accomplished - they're the only team in NFL history to start out with 18 straight victories - the Patriots are well aware they must win that final game to avoid being relegated to a footnote.
"We'll try to elevate our game for one last performance," said Brady, MVP in two of the three Super Bowls he's won.
Brady, coming off a record-setting 50 TD passes, threw for two scores. He also tossed a season-high three interceptions.
No matter, New England took care of the nuts and Bolts on a most chilly day. The sellout crowd at Gillette Stadium chanted "Super Bowl! Super Bowl!" in the closing minutes, anticipating the Pats' first appearance in the big game since the 2004 season.
Belichick's team eclipsed the 17-0 mark of the champion 1972 Miami Dolphins, and he'll soon try for his fourth NFL title.
"I think there will be a time to sit back and reflect," Belichick said. "We'll certainly enjoy this for a few days."
New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker (83) celebrates with teammate Jabar Gaffney after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning celebrates the Giants' NFC Championship game win on Sunday night in Green Bay, Wis.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/1/206016