Kanell leads a comeback! Giants win in OT!

Trailing 21-7 at halftime, things looked bleak for the 4-4 Giants Sunday afternoon at Giants’ Stadium. Backup QB Danny Kanell only had 59 yards passing and the Giants’ defense could not stop Bengals’ QB Jeff Blake, who threw for 172 yards and 2 TDs in the 1^st half.

Then late in the 3^rd quarter, Kanell started to complete some passes. He drove the Giants down deep and then hit WR Chris Calloway for a 16-yard touchdown to pull the Giants to within seven.

Then with 3:30 left on the clock in regulation, Kanell had one more opportunity to tie the game. He hit Calloway again on 17-yard play to set the Giants up in Bengal territory. Then with a minute to play, Kanell tossed the game-tying 15-yard TD pass to veteran TE Howard Cross.

The game moved into overtime and both teams seemed like they didn’t want to win. Both teams missed field goals. Then Kanell got the ball back, but this time it was the Giants’ rushing attack that did the damage. Tyrone Wheatley and Charlie Way, who finished with 140 yards on the ground, pounded the Giants into field goal range. From there, Brad Daluiso kicked the walk-off 31-yard field goal to win the game, 27-24, in overtime.

Next week, the Giants (5-4) will be on their bye and then return in two weeks to play at Tennessee. They are just a half of a game out of first in the East behind the Redskins. The loss in overtime snapped the Bengals’ 3-game winning streak. They will try to get back on track as they host the Chargers next Sunday.

1997 Game 109 Stats