Manning completed a 17-yard pass to tight end Kevin Boss in the third quarter after scrambling for room, but then a flag was thrown and Manning was accused of crossing the line of scrimmage before he threw the ball. That, of course, carries a 10-yard penalty plus loss of down.
But as the Giants trotted John Carney onto the field to attempt a 43-yard field goal, the red challenge flag fluttered to the ground, thrown by Coughlin. Apparently, Manning knew the rule and told Coughlin to throw the flag.
"I knew that all of your body had to be beyond the line of scrimmage," he said later, after the 36-31 victory that further enhanced the 8-1 Giants' march to the playoffs and the NFC's best record. "I knew my back foot hadn't crossed, so I figured, what the heck, it's worth a shot."
It was, indeed. After review, the officials reversed the ruling on the field and the Giants were able to keep the 17-yard gain, which put them on the Eagles' 3-yard line. Two plays later, following an apparent touchdown pass to Boss which was ruled incomplete, running back Brandon Jacobs smashed over for the first of his two 3-yard scores on the night.
"We figured it was worth the chance," Coughlin said, "and so did the (assistant coaches) in the booth upstairs (quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer and wide receivers coach Mike Sullivan)."
Not quite the student educating the teacher, but close enough so that it brought a smile to the usually tense Coughlin's face — or was that the victory? It was the Giants' 12th win in their last 13 games.
