Perry Lends a Hand as Bears Beat Giants : NFC: He blocks Bahr’s field goal attempt with 15 seconds left to prevent game from going to overtime.

When William (Refrigerator) Perry was closer to 300 pounds, he was a force for the Chicago Bears. Now that he’s bigger than ever, there are some who say all he does is get in the way.

That was good enough Sunday when Perry blocked Matt Bahr’s 35-yard field goal attempt with 15 seconds left, preserving the Bears’ 20-17 victory over the New York Giants.

“I really don’t know what happened,” Bahr said. “I thought I struck the ball well. Of all the things you would think that would happen, that’s the last one.”

Perry, displaying quickness at the line of scrimmage and in the locker room, was already in the parking lot and heading for home when reporters caught up with him.

“It was all 11 (of us), it wasn’t just me,” Perry said. “Everybody did what they were supposed to do, and we pushed them back.

“I got my hand on it and blocked it.”

Jim Harbaugh, who completed 15 of 25 passes for 221 yards, connected with Wendell Davis on a 75-yard touchdown pass play, and Neal Anderson ran 42 yards to put the Bears (3-0) ahead, 20-17, with 6:39 left.

The Giants (1-2) responded by driving to the Chicago 13-yard line. An illegal procedure penalty moved the ball back to the 18 and quarterback Jeff Hostetler threw an incomplete pass, forcing New York to try for a field goal and force overtime.

Perry ruined that strategy.

“I don’t know, maybe he did it with his stomach,” Bear Coach Mike Ditka said.

The Giants rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit to take a 17-13 lead, getting Bahr’s 35-yard field goal and touchdown runs of six and three yards by Rodney Hampton, making his first appearance of the season after missing two games with a shoulder injury. He rushed for 61 yards in 15 carries.

Anderson, who earlier fumbled and dropped a pass in the end zone, scored his touchdown to cap a 76-yard drive. The officials originally ruled he stepped out of bounds on the five, but after a review ruled it a touchdown.

“I never stepped out of bounds, I knew that,” said Anderson, who credited Tom Waddle with throwing the block that sprung him.

The Giants dominated the scoreless first quarter with a ball-possession offense directed by Hostetler, but could get no closer than the Chicago 38.

Early in the second quarter, Butler kicked a 46-yard field goal against a 17-m.p.h. wind to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. One play after Bahr missed a 43-yarder, Harbaugh threw the bomb to Davis, who eluded cornerback Mark Collins on his way to the end zone.

On the ensuing kickoff, Dave Meggett of the Giants fumbled and Glen Kozlowski recovered for the Bears on the New York 23. After Anderson dropped Harbaugh’s pass in the end zone, Butler kicked a 20-yard field goal on the last play of the half to make it 13-0.

“I thought we outplayed them,” New York Coach Ray Handley said, “but we gave up the big play in the first half. The Bears are known for throwing play-action passes on first down and that’s what they did. We have no excuse.”