Thanks to defense, Giants rally for 24-17 victory

After 10 quarters of going-nowhere football, the New York Giants finally rediscovered the secret to winning in the NFL: Play defense, take control of third down, make sure Plaxico Burress catches the ball, and make a harrowing goal line stand at the end of the game. A Giants defense that had allowed 80 points in its first two games allowed only 83 yards after halftime, and stopped the Washington Redskins on four plays from first-and-goal at the 1 in the final minute to preserve a 24-17 victory Sunday. New York scored the game's final 21 points and rallied from a two-touchdown deficit.

Burress, who had three drops and no catches in the first half, had five receptions for 86 yards in the second. The ankle injury that caused him to miss two practices last week didn't seem to affect him on the game-winning score - a 33-yard catch-and-run in which he received the ball in the left flat and put a move on Carlos Rogers before outrunning Sean Taylor to the end zone with 5:32 remaining. Continue