Barber runs wild as Giants rally to best Falcons

Oct 15, 2006, 20:30 GMT

Atlanta, GA - Tiki Barber ran for 185 yards and Eli Manning hit Jeremy Shockey with a pair of touchdown passes to lead the New York Giants to a 27-14 come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Falcons.

'When Tiki starts to run the ball, we start to control the tempo of the game,' Manning said. 'He is unbelievable and he does a great job. Every day, every game he impresses me more.'

Manning ended 17-of-30 for 180 yards with two interceptions for New York (3-2), which has won two straight to go above the .500 mark for the first time this season. Barber also had 42 receiving yards to go over the 200-yard mark in total offense, and Shockey ended with 55 yards on six catches for the Giants, who rallied from a 14-3 second-half deficit to beat the Falcons for the first time in four tries.

'I thought the second half was played well,' head coach Tom Coughlin said. 'We had a gut check at halftime and they came out and played well. I was really happy for the players.'

Warrick Dunn ended with 146 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for Atlanta (3-2), which fell for the first time after a bye week under head coach Jim Mora. Michael Vick ended 14-of-27 passing for 154 yards and ran for 68 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons, who failed to get a first down on offense as the Giants were making their comeback.

'It was a tough loss to a very good team,' Mora said. 'They beat us down the stretch and we got our work cut out for us going forward.'

Vick also threw an interception, lost a fumble and was sacked seven times in a losing cause.

'This is a total team game and everybody has to do their job,' Vick said. 'We just have to go back and watch the film and re-evaluate ourselves, game plans and what we are doing.'

Down 14-3 after Dunn ripped off the longest TD run in franchise history -- a 90-yarder -- on the Falcons' first play of the second half, New York took over.

On the Giants' ensuing possession, Brandon Jacobs capped a nine-play, 84-yard drive with a two-yard TD run to make it a 14-10 contest.

Then, after holding the Falcons to a three-and-out, New York again scored a touchdown. This time, Manning hit Shockey with a two-yard TD pass with just 25 seconds left in the third quarter to give New York the lead for good, 17-14.

After another three-and-out by Atlanta, Jay Feely connected on a 39-yard field goal to end the Giants' next drive and extend the lead to 20-14 with nearly four minutes elapsed in the fourth quarter.

Atlanta went three-and-out one more time and the Giants again took advantage. Manning marched his troops 55 yards on nine plays, hitting Shockey for a four-yard score to increase the lead to 13 points with 3:45 left.

The Falcons didn't threaten after that and the Giants cruised to the victory. New York also recorded a come-from-behind win in Week 2 at Philadelphia. Last week the club posted a 19-3 win over Washington.

The three second-half touchdowns were the first against Atlanta this season in the final 30 minutes of play. Atlanta had allowed just six second-half points all year.

After a lackluster first quarter that saw the two teams combine for just four passing yards and commit four turnovers, the Giants broke the scoreboard first when Feely hit a 21-yard field goal with 6:44 left.

Atlanta, though, went into the locker room with the lead when Vick capped a 10-play, 72-yard march with a 22-yard touchdown run with just 1:52 left. Vick started his run up the middle as the pocket opened up and then broke up the left side before diving in for his fourth rushing score of the season.

Dunn then gave the Falcons a 14-3 lead early in the third quarter. On Atlanta's first play of the half, Dunn broke off a 90-yard scoring run.

Game Notes

New York has won six in a row in Atlanta.

This was Manning's first career start in a dome.

He surpassed the 6,000-yard passing mark for his career.

Shockey is tied with Mark Bavaro for second on the Giants' all-time receptions list for a tight end with 266.

Brandon Short and Osi Umenyiora had two sacks each to lead the Giants.

Atlanta fell to 13-6 at home under Mora.

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