2008 New York Giants season The 2008 New York Giants season was the franchise ' s 84th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . They improved upon their 10 - 6 record from 2007 , becoming NFC East champions . They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs . Offseason . Player and personnel moves . Releases and injuries . On February 29 , the first day of free - agency , Giants free agent linebacker Kawika Mitchell left the team to join the Buffalo Bills , safety Gibril Wilson went to the Oakland Raiders , and linebacker Reggie Torbor joined the Miami Dolphins . On March 14 , free agent defensive tackle William Joseph departed to join Wilson with the Raiders . On April 10 , defensive tackle Manuel Wright was released . On June 9 , 15 - year veteran , and seven - time Pro - Bowler , Michael Strahan retired and joined the Fox NFL broadcasting team . 2008 Draft . The 2008 NFL Draft was held April 26 to April 27 . Regular season . Regular season . The Giants began their title defense in the traditional NFL Kickoff game like previous champions when they played the Washington Redskins at Giants Stadium . Traditionally , this game is usually played on the first Thursday following Labor Day in the United States . This day fell on September 4 in 2008 . On March 26 , the NFL , NBC , and the Republican National Committee agreed in principle to move the kickoff time of the opener to 7 : 00 pm EDT instead of 8 : 30 pm EDT to accommodate the 2008 Republican National Convention . Week 1 : vs . Washington Redskins . With their Super Bowl championship title to defend , the Giants began their season in the annual kickoff game against their NFC East rivals , the Washington Redskins . In the first quarter , New York got a fast start as Super Bowl XLII MVP QB Eli Manning capped off the game ' s opening drive with a 1 - yard TD run . Later in the quarter , kicker John Carney managed to get a 24 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the G - Men increased their lead with Carney nailing a 25 - yard and a 47 - yard field goal . Near the end of the half , the Redskins managed to get on the board as QB Jason Campbell completed a 12 - yard TD pass to WR Santana Moss . New York ' s defense stiffened in the second half and allowed them to hold on for the victory . With the win , not only did the Giants begin their season at 1 – 0 , they also became the 9th - straight defending Super Bowl champion to win their season opener . Week 2 : at St . Louis Rams . Coming off their divisional home win over the Redskins , the Giants flew to the Edward Jones Dome for a Week 2 duel with the St . Louis Rams . In the first quarter , the G - Men drew first blood with QB Eli Manning completing a 33 - yard TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress . In the second quarter , the Rams responded with kicker Josh Brown getting a 54 - yard field goal . New York came right back with kicker John Carney nailing a 33 - yard field goal . St . Louis would answer with Brown kicking a 54 - yard field goal , while Carney gave the Giants a 33 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New York increased its lead with Manning completing a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Amani Toomer . In the fourth quarter , the Rams tried to rally as QB Marc Bulger completed a 45 - yard TD pass to WR Torry Holt . Afterwards , the Big Blue pulled away with Manning ' s 18 - yard TD pass to RB Ahmad Bradshaw , DE Justin Tuck ' s 41 - yard interception return for a touchdown , and Bradshaw ' s 31 - yard TD run . With the win , not only did the Giants improve to 2 – 0 , but they also picked up their 12th consecutive road win . Week 3 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . Coming off their road win over the Rams , the Giants went home for a Week 3 interconference duel with the Cincinnati Bengals . In the first quarter , the G - Men trailed early as Bengals kicker Shayne Graham kicked a 22 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , New York responded with RB Brandon Jacobs getting a 1 - yard TD run . Cincinnati replied with RB Chris Perry getting a 25 - yard TD run , yet the Giants managed to tie the game with kicker John Carney getting a 24 - yard field goal . The Bengals ended the first half with Graham ' s 30 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Big Blue responded with Carney ' s 46 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Giants took the lead with Carney kicking a 26 - yard field goal . Cincinnati took the lead again with QB Carson Palmer completing a 17 - yard TD pass to WR T . J . Houshmandzadeh . New York reclaimed the lead with QB Eli Manning completing a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss , yet the Bengals tied the game with Graham ' s 21 - yard field goal . In overtime , Carney gave the Big Blue a big win with a game - winning 22 - yard field goal . With the win , the Giants entered the bye week at 3 – 0 . Week 5 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . Coming off their bye week , the Giants stayed at home for a Week 5 duel with the Seattle Seahawks . The game was notable for the fact that WR Plaxico Burress was suspended for this game , due to a minor internal conflict . In the first quarter , the Giants drew first blood as QB Eli Manning completed a 32 - yard TD to WR Domenik Hixon . The Seahawks responded with kicker Olindo Mare getting a 30 - yard field goal . Afterwards , New York increased its lead with RB Brandon Jacobs getting a 3 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Giants continued its run with kicker John Carney getting a 29 - yard field goal , Jacobs getting a 1 - yard TD run , and Carney kicking a 33 - yard field goal . Seattle closed the half with Mare making a 29 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Giants continued their victory march as Manning completed a 23 - yard TD pass to WR Sinorice Moss , along with Carney nailing a 35 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , New York completed its domination as backup QB David Carr completed a 5 - yard TD pass to Moss . The Giants racked up 523 yards in total offense , their most since collecting 524 yards against Green Bay on Jan . 6 , 2002 , and limited Seattle to 187 . With their eighth - straight win , the Giants acquired their first 4 – 0 start since the franchise ' s Super Bowl XXV championship run of 1990 . The 38 - point differential win marked New York ' s largest regular - season margin of victory since 1972 . The Giants also led the NFL in point differential with + 78 in four games . The second best point differential belonged to the Tennessee Titans , with + 59 , in " five " games . Week 6 : at Cleveland Browns . Coming off their dominating home win over the Seahawks , the Giants flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a Week 6 interconference duel with the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football . In the first quarter , New York trailed early as Browns kicker Phil Dawson got a 28 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the G - Men took the lead as RB Brandon Jacobs got a 7 - yard TD run . Cleveland regained the lead as RB Jamal Lewis got a 4 - yard TD run , along with QB Derek Anderson completing a 22 - yard TD pass to TE Darnell Dinkins . The G - Men closed out the half with QB Eli Manning completing a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress . In the third quarter , the Browns added on to their lead as Dawson nailed a 26 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Cleveland pulled away as Anderson completed an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Braylon Edwards and CB Eric Wright returned an interception 94 yards for a touchdown . With the loss , not only did the Giants fall to 4 – 1 , but their 12 - game road winning streak was snapped . Week 7 : vs . San Francisco 49ers . Hoping to rebound from their Monday Night road loss to the Browns , the Giants went home for a Week 7 duel with the San Francisco 49ers . In the first quarter , New York drew first blood as RB Brandon Jacobs got a 26 - yard TD run . The 49ers responded with kicker Joe Nedney getting a 40 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the G - Men increased their lead as Jacobs got a 2 - yard TD run . San Francisco answered with QB J . T . O ' Sullivan completing a 30 - yard TD pass to WR Josh Morgan . The Giants would close out the half with kicker John Carney getting a 21 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New York added onto their lead as QB Eli Manning completed a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress . The 49ers would reply as CB Nate Clements returned a blocked field goal 74 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter , the G - Men pulled away as Carney nailed a 48 - yard field goal , along with DE Justin Tuck forcing an O ' Sulivan fumble that would roll towards the 49ers ' endzone , causing Morgan to kick the ball out of the back of the endzone , giving New York a safety . With the win , the Giants improved to 5 – 1 . Week 8 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . Coming off their home win over the 49ers , the Giants flew to Heinz Field for a Week 8 interconference duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers . In the first quarter , New York trailed early as Steelers RB Mewelde Moore got a 32 - yard TD run . The G - Men would respond with kicker John Carney getting a 26 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Giants took the lead as Carney got a 35 - yard and a 25 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Pittsburgh regained the lead with QB Ben Roethlisberger completing a 65 - yard TD pass to WR Nate Washington . In the fourth quarter , New York pulled within two points as Carney nailed a 24 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Giants tied the game as LB James Harrison ( who took over the Steelers ' long snapper position after their normal long snapper Greg Warren was injured during the game ) accidentally snapped the ball high over punter Mitch Berger and rolling into the back of the endzone for a safety . Afterwards , New York finished its rally as QB Eli Manning completed a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss . With the win , the Giants improved to 6 – 1 . Week 9 : vs . Dallas Cowboys . Coming off their huge road win over the Steelers , the Giants went home for a Week 9 NFC East duel against the rival Dallas Cowboys . In the first quarter , the G - Men drew first blood as QB Eli Manning completed a 13 - yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss and a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith . In the second quarter , the Cowboys responded with CB Mike Jenkins returning an interception 23 yards for a touchdown . New York would end the half with Manning completing an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Amani Toomer . In the third quarter , the Giants increased their lead as RB Brandon Jacobs got a 12 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Dallas tried to rally as QB Brooks Bollinger completed an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . Afterwards , New York pulled away as RB Derrick Ward got a 17 - yard TD run . With the win , the Giants improved to 7 - 1 . Week 10 : at Philadelphia Eagles . Coming off their home win over the Cowboys , the Giants flew to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 10 NFC East duel with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football . In the first quarter , New York trailed early as Eagles WR DeSean Jackson got a 9 - yard TD run . The G - Men responded with QB Eli Manning completing a 17 - yard TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress , along with kicker John Carney getting a 27 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Giants increased their lead as Manning completed a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss . Philadelphia responded with QB Donovan McNabb completing a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Jason Avant . New York answered right back as Carney got a 26 - yard field goal . The Eagles would close out the half as kicker David Akers got a 29 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Philadelphia took the lead as McNabb completed a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Hank Baskett . The Giants replied with RB Brandon Jacobs getting a 3 - yard TD run . New York increased their lead as Carney nailed a 28 - yard field goal , along with Jacobs getting another 3 - yard TD run ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) . The Eagles tried to comeback as McNabb completed a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Kevin Curtis . Fortunately , Big Blue ' s defense managed to prevent any possible comeback , preserving the lead . With the win , the Giants improved to 8 - 1 . Week 11 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their divisional road win over the Eagles , the Giants went home for a Week 11 interconference duel with the Baltimore Ravens . In the first quarter , the G - Men drew first blood as RB Brandon Jacobs got two 1 - yard TD runs ( with a failed PAT on the latter ) . In the second quarter , New York increased their lead as QB Eli Manning completed a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Darcy Johnson . The Ravens would respond with kicker Matt Stover getting a 38 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Baltimore tried to rally as QB Joe Flacco completed a 10 - yard TD pass to FB Le ' Ron McClain . The Giants would answer with CB Aaron Ross returning an interception 50 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter , New York pulled away as kicker Lawrence Tynes nailed a 19 - yard field goal . With the win , the Giants improved to 9 - 1 . Week 12 : at Arizona Cardinals . Coming off their home win over the Ravens , the Giants flew to the University of Phoenix Stadium ( the site where they got lucky and helped from the refs ) for a Week 12 duel with the Arizona Cardinals . In the first quarter , New York trailed early as Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers got a 34 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Giants responded with RB Derrick Ward getting a 1 - yard TD run . Arizona would answer with RB Tim Hightower getting a 4 - yard TD run ( with a failed extra - point attempt ) . New York replied with kicker John Carney getting a 33 - yard field goal , yet the Cardinals got the lead again as Rackers made a 20 - yard field goal . The Giants would regain the lead prior to halftime as QB Eli Manning completed a 12 - yard TD pass to WR Amani Toomer . In the third quarter , the G - Men increased their lead as Manning completed a 2 - yard TD pass to FB Madison Hedgecock . Arizona would answer with Hightower ' s 1 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , New York greatly increased their lead as Manning completed a 10 - yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss . Following an interception by Terrell Thomas , John Carney got a 27 - yard field goal . Arizona would respond with QB Kurt Warner completing a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Anquan Boldin , yet the Giants answered with Carney getting a 33 - yard field goal . The Cardinals tried to comeback as Rackers nailed a 44 - yard field goal . Fortunately , New York recovered the following onside kick and prevailed . With the win , the Giants improved to 10 - 1 . Plaxico Burress shooting . On Friday , November 28 , 2008 , Giants Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress suffered an accidental self - inflicted gunshot wound to the right thigh in a New York City nightclub when his gun , tucked in the waistband of his sweatpants , began sliding down his leg . The injury was not life - threatening and he was released from an area hospital the next afternoon . The following Monday , Burress turned himself in to police to face charges of criminal possession of a handgun . Burress had an expired concealed carry ( CCW ) license from Florida , but no New York license . On December 2 , 2008 , Burress posted bail of $ 100 , 000 . He is scheduled to return to court on March 31 , 2009 , to enter a plea . Later in the day , Burress reported to Giants Stadium as per team policy for injured but active players , and was told he would be suspended without pay Burress would later be released by the Giants on April 3 , 2009 . Week 13 : vs . Washington Redskins . Coming off their road win over the Cardinals , the Giants flew to FedEx Field for a Week 13 NFC East rematch with the Washington Redskins . In the first quarter , New York scored first as QB Eli Manning completed a 40 - yard TD pass to WR Amani Toomer , along with kicker John Carney getting a 31 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Giants increased their lead as Carney got a 38 - yard field goal . The Redskins would close out the half with WR Devin Thomas getting a 29 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , New York began to pull away as RB Brandon Jacobs got a 1 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , the Giants sealed the deal with Carney connecting on a 39 - yard field goal . With the season - sweep , the Giants improved to 11 - 1 the best 12 - game record in franchise history Week 14 : vs . Philadelphia Eagles . Philadelphia would score first in the game with a 51 - yard David Akers field goal . Then in the second quarter , the Eagles Brian Westbrook scored on a 30 yard touchdown run that gave Philadelphia a 10 - 0 lead . With 7 seconds left in the 1st half , the Eagles attempted to go up 13 - 0 with a field goal , instead , the kick was blocked and returned 71 yards by Kevin Dockery for a Giants touchdown . That cut the lead to 10 - 7 . Early in the third quarter , Donovan McNabb found Brian Westbrook for a 40 yard Eagles touchdown that increased their lead to 17 - 7 . Philadelphia would score again in the 3rd with a 34 yard field goal by David Akers . The Giants would score on a 1 yard pass from Eli Manning to Darcy Johnson with 20 seconds left in the game , but couldn ' t recover an onside kick and the Eagles won the game . Despite falling to 11 - 2 , the Giants clinched the NFC East title when the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20 - 13 . Week 15 : at Dallas Cowboys . The second - to - last NFL game ever to be played at Texas Stadium was a defensive struggle that featured the Giants ' weakest offensive showing of the year . Brandon Jacobs was sidelined with a knee injury , crippling New York ' s running game ; Derrick Ward started in his place . The Cowboys scored first , on a 34 - yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Patrick Crayton early in the second quarter . The Giants answered with a 34 - yard John Carney field goal on the ensuing drive . The next scoring came in the fourth quarter , when Romo threw fullback Deon Anderson his first career touchdown . On the Cowboys ' next drive , deep in their own territory , Mathias Kiwanuka sacked Romo and forced a fumble in the end zone , which resulted in a safety . But the Giants could only put up another field goal , and Tashard Choice ' s 38 - yard touchdown run with 2 : 24 to play sealed the victory for the Cowboys . Eli Manning was sacked a season - high eight times to Romo ' s four . The Giants had now lost two consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 1 - 2 of 2007 , and fell to 11 - 3 . Week 16 : vs . Carolina Panthers . The Giants snapped their two game losing streak and clinched home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs by defeating the Panthers . With the loss Carolina failed to clinch the NFC South . The Giants had already clinched a first round bye by virtue of Minnesota ' s loss to Atlanta earlier in the day . New York won the toss and scored on their opening drive on a 32 - yard John Carney field goal . Carolina responded by scoring a touchdown on their first drive , a thirteen yard run by DeAngelo Williams . The Giants scored on their second drive as well , going 74 yards in 13 plays and ending with a Brandon Jacobs touchdown from the Carolina 2 . The Panthers responded with another Williams touchdown run , this time five yards , and a 14 - 10 lead . After forcing the Giants to punt Carolina scored again , as Williams scored his third touchdown of the game on a one - yard run . The drive went four plays for 65 yards , 60 of which came on a deep pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad . Williams ' touchdown came two plays after Steve Smith appeared to have scored on a short pass , but a replay challenge was upheld . After the teams traded punts the Giants scored with 0 : 55 remaining in the half as Carney added his second field goal of the game . Then on their second drive of the second half , Eli Manning threw a short touchdown to Kevin Boss to cut the deficit to 21 - 20 with 1 : 07 remaining in the third quarter . Carolina scored on their very next drive , with Williams scoring for the fourth time on a thirty - yard run . New York tied the game with 3 : 24 remaining as Jacobs scored on a one yard touchdown run , after starting the drive in Panther territory . The Giants converted the two point conversion on a pass from Manning to Domenik Hixon . Carolina then drove down the field and faced fourth and five from the Giants 32 yard line , but John Kasay missed the potential game - winning field goal from 50 yards out . On their second possession of the overtime period the Giants started at their own 13 yard line . On the first play of the drive Derrick Ward ran for 51 yards and pushed the ball into Carolina territory . Ward added a fourteen yard run two plays later and a seventeen yard run the play following that , pushing his rushing total to 215 yards ( a career high ) and leaving the Giants two yards from the endzone . On the next play Jacobs scored on a run , his third score of the game , and New York won the game . The Giants rushed for 301 yards in the game compared to 158 for the Panthers . Jacobs added 87 yards to Ward ' s 215 . Williams rushed for 108 yards on 24 carries , including his four touchdowns . Delhomme finished 11 - 19 for 185 yards and Manning 17 - 27 for 181 and a touchdown . Ward ' s 14 . 3 yard rushing average was a single game Giants record . Manning became the first Giants quarterback to throw at least 3 , 000 passing yards in a season for four consecutive seasons . Week 17 : at Minnesota Vikings . The Giants lost their final game of the 2008 regular season in Minneapolis , their first loss to the Vikings in the Metrodome since the 2001 season . Minnesota clinched the NFC North division crown with the win . New York rested most of their starters in the second half and Brandon Jacobs , Kevin Boss , Aaron Ross , and Barry Cofield were held out of the game due to injuries . After a scoreless first quarter the Vikings jumped out to a 10 - 0 lead early in the second quarter , with a Ryan Longwell field goal and a 67 - yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson coming 3 : 27 apart . Three field goals by John Carney cut the Vikings ' lead to 10 - 9 at the half . The Giants took their first lead in the third quarter as David Carr hit Domenik Hixon for a 23 - yard touchdown pass and extended the lead to nine with 11 : 25 remaining in the game as Carney added his fourth field goal . Minnesota scored a touchdown on a long pass from Tarvaris Jackson to Bernard Berrian on their next drive , cutting the Giants lead to 19 - 17 . The Giants then had a chance to extend the lead and force Minnesota to score a touchdown to win , but Carney missed from 48 yards with 3 : 17 to go . Jackson then led the Vikings into field goal range and Longwell hit from 50 yards out to win the game as time expired . Eli Manning , who started for the Giants but was pulled in the third quarter , led the team with 119 yards passing on 11 - for - 19 , and Carr added 110 yards on 8 - for - 11 . Halfback Derrick Ward rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries , eclipsing 1 , 000 yards for the season ( 1 , 025 ) , joining Jacobs in the 1 , 000 yard club and making the Giants the fourth team in NFL history ( joining the 1971 Dolphins , 1976 Steelers , and 1985 Browns ) with two 1 , 000 - yard running backs . Playoffs . NFC Divisional Round : vs . Philadelphia Eagles . Entering the postseason as the NFC ' s top seed , the Giants began their postseason run at home in the NFC Divisional round against their NFC East rival , the # 6 Philadelphia Eagles , in Round 3 of 2008 ' s series . New York got the early first quarter lead as kicker John Carney got a 22 - yard field goal . The Eagles would respond with quarterback Donovan McNabb getting a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Giants would answer in the second quarter as the defense forced McNabb into an intentional grounding penalty from his own endzone , giving them a safety . Afterwards , Carney would give New York a 34 - yard field goal . However , Philadelphia would get the halftime lead as kicker David Akers got a 25 - yard field goal . The Giants would regain the lead in the third quarter as Carney made a 36 - yard field goal , but the Eagles got the lead again as Akers kicked a 35 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Philadelphia took control as McNabb completed a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek , followed by Akers nailing a 20 - yard field goal . New York tried to rally , but the Eagles ' defense would shut down any last attempt at a comeback . With the loss , the Giants ' season ended with an overall record of 12 - 5 . The Philadelphia Eagles became the first team to beat the Giants twice in the same season in Giants Stadium - the Giants were 7 - 2 at home this season and both losses were to the Eagles . This was the first game in NFL history with a final score of 23 - 11 . Statistics . Through Week 16