A 27-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers boosted New York to 7-6 and an inside track to an NFC Wildcard spot.  In a refreshing change of pace, the Giants did not make any major mistakes and the defense forced three second half turnovers to hold off a potential Panther rally.  With RB Tiki Barber running well early, the Giants jumped out to a 10-0 lead, courtesy of a Jay Feely 32-yard field goal and a 28-yard touchdown from QB Eli Manning to WR Plaxico Burress.  The Giants surrendered the lead however as Panthers' backup quarterback Chris Weinke hit WR Drew Carter on a 36 yard strike and John Kasay kicked a field goal.  Right before halftime, Manning and the Giants went to the two-minute drill, driving right down the field.  The drive included an important third down completion from Manning to TE Jeremy Shockey.  Shockey then caught a two-yard rollout from Manning for a 17-10 halftime lead. The Giants took control in the third quarter as Weinke was intercepted for the first of three times, two by safety Gibril Wilson.  Feely added his second field goal making it 20-10.  After Wilson's second forced interception, the Giants extended the lead with some excellent running from Barber and RB Brandon Jacobs.  A slip-screen to Barber from Manning, pushed the ball inside the five and Manning then hit WR David Tyree on a three-yard touchdown to put Big Blue up 17.  Although Weinke threw for over 400 yards, the defense made the key plays in critical moments.  Rookie DB Kevin Dockery recorded his second interception of the season late in the game.  Tiki Barber rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries, Burress led the Giants with 77 yards receiving on four catches, and Manning despite a shaky start, finished 17 of 33 for 172 yards while throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Giants win.  The win also saw the potential emergence of rookie wide receiver Sinorice Moss who showed good speed on catching quick-outs from Manning.  Moss had two receptions on the day.  With the win, the G-Men also snapped their four-game losing skid. Note: Tiki Barber became the first Giant running back in franchise history to gain over 10,000 career rushing yards.And Tiki Barber also became the third player in NFL history to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards in an NFL career, joining Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen.. How many games had New York lost in the season up to this game?