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PITTSBURGH — The inspirational movie on the night before the big football game is one of the venerable traditions of sports, often to the point of cliché. But occasionally this ploy is appropriate and effective. Such was the case over the weekend that culminated with the Giants defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-14, on Sunday in a tense and rugged game at Heinz Field.
On Saturday, Giants Coach Tom Coughlin showed his players not a Hollywood production but film of an actual event, the tape of a boxing match in July in which Antonio Margarito beat Miguel Cotto to win the World Boxing Association’s 147-pound title.
Giants running back Brandon Jacobs had seen the match, live, but enjoyed another viewing.
“I’m a big boxing fan,” Jacobs said. “Cotto was supposed to win. Cotto hit Margarito 989 times in the fight. Margarito kept pushing and knocked him out.”
That is sort of what happened Sunday. The favored Steelers took a 14-9 lead early in the third quarter but it was whittled to 14-12 midway through the fourth. The Steelers’ defense, the best in the N.F.L., kept the Giants’ offense in check.
John Carney, the kicker, salvaged the Giants by making four field goals. Early in the second quarter, the Steelers stopped Jacobs three times in succession from the 1-yard line, on second, third, and fourth down. On that drive, the Giants did not even get a field goal; the Steelers just took possession.
“We could have thrown in the towel,” center Sean O’Hara said.
Added quarterback Eli Manning: “It’s easy to get frustrated. You can’t. It’s not going to help.”
Gradually, the Giants fought back...
On Saturday, Giants Coach Tom Coughlin showed his players not a Hollywood production but film of an actual event, the tape of a boxing match in July in which Antonio Margarito beat Miguel Cotto to win the World Boxing Association’s 147-pound title.
Giants running back Brandon Jacobs had seen the match, live, but enjoyed another viewing.
“I’m a big boxing fan,” Jacobs said. “Cotto was supposed to win. Cotto hit Margarito 989 times in the fight. Margarito kept pushing and knocked him out.”
That is sort of what happened Sunday. The favored Steelers took a 14-9 lead early in the third quarter but it was whittled to 14-12 midway through the fourth. The Steelers’ defense, the best in the N.F.L., kept the Giants’ offense in check.
John Carney, the kicker, salvaged the Giants by making four field goals. Early in the second quarter, the Steelers stopped Jacobs three times in succession from the 1-yard line, on second, third, and fourth down. On that drive, the Giants did not even get a field goal; the Steelers just took possession.
“We could have thrown in the towel,” center Sean O’Hara said.
Added quarterback Eli Manning: “It’s easy to get frustrated. You can’t. It’s not going to help.”
Gradually, the Giants fought back...
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