 With wind gusts reaching 33 miles per hour ( 53 km / h ) , coach Bill Parcells chose to take the wind when his team won the opening coin toss of the Giants ' NFC Championship Game against the Washington Redskins . With the wind at their backs the Giants scored 10 first quarter points while the Redskins managed only two first downs . The Redskins were forced to punt three times in the quarter , and the wind limited those punts to 23 , 27 , and 24 yards . The Redskins launched a drive behind Jay Schroeder 's 48 @-@ yard completion to wide receiver Art Monk in the second quarter . However , after the Redskins botched the field goal snap on a 51 @-@ yard field goal attempt , the Giants drove for a touchdown with the wind in their face to make the score 17 – 0 at halftime . The Giants defense dominated the second half , and both teams went scoreless to make the final score 17 – 0 . Schroeder completed only 20 of 50 passes for a meager 3 @.@ 8 yards per attempt . Keys to the victory were tackle Brad Benson 's neutralizing of Redskins pass rusher Dexter Manley , who had 18 @.@ 5 sacks on the season , and the team 's defense . After the game , John Madden remarked : " Last year , I thought the Bears had the best defense I had ever seen . But in the last two weeks , I feel these Giants have as good a defense as has ever played in this league . " 
