New York Giants Official Website

Postgame Notes
Notes, Anecdotes and Statistics from the Giants 37-29 win over the Cardinals
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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NOVEMBER 23, 2008

GLENDALE, AZ - Notes, anecdotes and statistics from the Giants' 37-29 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

*The Giants won their sixth consecutive game to improve to 10-1, the first time they've won 10 of their first 11 games since 1990. They lead the NFC East by three games over Dallas and Washington.

*The Giants have matched their 2007 regular season victory total with five games to play.

*The Giants became only the second team in history to win five consecutive games over teams with winning records. The 1970 Minnesota Vikings own the record with six straight wins against teams over .500.

*The Giants have scored at least 30 points in each of their last four games. This is the first time they have scored 30 or more points four games in a row since Sept. 15-Oct. 6, 1968, when they started that season 4-0.

*The Giants won their seventh consecutive indoor game (including Super Bowl XLII in the same stadium) and are now 24-12 in regular season dome games. Their .667 winning percentage in indoor games is second-best among teams that play their home games outdoors. The Washington Redskins are 26-11 (.703). The Giants have not lost under a dome since Dec. 14, 2003 at New Orleans. They are 7-0 indoors under Tom Coughlin (including the Super Bowl). The Giants have one more dome game this season, Dec. 28 at Minnesota.

*The Giants' offense did not turn the ball over for the sixth time this season. They have won their last 17 games (14 regular season) in which they did not have an offensive turnover, dating back to a loss at Washington on Dec. 5, 2004.

*After rushing for at least 200 yards in three consecutive games, the Giants were held to 87 yards on the ground, just the second time this season they finished with less than 100 rushing yards (they had 83 at Pittsburgh on Oct. 26).

*The Giants punted on each of their first two offensive possessions for just the second time this season. They also did it against Cincinnati on Sept. 21.

*The Giants did not score a first-quarter point for the third time this season. They were also shutout in the first 15 minutes vs. Cincinnati and at Cleveland.

*Arizona rushed for only 23 yards, the lowest total by a Giants opponent since Minnesota ran for just 12 yards on Nov. 13, 2005. Those are the two lowest opposition rushing totals in Coughlin's 203 regular season games as an NFL head coach.

*The Cardinals' 348 net passing yards were the most by a Giants opponent since Detroit threw for 351 yards on Nov. 18, 2007.

*Arizona's 27 first downs were the most by a Giants opponent since New England had 27 on Dec. 29, 2007.

*The victory was Coughlin's 113th in the regular season. That ties him with Dennis Green (Vikings, Cardinals) and George Seifert (49ers, Panthers) for 28th on the NFL's career list.

*The Giants - the NFL's top rushing team - played without leading rusher Brandon Jacobs, who was inactive because of a knee injury he suffered in last week's victory over Baltimore. He practiced Thursday and Friday, but when Jacobs arrived at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday, he informed Coughlin and head trainer Ronnie Barnes that he did not think he could play up to his normal capabilities. Jacobs leads the Giants with 879 rushing yards, which placed him fourth in the NFL entering this weekend's action.

Derrick Ward started for Jacobs and rushed for 69 yards on 20 carries and caught four passes for 30 yards.

*Eli Manning completed 26 of 33 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His completion percentage of .788 is a career high. Manning's previous best was 76 percent (19 of 25) against Seattle on Oct. 5.

*Manning topped 200 passing yards for the first time since the Seahawks game.

*The 26 completions tied the season high Manning set in an overtime victory against Cincinnati on Sept. 21.

*It was the third time this season and the 11th time in his career that Manning has thrown at least three touchdown passes in a game.

*The victory was Manning's 40th in the regular season as the Giants' starter. He is 40-26 (.606).

*Domenik Hixon had 269 total yards (180 on kickoff returns, 57 receiving, 21 on punt returns, plus an 11-yard rush). That is tied for the third-highest total in Giants history. Del Shofner gained 269 yards - all receiving - vs Washington on Oct. 28, 1962 (the day Y.A. Tittle threw seven touchdown passes). The franchise record is Joe Scott's 279 yards on Nov. 14, 1948 vs. the Los Angeles Rams (207 kickoff return yards, 35 receiving, 22 rushing and 15 yards after receiving a lateral).

*This was the first time Hixon returned kickoffs this season. He averaged 60.0 yards on three runbacks, including returns of 83 and 68 yards.

*Hixon's 83-yard kickoff return was the Giants' longest since Willie Ponder scored on a 95-yard return on Sept. 11, 2005 - also against the Cardinals. It was the team's longest kickoff return that didn't result in a touchdown since Thomas Lewis' 84-yarder vs. Philadelphia on Aug. 31, 1997.

*Hixon was the first NFL player this season with two returns of at least 68 yards in the same game.

*Hixon stepped in when Plaxico Burress left the game with a hamstring injury after the first series and led the Giants with six catches for 57 yards.

*Burress did not have a reception, ending his streak at 115 consecutive games in which he played with at least one catch, which was the sixth-longest active streak in the NFL.

It was the first time Burress was in uniform and did not catch a pass since Nov. 26, 2000 against Cincinnati. That was Burress' rookie season in Pittsburgh. He had caught a pass in all 56 previous games in which he had played for the Giants. Burress actually caught Manning's pass on the first play of the game for a six-yard gain, but it was nullified by an illegal formation penalty. Two plays later, Manning threw deep down the middle for Burress, who was closely covered and couldn't come up with the ball. The Giants ran one more play before punting and then Burress never returned.

*Amani Toomer played in his 185th regular season game, breaking a tie with Lawrence Taylor and Joe Morrison and moving into fourth place on the franchise's career list.

*With four catches for 30 yards and a touchdown, Toomer increased his career totals to 654 receptions, 9,312 yards and 53 touchdowns. He is, of course, the Giants' record-holder in all three categories.

*Sinorice Moss made a big 12-yard catch to give the Giants a first down at the Arizona five-yard line in the second quarter. It was his first reception since he caught a two-yard pass vs. Dallas three weeks ago.

*John Carney, returning as the kicker after a one-week hiatus, kicked three field goals and scored 13 points to increase his career totals to 449 field goals and 1,915 points.

*Fullback Madison Hedgecock scored the first touchdown of his four-year career on a two-yard reception in the third quarter.

*Rookie cornerback Terrell Thomas intercepted a Kurt Warner pass in the fourth quarter for his first career pick. Thomas returned the ball 13 yards to set up a Carney field goal.

*The Cardinals' 90-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter was the longest by a Giants opponent this season and the longest in a regular season game since the Jets marched 93 yards on Oct. 7, 2007. Green Bay had a 90-yard drive in the NFC Championship Game and Dallas a 96-yarder in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game. The previous long this year was an 87-yard drive by the Browns in Cleveland on Oct. 13.

*Warner, the former Giant, passed for 351 yards, the second quarterback this season to throw for more than 300 yards vs. the Giants. Cleveland's Derek Anderson passed for 310 yards on Oct. 13. Warner's total was the highest by a quarterback against the Giants since New England's Tom Brady passed for 356 yards on Dec. 29, 2007.

*Warner has been the losing quarterback in each of the last three Giants-Cardinals games - with the Giants in 2004 and with the Cardinals in 2005 and Sunday.

*Tim Hightower rushed for touchdowns on runs of four and one yard to become the first Giants opponent to score two touchdowns this season.

*J.J. Arrington's 55-yard kickoff return in the second quarter was the longest against the Giants since Leon Washington of the Jets brought a kick back 98 yards for a touchdown on Oct. 7, 2007.

*In addition to Jacobs, the Giants' inactive players were kicker Lawrence Tynes, cornerback Sam Madison, safety Sammy Knight, linebacker Gerris Wilkinson, wide receiver Mario Manningham and defensive end Jerome McDougle.

*The Giants-Philadelphia game on December 7 in Giants Stadium will be played at 1 p.m.