It is no coincidence that Eli Manning struggled to locate open receivers in the 29-14 victory over the Jets, as he had to make do without two targets, Mario Manningham and tight end Jake Ballard, who have combined for 77 receptions and eight touchdowns this season. The Giants are hoping both of those players will mend in time for Sunday night’s first-place NFC East showdown with the Cowboys.
Ballard suffered a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against the Redskins and last week still had not been able to run. He believes he will only miss one game, but that might be wishful thinking.
Manningham has been dealing with a swollen and sore knee for the entire second half of the season. He is hoping to avoid surgery following the season and is optimistic he will be able to make it back for the Cowboys.
Without Manningham and Ballard, Manning completed only nine passes against the Jets, and other than Victor Cruz with three receptions, no other player managed to haul in more than one pass.
* DE Osi Umenyiora, out the last four games with a high ankle sprain, will try to test his ankle later in the week to see if he can get back on the field to face the Cowboys. He is a longshot at best because thus far he has shown no ability to push off the injured ankle.
* In addition to the bruised throwing hand Tony Romo took out of the 20-7 loss to the Eagles, the Cowboys came away with other injuries that need to be watched this week. LB Sean Lee (hamstring) and G Montrae Holland (elbow) both left the game in the second quarter. RB Felix Jones (hamstring) was also pulled early, with the Cowboys not needing to win the game after the Giants beat the Jets.
* After going 6-10 in 2004, his first season breaking in rookie quarterback Manning, coach Tom Coughlin has guided the Giants to seven consecutive non-losing records. That doesn’t sound like much until you consider it’s the franchise’s longest non-losing streak since going 10 straight seasons (1954-63) without a losing record.
The 11 first downs for the Giants against the Jets were the fewest in a victory since Sept. 12, 1999, when they had four first downs but beat the Buccaneers 17-13 in Tampa. … Manning’s nine completions were his fewest in a game he played the whole way since he connected on only seven amid the snow and sleet in the playoff-clinching 38-21 victory in Buffalo on Dec, 23, 2007. … CB Corey Webster has a career-high six interceptions this season, the most by a Giants player since Emmanuel McDaniel also had six in 2000.