The Miracle at the Meadowlands The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasters and Philadelphia Eagles fans for a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards that he returned for a touchdown at the end of a November 19 , 1978 NFL game against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium . It is considered miraculous because the Giants were ahead and could easily have run out the final seconds ; they had the ball , and the Eagles had no timeouts left . Everyone watching expected quarterback Joe Pisarcik to take one more snap and kneel with the ball , thus running out the clock and preserving a 17 - 12 Giants upset . Instead , he botched an attempt to hand off the football to fullback Larry Csonka . Edwards picked up the dropped ball and ran 26 yards for the winning score . Giants fans refer to the play simply as " The Fumble " , though that name is generally used outside of New York for a play in the 1987 AFC Championship Game between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos . It has been referred to as one of the worst , if not " the " worst , coaching decisions in American football . For the Eagles , the victory snatched from the jaws of certain defeat served as a morale boost , leading that season to a playoff berth and , two seasons later , the franchise ' s first Super Bowl appearance . To Giants fans , it was the nadir of a long era of mediocrity , but the aftermath would lead to major changes that proved beneficial for the franchise in the long run . Background . It was the first meeting between the divisional rivals that season . The Eagles were in third place in the NFC East , behind the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins ; the Giants were in fourth . The teams went into the game in similar situations , but heading in different directions . They had playoff hopes , especially since this was the first 16 - game NFL season , but likely would have to settle for a wild card berth due to the solid lead the powerful Dallas Cowboys had in the division . Given the similarity of their records , it was likely the outcome would have playoff implications , since the first tie - breaker for a wild card spot is the head - to - head record . Giants . Going into the game , the Giants were 5 – 6 . A three - game losing streak on the road had made the team ' s playoff prospects much dimmer since midseason . However , a win at home against the favored Eagles could , the team hoped , reverse the trend and keep an outside shot at a playoff spot alive . Despite the team ' s storied past , the Giants had not played in the postseason since 1963 and had managed only two winning seasons since then . Although they were the league ' s fourth oldest franchise , they were almost a non - entity in the post - merger NFL . The move to New Jersey in 1976 had alienated some longtime fans , even if it made more seats available . Fans had never gone this long without a contender , but while they were growing restless , they were still forgiving . However , there was little pressure they could bring to bear on the people who could ultimately make changes , longtime team owners Wellington Mara and his nephew Tim , who inherited his father Jack ' s stake in the team after Jack Mara had passed away in 1965 . The two managed team operations closely , but feuded so bitterly with each other that at one point a partition had to be erected between their seats in the owners ' box . The effects of this uncertainty and instability at the highest managerial level affected the team ' s play , most significantly when it came to some apparently inexplicable personnel decisions . It was not lost on fans that players ( Craig Morton and Fran Tarkenton ) and coaches ( Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi ) who had once been in the Giants ' fold were now enjoying or had enjoyed great success elsewhere . The team also had passed over future stars for less able players in the annual draft . But all this was for naught . With far more demand for tickets than there were available , the team was financially healthy no matter how poorly it performed on the field , and the Maras were widely viewed as complacent by observers who didn ' t know the depth of the ownership schism . Friction between offensive players and assistant coaches . The week before the game , players , particularly on offense , had complained to reporters about the team ' s assistant coaches . Head coach John McVay was popular with them . He had taken over the team in the middle of the 1976 season after Bill Arnsparger was fired and improved morale while adding talented players to the team . However , the players were not so enthusiastic about many of the longtime friends he had hired as assistants . The players felt the assistant coaches were uninterested in helping younger players develop , at least compared to their counterparts on other teams . As an example , they pointed out that the season before , none of the team ' s three quarterbacks had had any previous NFL experience , yet no quarterback coach had been hired . They also noted that one of the few coaches who seemed to care , Jerry Wampfler , coached the offensive line , one of the Giants ' most improved units that season . Offensive coordinator Bob Gibson was the most frequent target of complaints . He had taken to the relatively nascent practice ( now quite common ) of calling all the plays from the upstairs press box . Pisarcik had often challenged Gibson about this , sometimes openly , over the past two seasons . The players felt that Gibson should let Pisarcik call plays . They pointed out that during the previous week ' s loss to Washington , the team had attempted only three passes on several third - and - long situations during the game . They also felt insulted that on a third - and - 7 in overtime , the coaches had called a run play . Gibson for his part had limited confidence in Pisarcik ' s passing ability , an opinion widely shared ( the media in New York referred to him as " off - Broadway Joe " , a sarcastic reference to a former Jets ' quarterback , " Broadway Joe " Namath ) . He and other coaches pointed out that the three passing attempts the players pointed to had resulted in two interception s and a sack . The team ' s general philosophy at the time was to concentrate on its improving defense and play conservatively on offense until it could be made more competitive . Players on the Giants ' offense became frustrated over this decision and wanted more chances to prove themselves . Eagles . At 6 - 5 , things looked a little more promising for the visitors . The two - game win streak they took into the game had gotten them over a . 500 first half . Momentum clearly was on their side , and the Giants had not beaten the Eagles since the opening game of the 1975 season , three years prior . Still , the Giants were a potent team , and the Eagles knew they could not relax . They , too , were an old - line NFL franchise coming off many years in the doldrums . They had not been to the playoffs since winning their third NFL title in 1960 , and had only notched two winning seasons in the 17 years since then . However , their fans were less inclined to be forgiving than Giants ' fans . A loss to the slumping Giants would have dealt a severe blow to the confidence the team needed to maintain over the last quarter of its schedule , in which it would face not only the Cowboys , but the equally formidable Minnesota Vikings as well as the Giants again in Philadelphia . 1978 was also viewed as an important season for head coach Dick Vermeil , as there was little doubt the Eagles were playing much better under his watch , mixed with local impatience for concrete results . The game . The Giants rose to the challenge . Two early Pisarcik touchdown passes gave them a commanding lead , which they extended with a field goal in the second half . The Eagles , conversely , struggled , missing one of their extra point attempts and botching the snap on the other . The Eagles found themselves down 17 - 12 , meaning they could only win the game with a touchdown as time wound down . Deep in their own territory , the Giants ' Doug Kotar fumbled late in the fourth quarter , raising hopes ( or fears ) of a comeback by the visitors . Those were quickly put to rest , however , when rookie defensive back Odis McKinney ' s first NFL interception gave the Giants possession of the football after the two - minute warning . The Eagles had exhausted all their timeouts by this point . Fans in the stands began heading for the exits as the game seemed all but over , with no apparent remaining danger of an Eagles comeback . Nowadays , teams in this situation let the play clock run down to the last possible second and have the quarterback take a knee . On the sidelines , a disgusted Eagles coach Dick Vermeil was turning his attention away from the field and toward the postgame press conference , where he would have to explain to reporters why his team had fallen to an inferior opponent . The Giants ' possession . After a running play on first down , Pisarcik knelt down on second . Eagles middle linebacker Bill Bergey charged into Giants ' center Jim Clack , knocking him backward into Pisarcik in a desperate attempt to force a fumble . Since defensive players usually are not blocked in this situation , they usually in turn do not rush . Offensive players consider any breach of this tacit agreement as a provocation , particularly linemen whose job it is to protect the quarterback , and fights between angry linemen and the opposition were not uncommon . Gibson did not want to expose his quarterback to further risk of injury ( he had already taken some hits earlier in the season ) . Nor did he want to risk his players being fined for violating the league ' s rules against fighting . Most importantly , the last thing he wanted was for his team to get a penalty , which could stop the clock and require getting another first down to secure the win . He also personally despised the kneeling play , considering it unsporting and somewhat dishonorable ( a view popular among a lot of coaches of the period ) . Also given that the play clock at the time was only 30 seconds ( as it would remain through the 1987 season ) , a play had to be run . So he called " 65 Power - Up " , a standard play which called for Csonka to take a handoff and run up the middle . In the huddle , the Giants were incredulous when the call came in . " Don ' t give me the ball , " the former Dolphins star begged . Other players asked Pisarcik to change the play , but he demurred . Gibson had berated him for changing a play the week before and threatened to have him waived if he ever did so again . Gibson did not take the time to explain his decision to Pisarcik . As a result , the rest of the offense simply viewed Gibson ' s call as a power trip . Because he was a second - year starting quarterback who still had not totally proven himself , in the era before free agency , Pisarcik lacked the stature to prevail in this kind of dispute . Csonka claims that , as he walked away from the huddle , he told Pisarcik he would not take the ball if he went through with it . It is not known whether the quarterback heard him or not , however . McVay ' s headphones , which normally allowed him to communicate with Pisarcik and Gibson , were not working properly at that point either . McVay has since stated that he would certainly have overruled Gibson had he heard what was coming . Across the line of scrimmage , the Eagles had not huddled , as defensive coordinator Marion Campbell called for an all - out 11 - man blitz . Edwards , who as a defensive back normally would have been several yards deep , was instead close enough to Kotar to talk to him ( the Giants player assured him that his team was just going to kneel again ) . Vermeil later said the blitz made the victory possible . The Giants wasted several seconds in the huddle in dismay over the play - calling . At the line , Clack saw the play clock winding down and took it upon himself to snap it with 31 seconds left in the game to avoid a delay - of - game penalty , which would have stopped the clock and cost the Giants five yards . Had the Giants knelt on the subsequent play , there still would have been one second left on the game clock once the play clock ran down , requiring a fourth - down play to be run ( the play clock at the time ran for 30 seconds ; it now runs for 40 ) . Pisarcik , who at the time was distracted making sure Csonka was in position , was unprepared for the snap . It struck his middle finger so hard there was still blood on the nail after the game . Nevertheless , he held on to the ball after a slight bobble and tried to hand it off to Csonka . Instead , the ball hit Csonka ' s hip and came loose . Edwards recovered it on its first bounce as Pisarcik unsuccessfully attempted to fall on it . Kotar , who could have blocked him or fallen on the ball himself , never even saw the fumble , according to Edwards . Once he got it , he sprinted 26 yards totally untouched into the end zone and a 19 - 17 Eagles victory . There was stunned silence from the stands and the Giants ' sideline . The only noise came from the celebrating Eagles . The call . With Giants victory all but assured , CBS commentator Don Criqui ( working alongside Sonny Jurgensen ) began reading the end credits of the show shortly before the game ' s final play : After the game , while showing league highlights , CBS replayed the play . They showed the reaction of both coaches , while Brent Musburger famously narrated , " A study in contrast ! " The immediate aftermath . For Edwards , the play was a personal redemption , as he had been burned on one of Pisarcik ' s early touchdown passes and would have been partially to blame for the loss . It also was his first NFL touchdown . Vermeil refused to question McVay ' s judgment but allowed that he , too , disliked sitting on the ball to preserve a victory . Giants fans were enraged . For a football team to lose in that situation was unprecedented . Pisarcik , who belatedly explained to the press , " I never had control , " needed a police escort to get to his car . Gibson was fired the next morning . With angry fans already demanding that someone be held responsible for the blunder , team officials felt he had to go in hopes of saving the season . So great was the stigma of having called the play that he never worked in football at any level again . He has since become manager of a bait shop in Florida , according to one report . He refuses to speak about the incident to this day . Giant fan reaction . Fans turned on management and ownership as previously grumbled complaints about the team ' s ineptitude turned into an incessant roar . Their team was now the laughingstock of the league . The Fumble ( a term in use before the end of the week ) epitomized all the mismanagement and all the talent the team had let get away . At a demonstration outside the stadium prior to the next home game against the Los Angeles Rams , many fans threw their tickets into a bonfire . A Newark furniture dealer named Morris Spielberg organized a Giants ' Fans Committee after running an ad in the " Newark Star - Ledger " that drew hundreds of responses . They met at a hotel near the stadium prior to the team ' s final home game on December 10 against the St . Louis Cardinals and distributed flyer s to pass out to fellow fans during the game . Spielberg had arranged for a plane to fly over the stadium with a banner reading " 15 Years of Lousy Football — We ' ve Had Enough . " When it came , fans were to chant , " We ' ve had enough . " The Giants posted a 17 - 0 shutout win , but when the plane came ( an hour behind schedule ) , fans showed the victory was not enough to make them forget their recent humiliation . There were more than 24 , 000 empty seats , yet crowd applause and chants briefly stopped play . The rest of the season . The surprise finish accelerated the directions both teams were taking over the season ' s final four games . They met in Veterans Stadium in the final regular season game . Eagles . Philadelphia was able to extend its win streak to four games the next week , before losing to Dallas and Minnesota . The Eagles managed a season sweep of the Giants with an easy 20 - 3 victory in the finale to finish 9 - 7 and snare the second of two wild - card spots available under the playoff format at that time . " One play gets you feeling like you have confidence , " Edwards explained years later . " You ' re not worried about losing anymore ; now you ' re thinking about how you can win . " The Eagles lost the playoff game to the Atlanta Falcons because of another failed extra point , in addition to a missed field goal as time expired . But it gave them and their fans something to build on for the next season . Philadelphia corrected its kicking woes by drafting barefoot Tony Franklin from Texas A & M in 1979 . As a rookie , Franklin booted a 59 - yard field goal on " Monday Night Football " against the Dallas Cowboys during a 31 - 21 victory at Texas Stadium . Giants . At first , the Giants tried to look ahead and recover . They vowed to win their remaining four games and protect McVay ' s job . Instead , the collapse continued . The next week , the Giants blew a 10 - point lead over the 3 - 9 Buffalo Bills late in the game , giving up 27 points in the fourth quarter to lose 41 - 17 . They would win only one more game the rest of the season , finishing with a 6 - 10 record . The sweep by Philadelphia ensured the Giants would finish last in the division ( tied with the Cardinals ) for the third straight season , extending their rut and further angering fans . After the season . Eagles . The next year , the Eagles again earned a wild - card spot and then won their first post - merger playoff game over the Chicago Bears before falling to Tampa Bay . Following that season , the Giants traded Pisarcik to them for a draft choice . He would finish his career as a backup to Ron Jaworski five years later . His entire NFL career is usually embodied in that play , and while he is sometimes reluctant to talk about it , he admits that at least people remember his name thanks to it . The Eagles ' momentum carried them further in the 1980 - 81 season , to the division championship , then the conference title and finally to Super Bowl XV , which they lost 27 - 10 to the Oakland Raiders at the Superdome in New Orleans . " We won the game at the end , and we went on to the playoffs , " Edwards said . " The next thing , we ' re playing in the Super Bowl . " He , too , would find that the play defined his career , even though he remained part of the Eagles ' lineup for another seven years before going into coaching after a final season split between the Falcons and Rams . Giants . McVay ' s contract expired and , as expected , was not renewed . He never coached again , but went on to a front - office job with the San Francisco 49ers , where he helped develop that team into one of the most dominant of the 1980s . Andy Robustelli , a former All - Pro defensive end who served as the team ' s director of operations , was also let go . Csonka ' s contract was up as well . Since McVay , with whom he had played before signing with the Giants with the World Football League ' s Memphis Southmen , was gone and his career was ending , he decided to return to Miami , site of his past glories , for one final season . He would win a NFL Comeback Player of the Year award before retiring . Despite widespread calls to hire Joe Paterno or another successful college coach , the Giants settled on Ray Perkins , then an assistant for the San Diego Chargers , to replace McVay . While Perkins was able to follow the Eagles ' lead and build a team that eventually made the playoffs in 1981 , the moves that really made a difference for the Giants drew less attention that off - season . The fan revolt that followed the Fumble had awakened the Maras to the need to modernize the franchise ' s operations . They had discussed for some time hiring a general manager , which the team had not had up to then ( Wellington Mara had been running football operations himself since the late 1930s ) , to delegate most of the decisions that sorely divided them , but as with many other team matters , they kept arguing over whom to hire . In the off - season , they called on NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle to mediate . He suggested George Young , whom they hired . He proved to be a superb judge of talent , drafting Phil Simms , Lawrence Taylor and other future Giants stars over the next few seasons . Perkins also brought with him a new defensive coordinator , Bill Parcells . When Perkins resigned after the 1982 season to succeed the late Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama , Parcells took over as head coach . He survived a disastrous first season to lead the talent Young had acquired to two Super Bowl championships , and then find further success with the New England Patriots , Jets and Cowboys before becoming Vice President of Football Operations with the Miami Dolphins . Parcells is revered today as one of the greatest coaches of the game . Legacy . The Miracle at the Meadowlands has left a lasting impact on the way organized football is played at all levels , not just in the NFL . Most notably , it legitimized the kneel - down play . Coaches everywhere took heed of Gibson ' s fate and immediately began instructing quarterbacks to sit on the ball in similar situations . Some traditionalists feel that the kneel - down has been detrimental to the game and have called for rule changes to eliminate or discourage the play . Other leagues , such as the Arena Football League , have done just that , and now require the ball to be advanced past the line of scrimmage in order for the clock to continue running in the final minute of play . Formation change . The week after the game , both the Giants and Eagles implemented a new offensive formation to be used only in end - of - game kneeldowns . It is popularly known as the " Victory Formation " or " Victory Offense " . Not only did the infamous game - losing play make kneeling acceptable , but most of the teams using it changed how it was done . Prior to Pisarcik ' s fumble , teams had employed standard offensive formations such as an I or a split backfield . The Eagles ' unlikely touchdown , however , had made the weakness of doing so glaring . Even though Pisarcik had been trying to hand off instead of kneeling , when he fumbled the snap , there was not only no offensive player there to try to recover it , no one was in position to tackle Edwards and prevent the touchdown either . At the end of the first half of the Bills game the following week , the Giants debuted the new formation when Pisarcik knelt to preserve their lead . Two running backs stood closely behind Pisarcik while a third ( usually a speedy player such as a wide receiver ) was stationed as a sort of safety several yards back . The Eagles , too , had practiced a similar formation in practice , calling it the Herman Edwards play . Other NFL teams soon followed the lead , and today the formation is standard in college and high school games as well . Similar plays . The play has been recalled often by fans and reporters in later years when a team fumbled away a sure victory late in the game , although it never happened quite as spectacularly as it did that first time . Probably the most famous play to evoke the Miracle of the Meadowlands , although with a very different outcome , occurred almost three decades later in a . As in 1978 , an Indianapolis turnover on downs had given Pittsburgh the ball on the home team ' s 2 - yard line and an apparent three - point victory over the heavily - favored Colts in the game ' s final two minutes . However , the Steelers had to keep running the ball , as the Colts still had all their timeouts left . A field goal would have at least required the Colts to score a touchdown ( plus kick the extra point ) to win the game , while a touchdown would essentially clinch victory , so it was in the Steelers ' interest to keep running . A pass would run the risk of being intercepted , or seeing the defense knock the ball out of the quarterback ' s hand . But on the very first play , running back Jerome Bettis , who had not fumbled all season , had the ball knocked loose by Indianapolis middle linebacker Gary Brackett . Defensive back Nick Harper recovered the ball and appeared to be on the way to an Edwards - like touchdown , but Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger managed to tackle Harper near midfield . Steelers fans and players feared that Bettis was about to end his career with the same ignominy that followed Pisarcik . Several plays later , however , Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt wound up the game ' s goat , evoking another memorable football moment when he missed what would have been the tying field goal , ending what had been a strong season for his team . The Steelers eventually went on to a Super Bowl victory that year , and the play would instead enter NFL lore as " The Tackle II " . The play most directly analogous to the Miracle involved a player ' s , rather than a coach ' s , questionable decision that cost his team a game . On Thanksgiving Day 1993 , the Cowboys were playing their customary holiday contest , this time against the visiting Dolphins , in sleet . As the clock ticked down , Dallas appeared to have won when it blocked a 41 - yard Miami field goal . But as several Dolphin players were gathered around the ball , waiting for it to come to rest in order to down it as close as possible to the Dallas goal , Dallas defensive end Leon Lett sprinted downfield to try to recover it . He slipped on the slick surface and touched the ball . His touch meant that it was a loose ball and Miami was able to recover at the Dallas 1 and kick a field goal for a 16 - 14 victory . Lett earned comparisons to Pisarcik and the 1978 Giants since his action was as unnecessary and seemed equally inexplicable . It was fourth down and the ball would have been turned over to Dallas anyway . Coming on the heels of the previous year ' s Super Bowl , when a prematurely celebrating Lett had stripped on a fourth - quarter fumble return that he would otherwise have scored a touchdown , the Thanksgiving gaffe cemented his reputation for unthinking play that overshadowed his entire career . A near - identical play in a 1999 collegiate game allowed the University of Nevada , Las Vegas ( UNLV ) to steal a victory from Baylor . With the final seconds ticking off the clock , Baylor had a 24 - 21 lead and possession of the football near the UNLV goal line . With UNLV out of timeouts , only a kneeldown was necessary . However , instead of trying to run out the clock , Baylor elected to try for a touchdown in an attempt to run up the final score . Baylor running back Darryl Bush fumbled while trying to punch his way into the end zone , and UNLV ' s Kevin Thomas picked up the loose football and went 99 yards for the game - winning touchdown on the last play of the game . " The Miracle on the Mountain " is another play with similar circumstances . It took place on October 12 , 2002 in a game between the home Appalachian State Mountaineers and visiting Furman Paladins at Kidd Brewer Stadium . A low scoring affair , the Paladins elected to attempt a two - point conversion after scoring the go - ahead touchdown with seven seconds left in the game . Leading 15 – 14 , Furman quarterback Billy Napier ' s pass was intercepted by Josh Jeffries at the four yard line . He lateraled the ball to Derrick Black , who returned it for a score , giving the Mountaineers a 16 – 15 win . A similar play occurred during a Monday Night Football game between the Chargers and Chiefs on October 31st , 2011 . Tied 20 - 20 , the Chargers offense marched the ball down the field to the Chiefs ' 15 yard line . With one minute left , the Chiefs had no timeouts and the Chargers could run the clock down to the final seconds . Chargers QB Philip Rivers snapped the ball with the intent to simply fall down and to the left , to line up kicker Nick Novak for the game - winning field goal . However , on the snap , the football jammed into Rivers ' ring finger , visibly dislocating it , causing Rivers to fumble the ball . Chiefs Linebacker Andy Studebaker recovered the fumble in the resulting scrum . The Chiefs went on to win in overtime 23 - 20 . Rivers was seen on the sidelines mouthing the words " This is the worst day ever . " As a result of the win , the Chiefs moved into a three - way tie for the lead in the AFC West . Other uses . On September 23 , 1991 , in a Monday Night game between the New York Jets and the Chicago Bears , the Jets were leading 13 - 6 and had the ball with two minutes remaining . With thousands of fans already having given up and headed to the Soldier Field parking lot , running back Blair Thomas took a handoff . Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael stopped Thomas cold and then proceeded to wrestle the ball from his grasp , falling on the fumble at the Jets ' 36 yard line with 1 : 54 remaining . On the final play of regulation , Jim Harbaugh threw a six - yard touchdown pass to Neal Anderson ; Bears kicker Kevin Butler tied the game with the extra point . In overtime , Harbaugh scored from the one - yard line to clinch the win for Chicago . On October 23 , 2000 , the New York Jets overcame a 30 – 7 fourth - quarter deficit in a " Monday Night Football " ( MNF ) contest against the Miami Dolphins to win 40 – 37 in overtime . It was the greatest comeback in " MNF " history , and was later voted the best " Monday Night Football " game ever by the show ' s fans . Jets fans have referred to this game , too , as " The Miracle at the Meadowlands " , though it is known throughout the NFL as The Monday Night Miracle . A punt return by Brian Westbrook of the Eagles with 1 : 16 left on the clock on October 19 , 2003 is occasionally referenced as a " Miracle at the Meadowlands " . The play and subsequent extra point gave the Eagles at Giants Stadium . On December 14 , 2008 , the New York Jets were trailing the Buffalo Bills 27 - 24 with 1 : 45 left . The Jets had struggled to stop the Bills running game the entire day and the Bills were currently in possession of the ball on their own 20 - yard line when Bills quarterback J . P . Losman ran a play action option . Jets safety Abram Elam sacked Losman and caused a fumble , which Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis picked up and ran for a touchdown to give the Jets a 31 - 27 victory ( on the next Bills possession , Losman was picked off by cornerback Darrelle Revis ) . The " New York Post " ran an article the next day referring to the game as the Miracle at the Meadowlands sequel . The " Miracle at the New Meadowlands " was played on December 19 , 2010 . The Giants were leading the Eagles by a score of 24 - 3 in the third quarter . The Eagles mounted a comeback culminating in a game - winning touchdown as time expired to win 38 - 31 , scoring 28 points in the last 7 : 28 of the game , coming back from another 21 - point disadvantage as the Giants led 31 - 10 . Giants punter Matt Dodge kicked to DeSean Jackson on the final play , which resulted in a 65 yard punt return touchdown , as time expired .