Derrick Ward heaped praise on fellow running back Brandon Jacobs and his blockers after rushing for a career-best 215 yards on Sunday to get Super Bowl champions New York Giants back on track.

Ward got his yards in big chunks, including a 51-yard burst in overtime on the winning drive in a 34-28 overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers that ended a two-game losing streak and gave them home field advantage for another Super Bowl run.

"You always dream about stuff like this when you are a little kid," said Ward, who gained his yardage on just 15 carries. "And for it to happen, it is so surreal right now."

Ward said that having starting back Brandon Jacobs back after being out with a sore knee, was a big factor in the Giants improving to 12-3 and dropping Carolina to 11-4.