EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The three-word message scribbled on the greaseboard that greeted New York Giants players as they entered the locker room Saturday morning was as pointed as it was pithy.

It read simply: "Seize the opportunity."

But had Jim Fassel known what was about to transpire in a crucial matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, a season finale fraught with all sorts of playoff implications, the New York Giants coach might well have substituted a carpe the football directive in place of his carpe diem approach.

Courtesy of a 10-7 victory over the Eagles, earned when kicker Matt Bryant knocked home a 39-yard field goal just a little more than five minutes into overtime, the Giants earned an NFC wild card berth. But the Giants had to overcome themselves, even more so than the archrival Eagles, to secure the playoff invitation.

Despite dominating statistically, New York still needed a fourth-quarter rally, capped with a 10-yard touchdown grab by rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey. The Giants fumbled seven times and lost three of them, turned the ball over on a Kerry Collins interception, dropped at least four passes, watched Bryant miss a 36-yard field goal, tackled like one-armed men on the first defensive series, and had two touchdowns negated by penalties.

How they capped off a season-ending four-game winning streak, and stretch of steady but unspectacular play since the nadir to the year, a 16-14 loss to the expansion Houston Texans on Nov. 24, was a study of perseverance. The loss likely means no home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for the Eagles, who had their six-game winning string ended.

	Tiki Barber fumbled three times, but ran for 203 yards during Saturday's win.

"It just seemed like every time we did something," acknowledged Fassel in the aftermath of one of the most dramatic victories of his tenure here, "we got kicked in the teeth."

Actually, the Giants' problems were more dead-eye than dental, as they kept shooting themselves in the foot. And no player's aim was more deadly than that of tailback Tiki Barber, who nearly squandered a career-best 203 yards rushing by losing three fumbles. He was partly culpable as well on a fourth fumble, a toss from Collins that squirted out of Barber's hands, but which was credited to the quarterback.

The combination of Giants unwitting largesse, and a typically-suffocating effort from the highly-regarded Philadelphia defense, kept New York out of the end zone for nearly 52 minutes. The sloppiness nearly kept the Giants out of the postseason.

But when Pro Bowl kicker David Akers missed a 35-yard field goal late in regulation -- the four-year veteran has missed just one shorter field goal in his professional career -- the door was left open. And it was Barber, left weeping on the sideline after this third lost fumble created the opportunity for Akers, who seized the opportunity for redemption.

The Giants gained possession in the overtime when safety Shaun Williams intercepted a pass by A.J. Feeley that caromed off the hands of Philadelphia tight end Chad Lewis. Taking over at the New York 37-yard line, Barber got the ball on six straight plays, gaining 29 yards and getting the ball in range for Bryant's game-winner.

As the kick cruised through the uprights, leaving Atlanta and New Orleans scrambling for the final NFC playoff spot, Barber thrust a fist into the night air and then knelt on one knee with his face buried in his left hand. Not until he was swept up by a tidal wave of teammates did he move.

"You want to savor the moment for a few seconds, especially after having so many ups and downs in a game -- like I had today," Barber said. "I've never been through an emotional grinder like that one. I ran the gamut, from bad to good, back and forth, time and time again. I'm surprised I didn't have some kind of nervous breakdown out there."

Barber did suffer a meltdown after fumbling at his own 15-yard line with 4:34 remaining, his dubious hat-trick faux pas presenting Akers with the game-winning opportunity, and the veteran tailback wept openly as he kneeled on the New York sideline. A solitary figure, Barber went through his own brand of anguish as teammates avoided even looking at him.

It was, Barber conceded, the first time he has cried since the birth of his son, Atiim Jr., about six months ago. That his afternoon suddenly and sharply took a 180-degree adjustment might have been poetic justice, as Barber this year galvanized his status as one of the league's best all-around tailbacks, a player who clearly is the centerpiece of the New York offense.

The six-year veteran added eight catches for 73 yards on Saturday, and his total output of 276 yards represented 60 percent of the Giants' production. For the season, Barber had 1,387 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 69 catches for 597 yards.

Probably none of the Giants' offensive skill position players was as much a beneficiary of Fassel's decision to take over the playcalling from coordinator Sean Payton at midseason as was Barber. Over the final nine games, the New York offense used fewer of the "bunch" formations that seemed to dominate Payton's designs. Fassel is hardly a run-and-shoot devotee, but he spread the field enough to regularly get the football to Shockey and wide receiver Amani Toomer, and to create running lanes for Barber as well.

In the final nine games, a period that coincides with Fassel calling plays, the Giants won seven. They scored 26 touchdowns, 14 through the air and 12 on the ground, and surrendered just nine sacks. That was in stark contrast to the first seven games, with Payton calling the plays, when New York gave up 15 sacks and scored just seven touchdowns.

	“	It was like Tiki was either running free or fumbling the ball to us. He gashed us a lot and we didn't take enough advantage of his (screw)-ups. ”
		— Carlos Emmons, Eagles linebacker

"Nothing against (Payton)," said Toomer, "but we definitely turned things around when Coach Fassel started calling plays. The numbers don't lie. It seemed like we were able to get people out in space a lot more."

In the Saturday victory the Giants used off-tackle "stretch" plays and a well-designed counter package to pop Barber into the secondary. If he had been able to better protect the football -- two of his fumbles came after runs of eight and nine yards -- his running totals would have been even higher. The Eagles' front seven was clearly affected by the misdirection counters.

"It was like Tiki was either running free or fumbling the ball to us," said Philadelphia strongside linebacker Carlos Emmons. "He gashed us a lot and we didn't take enough advantage of his (screw)-ups."

Of his 33 carries, Barber had nines rushes of eight or more yards, and six runs of 10-plus yards, including 22- and 39-yard bursts.

Even with his sudden and uncharacteristic penchant for fumbling Saturday afternoon, Barber was still the man that Fassel wanted to go through in overtime. In fact, other than Collins taking the snap and Matt Allen holding for the winning field goal, no one else touched the ball for the Giants.

"I'll go to war with that guy all day long," Fassel said. "He's won a lot of games for me and this team. He's a high-character guy and I knew he would get up off the deck if he got another chance."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.