Burress Helps Giants Clinch NFC East Title

Plaxico Burress looked up to the big screen and saw Tiki Barber running like mad, and Burress saw an opportunity.

He pushed away a defender, making sure Barber reached the end zone with ease.

Barber and Burress, the Giants’ playmaking duo, provided the big plays New York needed to win the NFC East and secure a home playoff game.

Burress had that key block on Barber’s franchise-record, 95-yard touchdown run, then hauled in a career-best 78-yard catch and run for a touchdown, and they both made quarterback Eli Manning look good in the Giants’ 30-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night.

“I think the people of New York are happy,” Burress said. “We came out here and handled our business and now we can go home and give those guys one playoff game. They’re going to be rowdy.”

Barber ran for 203 yards and Jay Feely kicked three field goals, including a 47-yarder early in the fourth quarter to help New York (11-5) win its first division title since Raider quarterback Kerry Collins led the Giants to the 2001 Super Bowl.

Randy Moss had seven receptions for 116 yards with touchdown catches of 15 and 44 yards for his first multi-touchdown game with Oakland, and finished his first Raider season with 60 catches for 1,005 yards. Oakland’s passing game looked much better than in recent weeks, yet the Raiders couldn’t score with four chances from the one after getting a first down with 3 minutes 44 seconds left and trailing by nine points.

Barber’s touchdown run helped him move into the NFL lead in rushing with 1,860 yards -- 53 more than Seattle’s Shaun Alexander, who finishes the season today at Green Bay. Barber’s career-long run broke the franchise-record 91-yard touchdown run by Hap Moran in 1930.

“It’s a play we run all the time,” Barber said. “We have a lot of confidence. I’m just playing good right now, and I know it.”

Barber had six catches for 60 yards and Burress finished with five receptions for 128 yards.

For John Mara, the Giants’ chief operating officer, this was a long time coming.

“You always go into the season hoping for the best,” Mara said in New York’s mellow locker room. “I legitimately thought we could be a playoff team this year, but I can’t say I expected to win the division.”

Manning was shaky at times but completed 12 of 24 passes for 204 yards and was sacked twice.

It might have been the final game for embattled Raider Coach Norv Turner. Oakland has three consecutive losing seasons for the first time since Al Davis came aboard in 1963 to coach and eventually own the team. The Raiders (4-12) lost their last six games and eight of nine.

Collins was 26 for 48 for 331 yards and three touchdowns. It also might have been his last game with Oakland, although he said he might be willing to renegotiate his contract to stay.