Read More: Osi Umenyiora (DE – NYG), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB – NYG), Mario Manningham (WR – NYG), Hakeem Nicks (WR – NYG), Jake Ballard (TE – NYG), Mark Herzlich (LB – NYG), Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants

The New York Giants still have issues at the wide receiver position after Hakeem Nicks missed his second straight day of practice and Mario Manningham was once again limited. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is hopeful that both will be available to play on Sunday. Nicks did some light running Thursday and assured reporters after practice that he would be on the field Sunday.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw also sat out Thursday’s practice but he could return to the practice field on Friday.

Here is the full injury report for the New York Giants from Thursday, December 29:

Did not Participate
Jake Ballard (knee)
Ahmad Bradshaw (foot)
Mark Herzlich (ankle)
Hakeem Nicks (hamstring)

Limited Participation
Mario Manningham (knee)
Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee)

For more on the Cowboys head over to Blogging the Boys, SB Nation’s Dallas Cowboys blog. For more on the Giants head over to Big Blue View, SB Nation’s New York Giants blog. For more on the NFL, visit SB Nation’s NFL news hub.

Two members of the New York Giants were announced as Pro Bowl selections on Tuesday. One of them wasn’t even on the ballot.

It will mark the second Pro Bowl for Giants quarterback Eli Manning, but it might be the first selection for second-year defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul that’s most impressive. Pierre-Paul was not on the ballot, and thus could have only received write-in votes from fans.

Pierre-Paul presumably garnered enough votes from players and coaches — who can vote for any player on the active roster and each count as one-third of total voting — to join Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and Eagles defensive end Jason Babin on the NFC roster.

“It means a lot,” Pierre-Paul said. “I don’t really understand the whole Pro Bowl thing, but it means a lot. It means I’m doing good.”

Pierre-Paul has started 11 of the Giants’ 15 games and recorded 15.5 sacks, fourth in the NFL. He has at least a half-sack in 11 games and multiple sacks in five games.

Pierre-Paul was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his dominant performance in the Giants’ 37-34 victory in Dallas on Dec. 11. He led the team with eight tackles (six solo), including two sacks (one for a safety), a forced fumble, and a block of Dan Bailey’s 47-yard field-goal attempt with one second left that would have sent the game into overtime.

Even if he doesn’t completely understand the whole Pro Bowl thing, Pierre-Paul has been rewarded for his breakout season.

Wide receiver Victor Cruz and guard Chris Snee are second alternates for the NFC, according to the Giants.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By Pat Johnston

– Newsdesk contributor

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Dec 27, 2011 – The New York Giants had two players selected for the 2012 Pro Bowl (via Giants Twitter) which will take place on Jan. 29, 2012 in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium at 7 p.m. (TV:NBC).

Quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul were named to the roster for the Pro Bowl. Manning will be making his second trip to the Pro Bowl. He is the first Giants quarterback to make two Pro Bowls since Phil Simms was picked in 1985 and 1993. This will be Jason Pierre-Paul’s first trip to the Pro Bowl.

There were no Giants in the lead at their position after the conclusion of the fan vote period.

Fan voting concluded on Dec. 19 but the official selections were announced on Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. on NFL Network’s NFL Total Access 2012 Pro Bowl Selection Show.

For more Giants coverage, visit our team page or our blog Big Blue View.

Read More: Eli Manning (QB – NYG), Jason Pierre-Paul (DE – NYG), New York Giants

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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.

The loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday is now behind the Dallas Cowboys and now it is time to look ahead to the New York Giants. The Eagles loss means nothing in the grand scheme of things but the Giants game will mean everything.

The most important thing for the Cowboys, and this is especially true of the Eagles loss, is to come into the Giants’ matchup at 100-percent. That means that losing to the Eagles, because they rested Tony Romo and Felix Jones, was exactly the right decision. Dallas also has to hope that defensive players, like cornerback Mike Jenkins and linebackers Sean Lee and DeMarcus Ware are also ready to go.

Tony Romo

Tony Romo injured his hand on this second pass attempt of the Eagles’ game when he knocked it against the helmet of a rushing Jason Babin. It was really the closest that Babin, the NFL sack leader, got to a Dallas quarterback in the game, which says great things about that maligned offensive line.

X-rays were negative and the hand bruised and swelled. It is thought to be broken vessels in the hand but it should be healed and ready to go for the big Giants’ game. The hope is that there is no soreness in the hand. Romo has not thrown an interception since Week 12 against Miami and he has eight touchdown passes since that game.

Felix Jones

Felix Jones had back-to-back 100-yard games heading into the Eagles matchup. However, early in the week he showed up on the injury report with a tight hamstring. When this started is unknown, but once Romo left the game and Dallas learned the Giants won, they pulled Jones out to allow him to rest his leg. There should be no worries here as Jones averaged 6-yards a carry before leaving the game.

Mike Jenkins

Mike Jenkins has been battling injuries all season but Dallas needs him in the lineup against the Giants. With the playmakers that New York has, and Eli Manning able to throw the ball all over the field, the Cowboys secondary needs all the help it can get.

DeMarcus Ware

You can’t get Ware out of the lineup. Even after Dallas learned that the Giants won, and the Eagles game meant nothing, he remained in the game and finished with two more sacks, moving his total to 18 on the season. He has been dealing with a neck injury but has not missed a game. He needs two more sacks to tie his own personal best.

Sean Lee

Sean Lee injured his hand in the first game with Philadelphia. He missed one week and has been playing with a cast ever since. In this game, he injured his hamstring. He says he could have come back into the game but didn’t because of the Giants win. He finished with five tackles before leaving the game. He says he will be ready for the Giants.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

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