Notes and statistics from the Giants' 38-35 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
*The Giants lost their fourth consecutive game and fell to 6-6. Because Dallas lost in overtime in Arizona, the Giants remain one game behind the Cowboys in the NFC East race. They will be in Dallas next Sunday night for the first of two games against the Cowboys in the final four weeks.
*Mason Crosby kicked the game-winning 31-yard field goal as time expired. This was the fourth time in Tom Coughlin's eight seasons as head coach the Giants have lost a game on a field goal with no time left (three regular season, one postseason). It had happened most recently on Dec. 28, 2008, when Minnesota's Ryan Longwell kicked a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give the Vikings a 20-19 victory.
*The Giants rushed for 100 yards, the first time they reached the century mark since they ran for 111 yards at New England on Nov. 6.
*Green Bay's 449 total yards and 360 passing yards were the second-highest totals allowed by the Giants this season, after New Orleans' 577 and 372 last week.
*The Packers rushed for 77 yards, the fourth time this season the Giants held their opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground.
*Green Bay converted seven of 12 third down opportunities, a 58 percent success rate than was the highest by a Giants opponent this season.
*The Giants scored their first first-half touchdown in five games – and their second touchdown on an opening offensive series this season – when Eli Manning threw a 67-yard pass to Travis Beckum on the game's third play. The only previous game this year in which the Giants scored a touchdown on their initial series was on Oct. 9 vs. Seattle, also on a Manning pass to a tight end – a 12-yarder to Jake Ballard.
Under Coughlin, the Giants are 19-10 in regular season games in which they score a touchdown on their first possession.
*The touchdown was scored with 1:36 elapsed in the game, the earliest the Giants had scored a touchdown since Sept. 7 2007, when Manning threw a 60-yard pass to Plaxico Burress 1:29 into the game in Dallas.
*The Giants are 26-29 in games following a Monday night game, including 8-8 since 2000.
*Eli Manning completed 23 of 40 passes for 347 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. It was his second straight 300-yard game, his sixth of the season and the 20th of his career. His previous career high was four 300-yard games, set in 2010. The Giants are 9-11 when Manning throws for at least 300 yards.
*Manning started his 115th consecutive regular season game, one shy of tying Ron Jaworski for third place among quarterbacks in NFL history.
*Manning's 67-yard touchdown pass to Travis Beckum on the game's first series was the longest completion of his career to a tight end. His previous long was a 59-yarder to Jeremy Shockey at Dallas on Oct. 16, 2005.
*The 67-yarder was the 10th-longest touchdown pass of Manning's career.
*Beckum's catch was only his second of the season; he had a two-yarder at Philadelphia on Sept. 25. It was Beckum's third career touchdown and his first since Nov. 21, 2010 at Philadelphia. The catch was easily the longest of Beckum's career; the previous long was a 29-yarder on Nov. 28, 2010 vs. Jacksonville.
*Victor Cruz caught seven passes for 119 yards. It was his third consecutive 100-yard game, a feat last accomplished by a Giant when Mario Manningham did it in the final three games of the 2010 season.
*The 100-yard game was Cruz's fifth of the season, the most by a Giants receiver since Amani Toomer had five in 2002.
*Cruz increased his season total to 1,076 yards. It is the 17th 1,000-yard receiving season in franchise history. Cruz is the 10th player – and ninth wide receiver – in Giants history with a 1,000-yard season.
*Hakeem Nicks also caught seven passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns. It was his first two-touchdown game since Oct. 25, 2010 at Dallas.
*It was the fourth time this season a Giants player scored at least two touchdowns in a game and the third time it was done through the air. Cruz caught two touchdown passes at Philadelphia on Sept. 25 and last week in New Orleans. Ahmad Bradshaw ran for three touchdowns vs. Buffalo on Oct. 16.
*Brandon Jacobs led the Giants with 59 rushing yards on eight carries, a 7.4-yard average. Jacobs increased his career total to 4,657 yards. That moved him past Alex Webster (4,638) and into fourth place on the Giants' career list. Webster was inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor at halftime.
*Jacobs' one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was the 54th rushing score of his career, one behind Giants' record-holder Tiki Barber.
*Bradshaw started at running back after missing the previous four games with a foot injury. Bradshaw rushed for 38 yards and caught two passes for nine yards. He became the seventh player in Giants history with 3,000 rushing yards and 100 receptions:
Name Rushing Receptions
Tiki Barber 10,449 586
Rodney Hampton 6,897 174
Alex Webster 4,638 240
Ron Johnson 3,836 186
Frank Gifford 3,609 367
Doug Kotar 3,380 126
Ahmad Bradshaw 3,036 101
*Chase Blackburn, who re-joined the team on Tuesday, intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass in the second quarter and returned it nine yards to the Packers' 12, setting up a Giants touchdown. It was Blackburn's third career interception. Both of his previous picks were at Washington. The first was on Dec. 24, 2005 (which he returned 32 yards for a touchdown) and the second on Dec. 21, 2009.
*Lawrence Tynes' 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter was his longest since he kicked a 53-yarder at Dallas on Oct. 25, 2010.
*Green Bay scored its second touchdown on Clay Matthew's 38-yard interception return on the first play of the second quarter. He was the third opponent to score on an interception return this season. Washington's Ryan Kerrigan scored on a nine-yard return on Sept. 11 and Seattle's Brandon Browner scored on a 94-yard return on Oct. 9.
*Justin Tuck and Dave Tollefson each sacked Aaron Rodgers. Tollefson has a career-high 4.0 sacks this season. His previous best was 3.5 in 2008.
*Linebacker Michael Boley returned to action after missing 2½ games with a hamstring injury and had four solo tackles.
*Tom Coughlin lost two replay challenges. The first occurred with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter. Manning threw a pass to the end zone for Jake Ballard, who caught the ball but was ruled out of bounds. Coughlin challenged, hoping referee Jeff Triplette would overturn the call on the field. But after review, Triplettte said Ballard's knee hit the sideline and upheld the incomplete pass.
With 12:17 remaining in the third quarter, Green Bay's Donald Driver caught a seven-yard pass near the Giants' sideline on third-and-three. Coughlin challenged, believing Driver was out of bounds. Again, Triplette disagreed and upheld the call on the field. It was Coughlin's sixth consecutive unsuccessful challenge after winning his first three this season. He is 33-38 with the Giants and 43-47 in his career on replay challenges.
*Linval Joseph led the Giants with nine solo tackles.
*Center David Baas was inactive after arriving at the stadium with a headache. Kevin Boothe, who had practiced all week at left guard, started at center for the third time this season. Second-year pro Mitch Petrus made his first career start at left guard. He had played in only one game this season (Oct. 16 vs. Buffalo) and played just twice on the offensive line as a rookie in 2010.
*Also inactive was reserve lineman Stacy Andrews, who was admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center last night with pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. The blood clots are thought to have originated in his legs, broken up and traveled to his lungs.
Ronnie Barnes, the Giants' senior vice president of medical services, said Andrews is receiving treatment and resting in the hospital and will most likely be released on Monday.
Andrews, 30, is an eight-year NFL veteran in his first season with the Giants. He played in nine of the first 11 games and started three of them as an extra lineman/eligible receiver. Andrews did not play in the victories over Miami on Oct. 30 and New England on Nov. 6 because of a back injury.
*The Giants' other inactive players were defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle), linebacker Mark Herzlich (ankle), wide receiver Mario Manningham (knee), defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy, and running back Da'Rel Scott.
Jason Pierre-Paul started at right end for Umenyiora, rookie Greg Jones made his fifth start of the season for Herzlich, and Cruz again stepped in for Manningham.
*Because of the shortage of offensive linemen, Jim Cordle assumed Andrews' role as the extra lineman/eligible receiver. Rookie James Brewer was in uniform for the first time but did not play.
*With Scott inactive, Devin Thomas returned kickoffs after giving way to the rookie the previous three games. Thomas returned three kickoffs for 78 yards and Will Blackmon brought back one for 32 yards.
*Safety Kenny Phillips (knee) and rookie linebacker Spencer Paysinger (hamstring) suffered injuries in the first half and did not return.
*In a halftime ceremony, Webster, punter Dave Jennings, tight end Mark Bavaro and linebackers Brad Van Pelt and Carl Banks were inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor, increasing the number of honorees to 35.
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