BATON ROUGE — LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle went from last to first in a hurry Friday night. The last of 26 players left in the NFL draft Green Room was the last player picked in the second round. But he landed on the first-place team when the world champion New York Giants made him their second-round choice at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end and former Giant Michael Strahan made the announcement, which drew cheers from Giants fans in attendance. He was the fifth receiver selected in the round and the ninth overall.

Randle posted the follwing to his Twitter account, “NY looks like I’m here to stay.”

Safety Brandon Taylor was the other LSU player picked Friday night. He went to the San Diego Chargers in the third round, 10 spots after Randle and the 73rd player taken overall. That gave LSU four of the top 73 players picked. Morris Claiborne went to Dallas and defensive tackle Michael Brockers to St. Louis in the first round Thursday night.

Randle steps in to a fairly good situation. The Giants lost Mario Manningham to San Francisco in free agency, setting up a battle for the No. 3 receiver job behind Hakeen Nicks and Victor Cruz. Randle will be competing with the likes of Ramses Barden, Jerrel Jernigan and Domenik Hixon.

Marc Ross, the Giants’ director of college scouting, told the New York Post the organization had a first-round grade on Randle and considered taking him with the 32nd pick. They chose Virginia Tech running back David Wilson instead.

“I really didn’t think there was a chance we were going to get him,” Ross told ESPN.com. “Actually, we talked a little about him yesterday with our pick. Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. What I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, he is a good route runner and has got position savvy. He knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL.

“Our guys that we have now, Hakeem and Victor, you put them on at the combine, you won’t notice them but if you put them on the football field, they just take their game to another level, and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.”

Randle had a breakout season as a junior last year with 53 catches for 917 yards and eight touchdowns for a team that primarily ran the ball and often sat on big leads in the fourth quarter. Despite erratic quarterback play in all three of his seasons, Randle had 97 receptions for 1,634 yards and 13 touchdowns and now gets to catch passes from Eli Manning.

“Eli Manning is a great quarterback,” said Randle. “A lot of guys will help me develop my game and get better. You just have to stay humble. I knew my opportunity was going to come. You can’t stress about that. It’s about what you do after you get drafted. I am going to go out there and work hard for these guys and hopefully make the team.”

San Diego obviously had its eye on Taylor. The Chargers gave their sixth round pick to Miami to trade places with the Dolphins in the third round and draft the native of Franklinton, whose brother Curtis is a safety for the San Francisco 49ers.

The pick continued a defensive theme for San Diego. Earlier in the draft, the Chargers picked outside linebacker Melvin Ingram of South Carolina in the first round and defensive end Kendall Reyes of Connecticut in the second round.

Taylor is expected to battle incumbent veteran strong safety Atari Bigby for the starting job.

“Because of playing outside and coming inside, he’s got a great awareness,” San Diego Coach Norv Turner told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “He sees things awfully well. He breaks on the ball and has instincts like a corner. He’s a 200-plus pound guy, so he can play in a physical manner like a strong safety.”

Taylor had 71 tackles last season, second on the team. He broke up five passes and had two of his four career interceptions while starting all 14 games last season. He played cornerback as a freshman but moved to safety and started 33 of his 49 games.

“I’m a very humble person,” Taylor said, “and I know the Chargers never really have any off the field issues with their players. You never hear about their players in the media or anything, so I just think that their program fits me and the type of person that I am. Just gotta go out and win.”

The New York Jets have been the talk of the town in the Big Apple since trading for Tim Tebow, but New York football fans haven’t forgotten that the New York Giants are the defending Super Bowl champions.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning
wikimedia commons

While the NFL has already released its official 2012-13 season matchups, the exact game dates won’t be announced until April.

Since we already know which teams the Giants will be up against this year, including their home and away opponents, it’s time to make some predictions for the upcoming NFL season:

Here’s a look at how I see the season shaping out for the Giants:

Home Games

The New York Giants are slated to host the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the season ahead.

Two of the Redskins’ five victories last season came against the Giants, but I don’t see any way that they’ll be able to repeat that performance in 2012. They have question marks all over the field, and will likely have a young quarterback taking the snaps in Robert Griffin III.

I’ll mark the G-Men down for a ‘W’ against Washington, and a lopsided win over the hapless Cleveland Browns, who earned just four victories last year. Tampa Bay is also coming off a 4-12 season, and got smoked, 24-0, when they last played the Giants in 2009. I’ll give the Giants the victory over Tampa Bay, and a split in the Cowboys-Eagles contests.

The NFL did not do the Giants any favors by matching them up against the Saints, Packers and Steelers at home. Historically, the Giants struggle against each of those teams and I don’t see them getting by any of them. That would leave the Giants with a 4-4 overall record at home for 2012-13.

Away Games

The Giants hit the road for away games against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

The only safe-bet victory of that bunch is the tilt in Washington, as Cincinnati is much-improved and Carolina might even be a playoff team this year with Cam Newton’s continued development. Nevertheless, I would have to bet that the Giants will come away victorious in each of those three battles.

Much like their home contests, I would expect the games against the Cowboys and Eagles to be highly-competitive and evenly matched, with another split that could go either way. That would leave the Giants at 4-1, with away games remaining against San Francisco, Atlanta and Baltimore.

As I said earlier, the NFL didn’t do the Giants any favors with its scheduling, as the team faces some of the toughest challenges on the road of any squad in the league. San Francisco will be hungry to avenge its playoff ouster by the Giants in the 2011 NFC Championship Game, and they will be a true force this season.

I don’t see any scenario where the Giants get by the 49ers, Falcons or Ravens on the road, and that would leave the G-Men with a 4-4 record in away games. Overall, that would leave them at 8-8, and a .500 mark in a stacked division that features several early Super Bowl favorites may not be good enough for a playoff berth.

Will the New York Giants make another deep run into the playoffs in the 2012-13 season? Let me know in the comments.

Eric Holden is a lifelong resident and supporter of both New York-area football teams. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants will be hosting the NFL season-opener at MetLife Stadium, albeit on a different night. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement earlier today.

The NFL will move up the season-opener to Wednesday, Sept. 5 (NBC, 8:30 p.m.) to avoid a conflict with President Barack Obama’s speech on Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention. There has not been an opponent named for the Giants yet. NFL Kickoff 2012 will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The date change means that this will mark the first time the season-opener will be played before a Thursday since 2002. The Giants vs. an opponent to be named later will also be the first NFL game on a Wednesday since the Rams and Lions played Sept. 22, 1948 (via NJ.com).

The eight possible opponents are the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.

For more coverage of the Giants, visit our blog Big Blue View.

The New York Giants and Dallas
Cowboys will face off Jan. 1 for a spot in the National Football
League playoffs as the U.S.’s most-watched television sport
enters the final week of its regular season.

The Giants beat the New York Jets 29-14 on Dec. 24, setting
up a season finale against the Cowboys for the National Football
Conference East division title, with the loser eliminated from
postseason play. Both have 8-7 records. The Giants beat the
Cowboys 37-34 in Texas on Dec. 11.

“I did remind our team that a year ago we won down there
and lost at home,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said at a news
conference yesterday.

The Jets are among five teams still competing for a playoff
spot in the American Football Conference, along with the
Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and
Tennessee Titans. The Jets can make the playoffs if they defeat
Miami, both the Bengals and Titans lose, and either Oakland or
Denver also gets beat.

“What I talked to the players about was that there’s hope
and possibilities,” Jets coach Rex Ryan told reporters
yesterday. “Obviously the game against Miami is critical. When
you look at all the factors involved, the most difficult thing
to happen, I think, is to beat the Dolphins.”

No. 1 Seeds

Aaron Rodgers threw five touchdown passes on Dec. 25 to
help the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears, clinching the
top seed in the NFC and home field throughout the playoffs. The
New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons and
Detroit Lions have also locked up NFC playoff spots.

The Saints clinched the NFC South title last night with a
45-16 victory over the Falcons, as New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees set the NFL season passing record at 5,087 yards.

The New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens
and Pittsburgh Steelers have all gained playoff berths in the
American Football Conference.

A New England win over the Buffalo Bills on New Year’s Day
would give the Patriots home field in the postseason, while
Baltimore can win home field by beating the Bengals if New
England loses.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Aaron Kuriloff in New York at
akuriloff@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.

In this Week 16 matchup, the 7-7 New York Giants “visit” the 8-6 New York Jets in a game that has playoff implications for both teams. Currently second in their divisions, the Jets are currently holding onto the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs while the Giants are behind the Dallas Cowboys by a game for the NFC East division title. In this game between New York teams with plenty of playoff ramifications, both the Giants and Jets have important players injured that may factor into this game.

New York Jets RB Joe McKnight
Wikimedia Commons

Out for Giants: TE Jake Ballard, LB Mark Herzlich, DE Osi Umenyiora

With Ballard officially ruled out with a knee injury, quarterback Eli Manning will be without his best tight end with an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament. As expected, both Umenyiora and Herzlich will miss another game with ankle injuries.

Out for Jets: None

Doubtful for Giants: WR Mario Manningham

Manning may also be missing his third wide receiver in Manningham on Saturday. When available, Manningham allows Victor Cruz some playing time in the slot in three-receiver sets, which gets him away from the tough coverage of either Darrelle Revis or Antonio Cromartie. A tough pass defense to beat, the Giants may struggle finding any receivers if Manningham is unable to play with his knee problem.

Doubtful for Jets: None

Questionable for Giants: RB D.J. Ware

Ware has practiced sparingly this week with a knee injury and may not be available for this game. However, with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw running well as of late, Ware’s role as a third-down receiving back is not as important this week.

Questionable for Jets: CB Marquice Cole, RB Joe McKnight

McKnight suffered a separated shoulder against the Philadelphia Eagles last week and is expected to be a game-time decision. As one of the backups to Shonn Greene, his injury could be a tough break both on offense and in the return game, where Cromartie would return kicks in his absence. Cole, a backup defensive back and special-teams contributor, is more likely to miss this game than McKnight with a knee injury.

Probable for Giants: C David Baas, TE Travis Beckum, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, S Derrick Martin, TE Bear Pascoe, WR Devin Thomas

The most crucial Giant listed as probable this week is Bradshaw (foot), who should be ready to go on Saturday. Baas’ availability to start moves Kevin Boothe to left guard. Beckum (chest) and Pascoe (ribs) will be crucial members in the passing and pass-protection game with Ballard out.

Probable for Jets: WR Plaxico Burress, DE Mike DeVito, G Vladimir Ducasse, RB Shonn Greene, LB David Harris, WR Santonio Holmes, WR Jeremy Kerley, G Brandon Moore, DE Ropati Pitoitua, QB Mark Sanchez, G Caleb Schlauderaff, S Eric Smith

Offensive starters listed as probable for the Jets are Burress (illness), Greene (rib, shoulder), Holmes (hip), Moore (hip), and Sanchez (neck). Defensive starters listed as probable for the Jets are DeVito (knee), Harris (non-injury related), and Smith (knee). DeVito, Holmes, and Smith were the only players of this list who were limited participants in the team’s most recent practice but should all be available to play.

Sources:

NFL Injuries, Yahoo! Sports

Giants likely minus 2 key players, ESPN New York

Jets’ Joe McKnight, Marquice Cole listed as questionable for Giants game, nj.com

The NFL Injury Report, NFL

More from this contributor:

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts Week 16 Injury Report: Fan’s Preview

Five 49ers with Great Performances in 20-3 Win Over Steelers: Fan’s Take

Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers Week 15 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Read More: Plaxico Burress (WR – NYJ), Eli Manning (QB – NYG), New York Jets, New York Giants

The New York Giants and the New York Jets are gearing up for a major NFC East showdown on Saturday. There are big playoff implications at stake and, as to be expected, personal bragging rights.

Rex Ryan, in typical Rex Ryan fashion, took some time on Monday to talk about his belief that the Jets have been the New York team to beat for two years now. Giants coach Tom Coughlin, as usual, refused to take the bait.

Following practice on Tuesday, Ryan attempted to clarify some of his earlier comments, but stuck to his guns regarding his opinion of the relative ability of the two teams.

It’s pretty well noted that I came in here, when I got this job, I want to be the team that people talk about. I want to be the better team. I’ve only been here three years now. So, I’ve mentioned from the whole time since I got here that I want to be the best team and expect to be the best team for the next 10 years. I recognize the rich tradition of Giants football. There’s no question. And I’m not trying to take a run at the Giants or a shot at the Giants. I want to be the best team in the National Football League, and the fact that we share the same stadium, the same state, both New York teams. I don’t want to be the one that is not looked at as the best team in my own state. There’s no way. I want to be the best team, period. Now, do I have the courage to say it? Absolutely. And if it doesn’t happen and we get beat by the Giants, I’ll be the first one to tip my hat to them. There’s no question. But do I believe in my heart that we’re the better football team? Yes. Did I believe we were the better team two years ago and last year? Yes. So I’ll stand by everything I’ve ever said.

Ryan also had kind words for Eli Manning and mentioned there would probably be some emotion from Plaxico Burress, who will be facing off against his former team for the first time.

Judging by what’s on the line in this game, it seems like there will be plenty of emotion to go around.

For all news and information regarding the New York Giants, please visit Big Blue View. For complete Jets coverage, head on over to Gang Green Nation.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – If the Washington Redskins proved anything, it might be that the New York Giants don’t belong in the playoffs.

Rex Grossman threw a touchdown pass and the Redskins put a major hurt on the Giants and their playoff hopes with a 23-10 victory on Sunday.

Grossman threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Santana Moss, Darrel Young scored on a 6-yard run after one of the Redskins’ three interceptions of Eli Manning and Graham Gano kicked three field goals as Washington (5-9) won for the second time in 10 games — and embarrassed New York for the second time this season.

The loss knocked the Giants (7-7) out of first place in the NFC East.

Dallas (8-6) now leads the division by a game with two to go, including one with Giants on the final weekend. If New York beats the Jets and the Cowboys in its final two games it will win the division. The Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles next weekend and might wrap up the division if the Giants fall in their rivalry game with the Jets.

This loss was the fifth in six games for the Giants, who are now in danger of missing the playoffs for the third straight year.

The scenario has been the same each season. New York starts the season quickly and then falters down the stretch, playing some unbelievably bad games with the postseason on the line.

Two years ago, they lost to the Carolina Panthers in their last home game at Giants Stadium

Last season, they went 10-6 and missed the playoffs because they gave away a 21-point lead in a December loss to the Eagles and then were beaten badly in Green Bay late in the season with a playoff berth in their grasp.

This season it has been another collapse after a stunning win over New England left them at 6-2. They lost four in a row and then last week seemed to grab command again by rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Cowboys in Dallas.

Again, with the playoffs in their grasp, they came out flat against the Redskins, who had already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Even a couple of gift interceptions by Grossman in the first quarter didn’t help.

Gano gave Washington the lead on its second series with a 36-yard field goal that was set up in part by a 19-yard pass from Donte’ Stallworth on a third and 12 from the Giants 39.

Grossman, who finished 15 of 24 for 185 yards, pushed the lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter with his TD pass to a wide open Moss on third-and-8.

If the touchdown had the fans muttering, there was no hiding their feelings minutes later after Oshiomogho Atogwe intercepted a pass that deflected off the hands of running back D.J. Ware and returned it 26 yards to the Giants 41. Nine plays later, Young scored and the fans let the team know it was sick of being let down.

Manning, who finished 23 of 40 for 257 yards, finally got the Giants on the board just before halftime, setting up Lawrence Tynes for a 40-yard field goal.

Instead of gaining momentum, the Giants gave the points right back. DeAngelo Hall made a one-handed interception on the second offensive play of the third quarter. His 26-yard return set up Gano’s 43-yard field goal for a 20-3 lead.

After Tynes missed a 44-yarder on the next series, Gano opened the fourth quarter with a 25-yarder to make it 23-3.

Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a 3-yard run with 33 seconds to play for the Giants’ touchdown.

The Giants were their own worst enemy. Hakeem Nicks dropped what might have been a 54-yard scoring play on their second series on a play in which he got behind the defense and had the pass hit off his facemask as he looked back into the sun.

That’s the way the day was for the Giants, who had only a few faithful fans in the stadium when they scored their touchdown.

Redskins at giants

Posted: December 18
Updated: Today at 3:30 AM

TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After grabbing first place in the NFC East from the Dallas Cowboys with yet another fourth-quarter comeback, the New York Giants head into the final three weeks of the season in control of their playoff fate.

All they have to do is finish, which has been Tom Coughlin’s rallying cry from Day 1 of training camp after late-season collapses cost New York trips to the postseason the past two years.

The playoff scenario for the Giants (7-6) is simple.

Win three games and they are in. Win two of three, and make sure one of the victories is Dallas (7-6) on the final weekend, and that also leads to the postseason.

It all starts today with Washington (4-9), a team that has nothing to play for but the usual non-contender laments of a job next season, pride and just the desire to win.

However, this also is the same team that made the Giants and Eli Manning look miserable in a season-opening 28-14 victory.

Rex Grossman threw for 305 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and Washington’s defense held New York to one third-down conversion in 10 tries.

“We are not overlooking the Redskins,” said safety Antrel Rolle, who recently said the Giants would beat the Redskins 99 out of 100 times.

“We have respect for each NFL opponent that we face but at the end of the day, I know what we bring to the table and how good we are. I know what the outcome of the game should be come Sunday. It is up to us to go out there and put it on film and make sure the outcome is what we plan.”

Former Giants and current Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield expects more from New York this time around.

“I think they may have been confident going into the first game, but I know we shook that confidence by beating them the way we beat them,” Cofield said. “And I think they’ve got a lot of respect for us now, especially the way we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks.”

While they have lost 8 of 9 games, the Redskins have played hard during most of that span.

Last week was no different in a 34-27 loss to the New England Patriots. Washington posted a season-high 463 yards despite playing without tight end Fred Davis and left tackle Trent Williams. Both were out because of season-ending suspensions for violating the NFL’s drugs policy.

An apparent late game-tying touchdown was called back because of an offensive pass interference call against Redskins receiver Santana Moss.

Grossman isn’t interested in playing the role of a spoiler.

“I play this game to win,” he said. “You put so much energy and effort into each week that winning the game and feeling good after the game each Sunday and being proud of what you accomplished, that is plenty of motivation. You are playing for pride and going out there and trying to win and that’s really all the motivation you need as far as I am concerned. If we are spoilers in the process, it doesn’t give you any gratification. It is good to go win.”

In facing the Giants, Grossman will be going against a defense that has given up 121 points and 1,498 yards in its past three games against New Orleans, Green Bay and Dallas.

Grossman downplayed the big numbers.

“They didn’t play as well as they normally do, but those offenses present problems to everybody,” Grossman said. “We have to go out and execute our offense and be the best that we can be and focus on our execution. I really don’t worry about how well or how good the defense is. I just worry about how I can execute our plays the best that I can.”

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – After watching Eli Manning carry the offence with his arm for the first three quarters of the season, the New York Giants are finally showing signs of life in the run game.

For only the second time this season, the Giants (7-6) head into Sunday’s game against Washington (4-9) coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts as a team.

“I thought we started to run a little bit better against Green Bay and I thought it was continued improvement in this game,” offensive co-ordinator Kevin Gilbride said of Sunday’s 110 yards on the ground in the Giants’ remarkable 37-34 win over the Cowboys. “We don’t have huge stats, but I’m looking for consistency. I thought for the most part we got that.”

Brandon Jacobs was outstanding in the game, rushing 19 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback win that vaulted the Giants into first-place in the NFC East.

New York — still ranked last in the league in rushing offence, averaging 85.8 yards — had gained 100 yards rushing against Green Bay, after failing to hit the century mark in the three previous games.

The big difference seems to be new line, the fifth starting combination used this season.

David Diehl was moved from left guard to left tackle three games ago after Will Beatty suffered a detached retina. And then, the left guard and centre positions were switched the following week when David Baas suffered from severe headaches and continuing neck problems.

That forced offensive line coach Pat Flaherty to move Kevin Boothe from left guard to centre, with second-year pro Mitch Petrus taking over the guard spot. Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie remain at the right guard and tackle spots, respectively.

The line opened a couple of excellent holes that allowed Jacobs to get through the first level with some speed and forced the Cowboys defensive backs to come up and stop the 260-pound back.

“I think we have guys in the right place,” Jacobs said. “I think guys are working hard and doing everything they can to make the run game work. I think the offensive line is doing a fabulous job of moving people out of the way and I think E (Eli) is doing a great job of getting us in things that we need to be in. Our coaches are confident in what we are doing and I am confident in what we are doing.

“We just have to keep going.”

Jacobs also ran as hard as he has all season in getting most of the carries with Ahmad Bradshaw sitting in the first half because of disciplinary reasons. There were no signs of the hamstring injury that bothered him for a couple of weeks.

Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield, a former Giant, said watching New York’s run game is a shocking, considering Tom Coughlin’s team always was among the league leaders.

“It’s just not like them,” Cofield said. “They’re not the team that they used to be. They used to pound the ball, and I’m sure they would love to get back to that. … I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out and see them pound the ball.”

Gilbride and Jacobs feel the running game has only taken baby steps. It still has to improve, especially with the Giants next three games being at MetLife Stadium where the wind can make it tough to throw.

“It can be a factor here, weather wise,” Gilbride said. “That’s where you would like to be able to run the ball, but regardless of that, you always would like to have the ability to force people to play honestly. To do that, you have to be able to run the ball a little bit. I think the fact that we did it a little bit better (against) Green Bay, did it even a little bit better last game is a good sign. We’re headed in the right direction.

“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction and I think that just makes us more difficult to defend.”

Having a run game will make Manning twice as dangerous in a season in which he has already thrown for 4,105 yards and 25 touchdowns.

“It’s a different team. It’s just a completely different look. They’re playing differently,” Cofield said. “They’ve got a lot of different faces in there because of injuries and things like that, and it seems like Eli’s matured, a couple of seasons’ worth of maturity in one year, with how well he’s playing down the stretch this year.”

NOTES: DE Osi Umenyiora probably will not play this weekend because of a high ankle sprain and Baas also seems unlikely the way he talked after missing practice on Thursday. … DE Justin Tuck is nursing a sore toe and probably will be a gametime decision on Sunday. … A subdued Perry Fewell, the defensive co-ordinator, says his unit has not played a complete game this season. … S Kenny Phillips (left knee) hopes to play Sunday after missing the Cowboys’ game.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. (STATS) – The New York Giants’ offensive line has done a
solid job protecting Eli Manning all season. On Sunday night, it came up with
one of its best performances to help put them in control of the NFC East.

The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, continually saw their quarterbacks
get sacked.

One day later, their coach did too.

The Giants were the only team not to allow a sack in Week 14 and finished
second in the league with a 98.5 rating in the New York Life Protection Index,
while Miami matched an ignominious franchise record by giving up nine of them to
finish with a week-worst minus-36.3.

Oakland finished first with a 103.1 score, thanks mostly to a big early
deficit against Green Bay, which was able to play more conservatively with leads
of 31-0 going into halftime and 43-7 entering the fourth quarter.

The NYLPI is a proprietary formula created by STATS LLC which measures pass
protection by using metrics such as length of passes, penalties by offensive
linemen, sacks allowed and quarterback hurries and knockdowns.

New York, which ranks fifth for the season with a 75.7 NYLPI rating, ended a
four-game losing streak with a 37-34 victory over Dallas, gaining the tiebreaker
over the Cowboys for the division lead. They trailed by 12 points in the fourth
quarter before Manning threw two touchdown passes in the final 3:14.

Manning finished 27 for 47 with 400 yards behind a line that has allowed 21
sacks this season, and his front five stepped up when he needed it most.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve had that winning feeling,” Manning said. “It’s
good to have excited guys with a lot of smiles in the locker room.”

The Giants’ NYLPI rating was their best of the year, and the line play seems
to be coming together just in time: The unit has allowed just two sacks in the
last three games – the fewest in the NFL over that span.

Manning was hurried 11 times, but knocked down only twice.

“I don’t think it mattered how we did it, I think bottom line was about just
getting a win,” center Kevin Boothe said. “We haven’t won in a long time and our
opportunities are getting short. So, it didn’t matter who we were playing and
how much we won by. We always would like to win by a lot more but just getting
back in the win column and putting ourselves in the position to have an
opportunity.

“That is what we play for – to have meaningful games in December, and here
we are with everything in front of us. We just have to take advantage of it.”

While New York boosted its playoff chances, Miami’s already disappointing
season took another hit just as it was showing signs of life, having won four of
five – it’s lone loss being by just one point at Dallas on a last-second field
goal.

On Sunday, however, it was a different story. The Dolphins watched Matt
Moore and J.P. Losman go down nine times in the 26-10 loss to Philadelphia,
dropping them to 4-9 and prompting the team to fire Tony Sparano on Monday.

The number of sacks equaled the franchise record, set Oct. 17, 1999, in a
31-30 win over New England.

“The results speak for themselves,” said owner Stephen Ross, who named
assistant Todd Bowles interim coach. “We’re looking to becoming a winning
organization, and I thought this was the best time to make the change and let us
go in a direction that will allow us to become that.”

After a back injury in the first quarter to Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long,
Miami’s line collapsed. The minus-36.3 score was by far the worst of any team in
Week 14 – Chicago’s minus-3.8 was 31st – and was the second-worst of the season,
behind only a minus-52.7 by San Francisco on Thanksgiving night.

Moore was sacked four times – the fifth time this season he’s been sacked at
least that many times – before leaving the game with a slight concussion. Backup
J.P. Losman didn’t fare much better, getting dropped five times, including once
for a safety in the fourth quarter.

Not surprisingly, Miami’s signal-callers were knocked down a league-most 11
times while attempting to elude oncoming defenders throughout the day.

Moore’s status for next week’s contest against Buffalo is uncertain, while
Losman – a former Bill – waits to find out if he’ll make his first start since
Dec. 7, 2008.

“All the blame is squarely on our shoulders,” said guard Richie Incognito,
who is part of a line that ranks 30th for the season with a 44.1 NYLPI rating.
“We got Matt hurt. They’re a physical group. They just beat us one on one.”

The Packers were similarly dominant over the Raiders, just not in the area
of quarterback pressure. Oakland’s offensive line allowed only one sack and
didn’t commit a single false start or holding penalty, but Carson Palmer’s four
interceptions and the team’s otherwise sloppy play wiped out the effort.

“I’m not going to let this team keep going backwards,” coach Hue Jackson
said. “The last two weeks, we haven’t come close to playing or looking like the
football team we’ve been.”

That statement can certainly be echoed by the Bears, who lost their third
straight game – 13-10 in overtime to Denver – after finishing with a negative
rating in the NYLPI for the second straight week. A week ago, they graded out at
minus-2.7 in a 10-3 loss to Kansas City.

Caleb Hanie, making his third straight start in place of the injured Jay
Cutler, was sacked four times and knocked down six overall, while the offensive
line committed three false start penalties.

The Bears rank third in the league with 24 false starts this season and 25th
with an overall NYLPI grade of 49.9.

“I hate to say it, but we gave this one to them,” Hanie said after Chicago
blew a 10-0 fourth-quarter lead.

New Orleans continues to sit on top of the cumulative year-to-date index
with a score of 86.2. The Saints finished fifth for the week at 83.0 following a
22-17 win at Tennessee.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The gloom of four straight losses has been lifted and for the first time in more than a month, the New York Giants can see the finish line in this injury-riddled season.

With their 37-34 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, the Giants (7-6) are in control of their postseason hopes.

Believe it or not.

It was hard feeling that way coming off losses to San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Green Bay over the past month, but pulling one out in Dallas with yet another fourth-quarter rally has made the picture clear.

“I don’t think it mattered how we did it, I think bottom line was about just getting a win,” center Kevin Boothe said. “We haven’t won in a long time and our opportunities are getting short. So, it didn’t matter who we were playing and how much we won by. We always would like to win by a lot more but just getting back in the win column and putting ourselves in the position to have an opportunity. That is what we play for, to have meaningful games in December and here we are with everything in front of us. We just have to take advantage of it.”

If the Giants beat the Redskins, Jets and Cowboys, they are heading back to the playoffs for the first time since after the 2008 season.

Remarkably, Tom Coughlin spent most of this season talking to his team about the importance of finishing after second-half collapses led to missing the postseason the last two years.

Doing it this year would be special since the team lost cornerback Terrell Thomas, linebacker Jonathan Goff and second-round draft pick Marvin Austin to injuries in training camp and starting left tackle Will Beatty to an eye injury during the season. In all, New York has 12 players on injured reserve.

“I’m pleased that they’re fighting and working their tails off and I’m happy that they were reinforced last night, but it certainly doesn’t stop here,” Coughlin said. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”

The Giants are also going to have to deal with more injuries. Defensive captain Justin Tuck, who has missed four games with neck and groin injuries, has been slowed by a toe problem the past two games and he told WFAN in his weekly interview that he does not know whether he’ll be able to play against the Redskins at MetLife Stadium.

Coughlin also disclosed that left tackle David Diehl (hand), tight end Jake Ballard (wrist) and backup tight end Travis Beckum (bruised chest) might miss a little practice this week but they are expected to play against the Redskins, a team that beat the Giants to open the season.

The Giants don’t have to win their final three games to make the playoffs. If they finish at 9-7 and sweep the season series with Dallas, they will capture the division.

“It is not about style points, it is about having the opportunity to accomplish what we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season, which was win the division,” defensive tackle Chris Canty said. “Now we are in a pretty good position, but we have three tough ballgames ahead of us. We know that we are going to have to finish. Coach Coughlin started it in training camp with the motto of ‘finish’ and that is the mentality.

“That is the mentality of our football team for the next few weeks.”

Eli Manning and the offense have carried the team, posting six fourth-quarter wins this season. The defense has struggled and that didn’t change in Dallas, where they blew a coverage on 50-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Dez Bryant to fall behind 34-22 with 5:41 to play.

Manning, however, hit Ballard on an 8-yard scoring pass with 3:14 left and Brandon Jacobs scored on a 1-yard run with 46 seconds to go after the Giants defense forced a three-and-out by Tony Romo and the Cowboys.

“I’ve always been a huge believer in you have to take care of your own business,” Coughlin said. “Whenever you start to drift and to think that perhaps other people are going to help you out, I think you get in trouble. You have to take care of your own business.

“We realize how difficult each one of these games will be, but we put ourselves in position where if we can take care of our own business then what we’ve wanted all along will present itself as an opportunity for us.”

By Ed Valentine

– Regional Editor

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Dec 12, 2011 – Forget debating whether or not New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning is elite, or where he ranks if you accept the common wisdom that Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are the Big Four of NFL quarterbacks. Eli is one of the best quarterbacks playing the game today. As ESPN’s Colin Cowherd is fond of saying, if you can’t see the reality of that statement, that’s a you problem.

I’m not here today to debate his standing among current NFL quarterbacks. I’m here to say that I think after what we have witnessed from Manning this season we can say without any doubt he is the best quarterback to ever play the position for the New York Giants.

Sorry, Phil Simms. Sorry, Y.A. Tittle, Charlie Conerly and even short-timer Fran Tarkenton. The idea that Manning could eventually be the best quarterback in the history of the Giants’ franchise has been out there for a couple of seasons now. I think the time has come to stop talking about eventually. From where I sit, he IS the best who has ever played the position for the Giants.

Here are a few numbers to chew on:

• Manning passed for 400 yards Sunday, the third time he has done that this season. He has 21 300+ yard games, tied with Simms for the franchise best.
• His 4,105 is a career high, and third straight season he has gone over the 4,000-yard mark. He is on pace to pass for 5,052 yards.
• He has thrown 14 fourth-quarter touchdown passes this season, tying a record set by Johnny Unitas in 1959 (a 12-game season) and Peyton Manning in 2006.
• He has 303 completions this season, the fourth time in his career he has completed 300 or more passes. That is a franchise record.
• He has led five fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins this season and 20 in his career. 

There are more numbers, but that is enough. The case for him as the best Giants quarterback of all time goes beyond the numbers, and even beyond the belief his team has in him. Simms, Tittle and Conerly all had the rock-solid support of their teammates, and deservedly so.

Manning, as I said, has led five come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter this season, and helped the Giants win a sixth game against Buffalo that was tied, 24-24 with less than nine minutes to play. There were two other games (Seattle and Green Bay) where Manning put the Giants in position to win late, but the team fell just short. You can easily argue that without Manning the 2011 Giants could be a two- or three-win team.

The quarterback position has changed so much. No quarterbacks technically do not call their own plays. A quarterback like Manning, though, is actually calling his own game much of the time. He often has a couple of plays to choose from, and his teammates say he changes around 40 percent of the plays at the line of scrimmage, anyway. So, he is calling the game.

Manning is one of the best in the league pre-snap, getting the Giants set and getting them into a play that has a chance to succeed. Maybe only his brother does that better. 

He is fearless, both of the pass rush and of the situation on the scoreboard. He is not a scrambler, but he has an uncanny ability to set protections, to slide in the pocket, to get the ball out of his hands just quickly enough. Manning was not sacked Sunday in 47 pass attempts, and that is not because the line did a great job. There were free runners all night. It’s because Manning moved cunningly and got the ball out decisively.

For me, there is little doubt Manning has ascended to the throne of best Giants’ quarterback ever. Best of all, at the age of 30 he very well could only be halfway through his career. Giants fans will get to see a whole lot more, and that is a good thing.

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ELI MANNING AND the New York Giants finally have something to show for all their hard work – first place in the NFC East.

On the verge of being knocked to the edge of the playoff chase, Manning led the Giants to two touchdowns in the final 3 minutes, 14 seconds and Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a field goal as time expired, giving New York a 37-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last night in Cowboys Stadium.

“Good to get that winning feeling again,” said Manning, whose Giants lost in the waning seconds last week to Green Bay.

New York ended a frustrating four-game losing streak filled mostly with narrow losses to division leaders. The Giants (7-6) appeared headed to another setback when they were trailing by 34-22 with 5:41 left, but a series of clutch plays on their part and meltdowns by Dallas reshaped the division race.

With 3 weeks left, these clubs are tied atop the NFC East. New York has the inside track and will host Dallas in a season-ending rematch on New Year’s Day. The Eagles are two games behind them, with three games left.

The Cowboys lost their second straight, both in dramatic, frustrating fashion that involved missed kicks by rookie Dan Bailey, who had been so good for so long this season. The really bad news for Dallas was running back DeMarco Murray suffereing a broken right ankle and high ankle sprain, ending his record-setting rookie season.

Manning was 27-for-47 for 400 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once, on a tipped pass late in the fourth quarter, and it led to a touchdown that appeared to put the game away for Dallas.

But Manning came back with a pair of touchdown drives. The first went 80 yards in eight plays, capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard.

The New York defense had allowed Tony Romo to throw touchdown passes on the two previous possessions, but it forced a punt, and it was a short one. Then the Dallas defense had two penalties that helped scoot along a drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs, with D.J. Ware adding a two-point conversion.

Romo hit Miles Austin for a pair of long gains that gave Bailey a chance to force overtime. He made a 47-yarder that ended up not counting because New York coach Tom Coughlin had called a timeout. His second try was denied by Pierre-Paul, who already had contributed an early sack for a safety.

“Guys stepped up and made some big plays,” Manning said. “I knew we had time to try to get the big play. If it was there, we’d take it.”

One of those guys was Pierre-Paul. “He’s a playmaker,” Manning said. “When he gets on the field, he makes things happen.”

In another NFC East game:

 * At Landover, Md., Tom Brady threw for 357 yards and three TDs, and Rob Gronkowski set an NFL single-season record for most touchdown catches by a tight end as New England won its fifth straight, 34-27 over the Washington Redskins (4-9).

Gronkowski snagged his 14th and 15th scoring receptions, moving him past Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis. Gates had 13 in 2004, and Davis matched that total in 2009.

The Patriots (10-3) again overcame their bend-but-don’t-break defense. The Redskins drove to the New England 5-yard line late before Rex Grossman’s pass went off Santana Moss’ hands and was intercepted by Jerod Mayo with 22 seconds to play.

With the Patriots leading by seven, Brady tried to find Tiquan Underwood at the back of the end zone and was instead picked off by Josh Wilson with 6:30 left. The Redskins then began their doomed march that could have sent the game to overtime – even as Brady exchanged words with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

“I threw a pretty bad interception, so he wasn’t happy about it,” Brady said. “And there was probably a long line of coaches and players that were pretty [upset] at me after that, but Billy got to me first. He let me have it; I deserved it.”

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Eli Manning and the New York Giants finally have something to show for all their hard work — first place in the NFC East.

On the verge of being knocked to the edge of the playoff chase, Manning led the Giants to two touchdowns in the final 3:14 and Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a field goal as time expired, giving New York a 37-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

“Good to get that winning feeling again,” Manning said.

New York ended a frustrating four-game losing streak filled mostly with narrow losses to division leaders. The Giants (7-6) appeared headed to another setback when they were trailing 34-22 with 5:41 left, but a series of clutch plays on their part and meltdowns by Dallas reshaped the division race.

With three weeks left, these clubs are tied atop the NFC East. New York has the inside track and will host Dallas in a season-ending rematch on New Year’s Day.

“This is huge, another fourth-quarter comeback,” Manning said. “Last week we had something similar (against Green Bay) and couldn’t hold onto it. This week we held on it and got the win. … Now we know we have a tough road ahead of us. It’s going to come down to the final weeks to win games.”

The Cowboys lost their second straight, both in dramatic, frustrating fashion that involved missed kicks by rookie Dan Bailey, who’d been so good for so long this season. The really bad news for Dallas was running back DeMarco Murray breaking his right ankle, ending his record-setting rookie season.

“We certainly know we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a brief statement.

Manning was 27 of 47 for 400 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once, on a tipped pass, and it led to a touchdown that appeared to put the game away for Dallas.

But Manning came back with a pair of touchdown drives. The first went 80 yards in eight plays, capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard. The New York defense had allowed Tony Romo to throw touchdown passes on the two previous possessions, but it forced a punt, and it was a short one. Then the Dallas defense had two penalties that helped scoot along a drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs, with D.J. Ware adding a 2-point conversion.

Romo hit Miles Austin for a pair of long gains that gave Bailey a chance to force overtime. He made a 47-yarder that ended up not counting because New York coach Tom Coughlin called a timeout. His second try was denied by Pierre-Paul, who already had contributed an early sack for a safety, and also forced a fumble.

“I rushed the center, put my hands up and got the block,” Pierre-Paul said.

Jacobs ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Hakeem Nicks had seven catches for 154 yards, including an early 64-yarder. Mario Manningham had two catches for 62 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown.

“Guys stepped up and made some big plays,” Manning said.

Romo was 21 of 31 for 321 yards with four touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter.

Laurent Robinson caught four passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, with a 74-yarder. Austin, who’d missed the previous six weeks with a hamstring injury, caught four passes for 63 yards with a touchdown. Dez Bryant’s only catch was a 50-yard touchdown that put Dallas up by 12 in the fourth.

Felix Jones ran for 106 yards, and caught six passes for 31 yards. He started the season as Dallas’ featured running back, and will end it that way, too, now that Murray is gone. The rookie got his foot twisted awkwardly at the end of an 8-yard run in the first quarter. He finished his season with 899 yards, with a franchise-record 253 coming in one game.

“This one’s going to hurt, it’s going to sting, but we’ve got to figure out how to do things a little better and play our best game of the season next week,” Romo said.

Both teams came in knowing this was a huge swing game. And, for the first 55 minutes, neither team led by more than five points.

The Giants got the scoring going with Pierre-Paul’s sack of Romo for a safety. The 64-yarder to Nicks gave them a first-and-goal from the 5 and a chance to really break things open, but they settled for a field goal, and soon found themselves trailing 7-5.

After the teams traded touchdowns, leaving Dallas still ahead by two points, Pierre-Paul forced Jones to fumble and New York recovered at the Dallas 14. But the Giants again managed only a field goal, albeit to take the lead.

Bailey made a 49-yard field goal as time expired to put the Cowboys on top again, and he made another 49-yarder in the third quarter.

Manningham’s touchdown put New York back in front, but then Dallas seemed to put the game away with touchdowns by Austin and Bryant. Only, it wasn’t enough.

The Cowboys have lost six straight Sunday night games. They are 0-3 against the Giants at Cowboys Stadium. Romo also continued his trend of soaring in November, then slumping in December.

“We need to get a win next week and get back going,” Romo said.