QB ELI MANNING
Q: On his injured right heel:
"We'll have to see tomorrow. I think it's just a bruised heel. I can walk around and move around, but there is some discomfort… It was non-contact, it just happened at the end of the drop. I don't think it's awful; I've been injured worse before. We'll see how it feels throughout the week…Anytime you feel a little strain or pull down there you get a little nervous, because you don't know what it is, like an Achilles or something, but after a second I knew it wasn't that. I could stand up, I could still walk around. I could put some pressure on it, so I was more relieved after that."
Q: What did you see in the Chiefs defense?
"We did a great job in pass protection. Guys were getting open. WR Steve Smith had a great game. He ran some great routes and made some great plays down the field. It was a combination of great protection and guys running fast and running some good routes and making some plays. We ran the ball effectively. We did some good things. We still had some missed opportunities, there were some things we could have done a lot better. Two turnovers hurt us. We've got to try and fix those plays and keep improving."
Q: On one of Steve Smith's touchdown receptions (skinny post route):
"On the touchdown, they went to Cover-Two and we went to double post. He (Smith) was the first one. He ran a great route and split the safeties and got into the end zone. He's doing a great job, and really the play wasn't put for him. We weren't expecting to get that coverage, but we got it and made the adjustment and he ran a good route."
Q: Were you focusing on throwing into coverage against Chiefs S Mike Brown?
"No, it wasn't by design. We just had some plays and not all of the plays are meant to go to him all the time, it just depends on the coverage and what [the defense is] doing. [Steve Smith] was doing a great job running his routes versus certain coverages; even on the fumble he ran a great route. I had a chance to hit a big play to him and a guy got a piece of the ball to knock it out, we could have had a big opportunity with that one. Steve is doing a great job and doing everything we ask him to do. He's got a good feel for this offense and is doing well."
Q: What's the cornerstone of this team playing consistently well?
"I think it's just trusting each other and knowing that we're going out there and guys are going to have our back and protect each other, and support each other with everything we go through. We have great confidence in our defense that they're going to get us the ball and get us good field position. They have confidence in us that we're going to put some points on the board and not put them in bad situations. I think it just all comes back to having a team mentality. If we win, it's a team win. If we lose it's because the team didn't play well enough. We know every week to not be satisfied with just winning but where we can improve and what we can get better going into the next week and getting better from each game."
RB BRANDON JACOBS
Q: On the overall play of the Giants:
"We didn't play as great as we were capable of playing; we had a couple of slips and falls here and there, but the positive thing that came out of it was that we won the football game and we're moving on to next week 4-0."
Q: On his performance today:
"It felt pretty good out there. It was kind of tough-it-out type runs and making it in and moving the pile a little bit. I was just trying to go in there and be productive and try to keep the chains moving."
*Q: Was today you're "A game"?
* "No way near, we can play a lot better than that as a team. I think a lot of our victories will start coming out a lot cleaner. We're still trying to hit on all cylinders and trying to execute on both sides of the ball and trying to get it done. It's a long season and we've just got to grind it out and stay in it."
WR STEVE SMITH
Q: Were you looking forward to today's matchup?
"Definitely, we knew they were going to try and stop the run and we were excited about passing the ball.
Q: Do you think this will be a break-out year for you?
"Hey, I'm just taking it one game at a time. I'm not worried about the year."
*Q: Were the Chiefs not paying enough attention to you today?
* "Sometimes they tried to cover me, but we waited. Eli (Manning) does a great job of waiting until I'm open. That's just how it is with zones and trying to hit the one-on-ones outside, we're doing a good job with that. They paid more attention to me in the slot and tried to jam me. Eli does a great job for me to get off the press and get open."
*Q: How important was it winning three straight road games?
* "Every game is important, no matter what the match up is or what their record is. [The Chiefs] did a great job of fighting back in the fourth quarter. Now we've got another great secondary (Oakland) and we'll be going against the best corner in the game (Nnamdi Asomugha), so we're really excited."
Q: Was the penalty on the prior play a factor on your 26-yard touchdown reception?
"I just ran my route. Maybe the coaches felt like that, maybe they knew they'd be coming with a different coverage. It worked out perfect."
