Giants Rout Falcons, 24-2

Even Eli Manning's feet are dangerous. Manning punctuated his best pro season today by throwing for three touchdowns and scrambling for a 14-yard gain that woke up New York's offense. He sparked the Giants to a 24-2 rout of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC wild-card game, his team's first postseason victory since their Super Bowl upset of undefeated New England four years ago.

The tempo in the first playoff game at MetLife Stadium was set by New York's defense, which never allowed Atlanta to get going, and by the league's lowest-ranked rushing game, which ran for a season-high 172 yards, 92 by Brandon Jacobs and 63 by Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants averaged 5.5 yards a carry, 2 yards more than in the regular season. Next up is just as big a challenge for the Giants: the defending champion Packers in Green Bay next Sunday. New York lost 38-35 to Green Bay in December. (More New York Giants stories.)