The Carolina Panthers' defense played like coach John Fox was in the New York huddle, spying on his former team.
The Giants had no such insight into the Panthers, allowing Steve Smith and DeShaun Foster to beat them at their own game in their own place.
Fox had Carolina prepared for everything New York attempted, rattling Eli Manning into four turnovers, and Smith scored two touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a lopsided 23-0 win over the Giants in the first round of the NFC playoffs on Sunday.
PHOTO: AP
"We challenged ourselves this week to know the Giants better than they knew themselves," said Carolina defensive tackle Brentson Buckner.
It was New York's first playoff shutout in 20 years -- and not much of a stretch for the Panthers (12-5) under Fox, who spent five seasons as New York's defensive coordinator before taking over in Carolina in 2002.
Fox still maintains close relationships with everyone from the front office to the cleaning crew, and marked his return to the Meadowlands by staying one step ahead of everything the Giants tried to do.
"It was strange -- they were in our huddle a little bit," said running back Tiki Barber, who was held to a season-low 41 yards. "They kind of had us dissected and figured out and we couldn't get anything going consistently."
Not on offense, not on defense and not on special teams. Manning had his worst game of the season, the defense couldn't find a way to slow Smith or Foster and the Giants muffed a punt while becoming the first home playoff team to be shut out since 1980, when the Los Angeles Rams blanked Tampa Bay.
The Panthers played nearly as well as they did in their Super Bowl season two years ago and advanced to Chicago (12-4) for the divisional playoffs. The Bears won the only meeting this season, 13-3 in November.
"Everybody may say we're a Super Bowl team -- we're not," Smith cautioned. "All we are is a one-win playoff team."
Carolina did it with a stout defense and a strong running game -- the same principles the Giants used this season to win their first divisional title in five years.
DeShaun Foster ran for 151 yards by going straight at the Giants' depleted linebacker corps, kick-starting a running game that has been spotty all year. It was just his third 100-yard game this season -- the other two came against Atlanta, leading to questions if Foster could run on any other team.
"I don't think they thought we would really run the ball against them, but we established it early," Foster said. "It was just wide open. I got right to the second level, early. If I can get to the second level, I can make things happen."
But the play-making is usually reserved for Smith, and he didn't disappoint with 10 catches for 84 yards. He scored once on a 22-yard catch from Jake Delhomme, then ran a reverse in 12 yards for a second score.
"In my opinion, he should have been in the MVP voting with his regular season performance," Fox said. "I think he just proved his value to us today."
So did the defense, a staple of Fox's team.
Carolina intercepted Manning three times, then forced him to fumble late in the game in front of a nearly empty Giants Stadium. Plaxico Burress was shut out the entire game and the Giants managed just 109 yards total offense.
"I didn't play well, and I made too many mistakes for us to win today," said Manning, who finished 10-for-18 for 113 yards. "It was not the way I wanted to come out and play. I look forward to coming back and getting better."
His struggles had a lot to do with the Panthers, who were insulted earlier in the week when Osi Umenyiora said Carolina had the second-best defensive ends in the NFL. The shot at Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker stung, and the entire unit responded.
Although Umenyiora and Michael Strahan combined for three sacks of Delhomme, Peppers, Rucker and the rest of the Panthers are the ones still playing.
"We were always overlooked. We don't know why that is," said safety Marlon McCree, who had two interceptions. "We've got the third best defense in the league. Sooner or later, we'll get the respect and recognition that we deserve."
Carolina forced five turnovers in all and kept New York's offense off the field. It allowed the Panthers to keep the ball a whopping 42:45.
"I believe we still have a lot to be proud of," Barber said. "We have no reason to hang our heads even though we showed the playoffs weren't what we were ready for."
Not on Sunday they weren't.
The New York crowd, so rowdy at kickoff, booed the Giants off the field after a frustrating first half. It continued most of the second half, until the crowd gave a sarcastic cheer after New York finally managed a first down -- one of just nine in the game.
Carolina used New York mistakes to aid most of its scoring.
They jumped out to a 7-0 lead after Justin Tuck was called for illegal contact on a third-down incompletion. It kept the Panthers' drive going, and they moved the ball efficiently with a mix of runs by Foster and Nick Goings to put the Giants on their heels.
Smith then shed his double coverage and easily beat Terrell Buckley into the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown reception.
Then, right before halftime, the Giants muffed a punt when the ball hit Gibril Wilson's knee and Carolina pounced on it. Four plays later, John Kasay kicked a 31-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead the Panthers took into the break.
New York unraveled in the second half.
Ken Lucas intercepted Manning on the first play of New York's second series, setting up Smith's TD run one play later. And Manning was picked off again on the next series when McCree took a ball intended for Jeremy Shockey at the Carolina 17. It ended the last real scoring threat New York mustered and shattered Manning's already shaky confidence.
STEELERS 31, BENGALS 17
Carson Palmer stood his ground and held the ball an extra second, waiting for rookie Chris Henry to run past a defender and get open.
That one second changed everything.
Steelers nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen dived at Palmer on his first pass Sunday, hitting Palmer at the knee and knocking the Pro Bowl quarterback out of the game with a torn ligament.
Pittsburgh took advantage of his absence, harassing backup Jon Kitna and rolling to a 31-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that set up a rematch with the AFC's top team.
The Steelers (12-5) will play in Indianapolis next Sunday, a chance to show how far they've come in the past month. Pittsburgh lost at the RCA Dome 26-7 on Nov. 28, when coach Bill Cowher started the second half with a failed onside kick that seemed to be a sign of desperation.
"We're the underdogs going into their place," said Ben Roethlisberger, who threw three touchdown passes. "Now we get to see what we can do."
Defending Super Bowl champion New England will play in Denver on Saturday night.
The Bengals (11-6) will spend an offseason reliving the play that effectively scuttled their first playoff appearance in 15 years -- and could have a longer-lasting impact. Palmer tore the anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that requires surgery and months of tough rehabilitation. The Bengals are hoping he's recovered by training camp in July.
"I was really upset," receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. "Not because of the fact we lost him. He's young and he's got to go through so much now tearing his knee. It's just sad for that to happen. He was playing great."
The Bengals were initially angered and inspired by the injury, but the emotion lasted only so long. They faded during the third quarter, when they started bungling and the Steelers acted like they'd been to the playoffs before.
"We had that letdown, we didn't get that [second-half] field goal and it kind of deflated us," said Kitna, who took over for Palmer and spent most of his time scrambling. "We never recovered from that."
Pittsburgh was in jeopardy of not making the playoffs after a 38-31 loss to the Bengals at Heinz Field effectively gave Cincinnati the AFC North title. The Steelers won their last four to get in as a wild card.
In his second playoff go-round, Roethlisberger was coolly efficient -- 14-of-19 for 208 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, a vast improvement over his shaky rookie postseason.
"Last year, everything was new to Ben," said receiver Hines Ward, who had a 5-yard touchdown catch. "Tonight, he was pretty crisp. The intangibles that he brings, I like a lot."
The crowd of 65,870 erupted, then went sickeningly silent on the Bengals' first pass play -- one that went down as the longest in Cincinnati playoff history, and the costliest.
Palmer held onto the ball long enough to let Henry beat a defender down the right sideline for a 66-yard catch. As the ball left Palmer's hand, a falling von Oelhoffen's shoulder drove into the quarterback's left knee.
"I knew right away that it was bad," said Palmer, who was on crutches after the game. "I felt my whole knee pop. I didn't feel a lot of pain. It was just a sickening feeling because I knew what it was and that my season was over."
Even though Palmer wears a protective brace, his knee bowed inward as it was hit. He had to be taken off on a cart.
"You watch it happen, my thoughts and prayers go out to Carson," Roethlisberger said. "You could see Kimo was stumbling going down. He's not that kind of player. Carson's a great player. Any time you lose a great player like him, it's devastating."
Several Bengals yelled at von Oelhoffen, who spent his first six seasons in Cincinnati and still counts some of the Bengals as friends.
"Guys were infuriated," right tackle Willie Anderson said. "But I know him. He's not a dirty player. His momentum just kept him going into Carson. It wasn't a dirty play."
The nose tackle explained himself on the field.
"They had every right to be upset. They lost their best player," he said. "I hope Carson gets better. My apologies to him and his family.
"I was worried about Carson. That kid deserved to play this game."
Now, it was up to Palmer's mentor to get it done. He couldn't.
Kitna led the Bengals to an 8-8 finish in coach Marvin Lewis' first season, then took a back seat to Palmer the last two seasons. He played sparingly this season and was understandably rusty in a 37-3 loss to Kansas City last week.
Kitna, one of only 13 Bengals with playoff experience, finished 24-of-40 for 197 yards with two interceptions and four sacks. He kept the Bengals in it until their inexperience and lack of a Pro Bowl quarterback started to show in the third quarter.
First, the Bengals botched a field goal attempt because of a high snap. Then, Kitna knocked the ball out of his own hand while scrambling, scuttling a drive. Finally, a shanked 30-yard punt -- something out of the old Bungles days -- put the Steelers in position to take control.
Three plays later, they used a little sleight-of-snap to do just that.
Antwaan Randle El took a direct snap in front of Roethlisberger, ran to his right, turned and threw the ball back to the quarterback. Cedrick Wilson was 10 yards beyond the confused coverage for his 43-yard touchdown catch that put the Steelers up 28-17.
Texas University quarterback Vince Young announced he would make himself eligible for the National Football League draft on Sunday, four days after leading the Longhorns to their first US college gridiron title in 36 years.
"I thank God for the opportunity to be in this position," Young said at a news conference. "Hard work has paid off a whole lot."
Young, who led the Longhorns to a 41-38 Rose Bowl win over top-ranked Southern California on Wednesday, could have returned to Texas for his final season and would have been a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy as college football's top player.
The versatile quarterback accounted for 467 yards against USC -- 200 running and 267 passing -- and ran 8 yards for the winning touchdown with 19 seconds left.
Young thanked many people, including his family and coach Mack Brown, who could not attend Sunday's news conference.
In his eight seasons at Texas, Brown never before has had a player leave early to play professional football.
Young ends his career at Texas with a 30-2 record -- the best in school history.
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