Derrick Ward ran for 215 yards, including 88 in overtime, and Brandon Jacobs scored three touchdowns.

The Panthers were without starting defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu (sprained ankle), while their other starting defensive tackle, Damione Lewis, left for a while in the fourth quarter with a shoulder stinger.

"When you've got a big guy like that, you always miss him," Lewis said of Kemoeatu. "I missed him. Sitting down there taking all those double teams on the nose, so I really missed him. We just need to get healthy, come back and regroup and go try to get a win in New Orleans next week."

Coach John Fox offered no update on their injuries at Monday's press conference.

"Anytime you have a starter out, it affects you," Fox said. "That's not an excuse. It was a hard-fought game. We had every opportunity to win that game. There were just a couple of big plays there that weren't meant to be. They played hard. They stuck in the game, and they came out with a win."

--The Panthers ran for 158 yards and DeAngelo Williams scored four touchdowns on the ground against the Giants.

"I think we did OK on the ground," said offensive tackle Jordan Gross. "It's tough throwing the ball when you have that wind. That's what (the Giants) offense did, too. They ran the ball a lot. We have a lot of good depth on the O-line. I thought the backs did a good job. I have a feeling we might see these guys again. We get in the playoffs and make a little run. We'll have some good tape to look at."

The Panthers weren't as effective running the ball in the second half as the wind took away some of what they could do in the passing game.

"They knew we would be committed to running it, we had the lead and that's what our formula is," Gross said. "We need to be a little more effective with that when they're bringing eight down. We still need to be able to keep that run game going to keep those leads and eat up the clock."

--The NFL's most accurate field-goal kicker in 2008 was faced with a difficult challenge Sunday night - booting the game-winner in 30-degree weather with winds whipping at more than 20 miles per hour.

And from 50 yards out.

Still, John Kasay thought he had the wind pretty much figured out when he lined up with nine seconds left in regulation against the New York Giants. It was blowing from right to left, so he figured on starting the kick to the right and letting it drift back in.

The only problem was he hit it too straight.

"I wanted to start it a little further right," Kasay said. "I started it pretty much down the middle. I knew it was going to be close from 50 yards. It just wasn't able to hold on line long enough. That's what I was afraid of."

The kick sailed wide left by a few feet, costing the Panthers a shot at the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

The Giants went on to win the game in overtime 34-28 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs, leaving Kasay feeling like he let his teammates down.

"It would have been nice," Kasay said. "But this is not a fairy tale. (Football) can be cruel sometimes. That is why you try to take advantage of the opportunity when you get it."